Ethereal Redemption
by midnightopheliac
Summary: End of Season 4. Sookie picks Eric over Bill, but with Russell Edgington free from his concrete grave they're going to need all the help they can get to defeat him. Godric never met the sun and his human life catches up with him in Vegas, helping Sookie discover herself in the process. E/S & G/OC. OOC at times. EDITING EARLIER CHAPTERS. RATED M FOR LEMONS, LANGUAGE, AND VIOLENCE.
1. I Hope You Dance

**A/N hey guys and gals! This is my first ever fanfic so please be gentle!** **I'm somewhat of a SVM/TB whore (actually, I think the appropriate term is 'fangbanger'…) ANYWAY. I'm going to be mainly using things from TB but I'll probably find myself referring to bits from the books in some places because they're great too. I will be chucking in a few characters from my own head later on, after all I'm not so selfish as to steal others toys, play with them and then not use my own toys too! That being said, I don't own any characters you recognise, though I wish I owned a certain Viking and his beautiful man-child Maker… *le sigh***

**I am going to change things a little from SVM/TB. First, Godric is Eric's Maker and he didn't meet the sun (I wanted to throw something at Alan Ball for killing him off, urgh!) Instead Godric went away travelling around Europe to sort his head out during season's 3 and 4, I'm also going to play with his background a little including the year he was born a human and the year he was turned into a vampire, there isn't much on him in depth anyway so I'm going to take some artistic license here! Secondly, Victor Madden doesn't exist in this world because he's just a pain in the ass; Felipe de Castro is still around though 'cause I think he's great. You'll understand later why I've mentioned this now.**

**Some characters may seem a little OOC, sorry if they do but there are some things I completely hate (e.g. Sook's stupidity regarding the Eric/Bill situation, Pam being a bitch all the time to Sook in TB etc)**

**Also, anything in italics is a thought from a character or a letter, anything in bold represents emphasis**

**ENJOY. REVIEW. MAKE ME SMILE. KEEP THE VIKING HAPPY. ETC. ETC.**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance, n__ever settle for the path of least resistance  
__Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin', l__ovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',  
__Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter, w__hen you come close to sellin' out reconsider,  
__Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance, a__nd when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.  
__I hope you dance, I hope you dance.  
__~ I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack_

I couldn't help but glance around the cream coloured room I was sat in, taking in all the changes, reflecting upon the days when this room was dark and empty, bleak and drafty. I guess being the Vampire King of Louisiana means your house gets a free upgrade. Speaking of my former lover, I flinched as his fangs sank further into my left wrist; his pulls were actually starting to become somewhat painful and I was finding it hard to focus.

On the other side sat the only remaining Louisiana Sheriff, also a former lover. The awkwardness of the situation was almost palpable.

His fangs were buried in my right wrist however his pulls were gentle, almost affectionate as he ran his fingers over the skin of my arm. Of course he can feel the slight pain I'm in thanks to the bond, that's gonna take some getting use to. At least he's attempting to soothe me, like he did when he fang-raped me that time with Russell at Fangtasia before he… I stopped my mental thought process there, willing myself to shut off the memory. I could have lost him then to the sun, and I nearly lost him this evening to fire.

"Okay I think that's enough." I demanded quietly, already feeling the lightheadedness approaching. Eric was first to stop, mid-pull and all, and made quick work of healing the puncture wounds. Bill on the other hand took two more greedy mouthfuls before seeming to reluctantly let me go, following suite by healing the marks on my wrist that he'd created.

For a split second silence enveloped us, I felt like screaming, shouting, throwing a fit, anything to make them snap out of whatever it was that was clouding their thoughts. It's said that every girl wishes to be fought over by two men, well let me tell you right now that it's not all singing and dancing. Not at all.

I couldn't help but look between the two vampires, no wait, men, who had turned my life upside down, both for better and for worse.

"You saved my life, both our lives." Bill spoke first, gazing at me with the tender eyes he had used from the moment we had met. It was difficult to forgive him for his betrayal but I couldn't let him die, that wouldn't have been a very Christian thing of me to do, not to mention that Gran would've been rolling in her grave if I hadn't of done something.

"It was my turn." I responded gently, knowing that we were now even. He'd saved my life in the past and now I'd saved his.

The voice on my right pulled my gaze away from Bill. "Thank you." Came the honestly appreciative tone. Never in my life did I think I'd hear the mighty Viking thank me for something. Then again, stranger things have happened.

"You don't have to thank me. I can't imagine a world without you in it." I returned in an equally honest tone, watching as a smile graced Eric's features instead of his usual smirk. It was a pleasant sight, one I'd grown fond of over his period of amnesia. "Both of you." I added as an afterthought, turning to look at Bill as I remembered his presence. It was true to some extent. Though I no longer felt such a deep love for Bill I cared enough about him to want him to be walking this earth a little longer, and his company wasn't too bad I suppose.

Pulling my arms out of their grasp, I brought them to my lap. Eric allowed me to pull away but Bill clung to me for a little longer. Personal space invasion.I mentally reprimanded him to myself. I knew he couldn't hear me but my emotions were so frazzled that all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball in my own bed and sleep.

Dragging the sleeves of my brown jacket down over my wrists, I turned my head as if watching a tennis match, observing first the 6'4 Viking and then the 5'10 Civil War veteran before looking back to the Viking. Quickly rising to my feet I crossed the room "I can't stand this anymore." I cursed; tension in the room was high. Both sets of eyes followed me.

"It's like being ripped in half. No matter what I do, somebody I love gets hurt." I explained, not really bothering to acknowledge the fact that neither of the two men probably understood where I was coming from. Two clicks could be heard and I was silently grateful that the fangs were away. At least they were both in an acceptable mood.

Bill rose from his seat, keeping his distance from me and his back to Eric. "Sookie I just wanted for you to be happy, and if being with Eric is what makes you happy, then you have my blessing."

For a moment I was stunned into silence, not by the fact he was finally acknowledging that he might lose me but because he thought I needed his blessing in order to move on. I can date whoever the hell I want! I don't need your permission I mentally screamed, scowling in his direction for a moment before Eric's movements captured my attention.

Stealing a glance I was in time to capture the elated expression on his perfectly sculptured features, he looked like a little boy on Christmas morning. Slowly he approached me, visibly concerned that I would run from him. I could never run from him if I was being perfectly honest with myself, sure he could be savage and cruel, he'd kept things from me, chained me up in the filthy basement of Fangtasia and then presented me to Russell like a shiny new toy, but he'd done it all for me.

He'd never been savage and cruel per se towards me without good reason, he'd yelled at me in Russell's mansion, telling me I was nothing to him. He'd made Russell believe he was willing to hand me over in order to gain an opportunity to kill him. There was no denying that the words had hurt though, and I found myself still wondering if at the time he had meant it or not. I remembered the tenderness before he'd been forced to drink from me, the way he looked at me, like he'd rather be doing anything other than hurting me. He'd chained himself to Russell outside Fangtasia in the sunshine moments later, willing to die alongside the creepy 3000 year old vampire both in revenge and so that he would never take me.

He stopped before me; I had to look up to lock eyes with the 1000-year-old vampire. Tentatively his hands reached upwards, cradling my face and instinctively I lent into his touch. "See, it's okay Sookie, Bill's fine with it." He reassured, stroking my jaw line with a calloused thumb, years of wielding a sword in his human life having taken a toll on them. "He had his chance, he blew it. H-He lied to you."

"To protect me, and I lied to him to protect you, and you've lied to both of us so many times we can't count." I fired back before realizing my words, his hands slipping away from my face.

Instinctively I grabbed his hands, missing the feel of them against my cheeks. With an indescribable, but obviously positive expression he placed his hands back to their former position.

"But then there's the side of you I've witnessed over the past week, there's good in you, so much of it. I know now that everything you ever said or did was purely unselfish, it was to keep me safe. You've never asked for anything in return, well, apart from the obvious. But you've had that now, granted you weren't yourself but you still remember it." I paused for a moment to think, my eyes flitting between both Eric and Bill.

The defeated expression on Bill's face made me feel a pang of guilt but it was soon overridden with my determination to say my piece. Looking back to my Viking I couldn't help but smile, I had his rapt attention. "When we made love, you never took my blood, you never even asked for it. When you were silvered for the day and needed to feed you didn't ask for my blood, you even seemed frightened when I offered it to you, like you were unsure about taking it. That alone denotes to me that you don't want me for my blood, that you care for me on a different level and at present that's the best compliment I could ever hope for."

Eric's forehead came to rest against mine, our noses touching. "I care for who you are, not what you are." He breathed, throwing Bill's words from over a year ago around. "I didn't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt you. I won't betray you, ever." He murmured, reciting the words he had used moments before I had allowed him to take my blood to heal.

"I may remind you of that some day." I shot back playfully, earning a grin in response. Pulling back I glanced to Bill, whose eyes moved from the wall he had been staring at to me, clearly he felt uncomfortable with the situation.

"Will you be honest with me, please, for once?" He gave a nod, looking at with puppy dog eyes that would have had me melting to the ground a year ago. "It was the blood, wasn't it? I know you care but it was the blood that sealed the deal yes? I'm not angry with you, not at all, I just need to know." I inquired gently, I wanted to part on relatively good terms.

His head dropped in submission, a strange sight for a vampire King and with a terse nod I received my answer. For a moment I allowed silence to envelope us all again as I gathered my thoughts. For so long I had been used as a pawn in the vampire world, my heart and body had both been played like they were some sort of instrument and now it was time for them both to heal.

I realised then that they would never heal with Bill; I would always know that he was in it because I was a tasty treat. Sure being with Eric would be tough, we clashed horns all the time over the smallest of things and sometimes he infuriated me to the point where I wanted to smack him. Heck I actually had smacked him before! Yet with him I had this gut feeling that everything would be okay in the end, that he would use all of his 1000 years of experience to keep me safe and happy, so that I could heal.

Finally I looked up to Eric, observing the small hopeful smile on his lips and the deep cerulean orbs watching my closely. In a gentle yet firm tone I finally voiced my decision.

"Lets go home, my Viking."


	2. SheWolf

**A/N ****I just want to say that I love you guys, seriously! My phone has been going mental all day with email alerts regarding favourite/reviews etc and it makes me so happy! I'm glad you guys like the story so far, I've had this idea in my head for weeks now and I'm itching to get on with it. I've never tried to get inside a males mind, let alone the mind of a 1000-year-old Viking, I've never written a fight/violent scene before either so apology in advance!**

**Also, Tara and Lafayette were staying with Sookie in TB at this point however for this story I have decided that they went back to Lafayette's, the last thing someone wants when they're sad is to be around other sad people. Plus I didn't have the heart to risk killing off Tara, I'm not a huge fan of her in TB but Sookie needs a human companion to keep her grounded in all of the Supe shit she's gotten herself into.**

**Without further ado, here we go!**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_One look in her lusting eyes, savage fears in you will rise _  
_Teeth of terror sinking in, the bite of the she-wolf _  
_My desires of flesh obey me, the lioness will enslave me _  
_Another heart beat than my own, the sound of claws on cobblestone, I'm stoned_  
_Beware what stalks you in the night, beware the she-wolf and her bite _  
_Her mystic lips tell only lies, her hidden will to kill in disguise _  
_~ She-Wolf, Megadeth_

The moment those words left my lovers lips I had her scooped up in my arms, vamping us out of Compton's house and across the cemetery to the home I assumed I now shared with the telepath clutched to my chest. Technically it was my house on paper but as her idiotic brother had so kindly pointed out before we were about to blow up Moon Goddess Emporium it was actually her home.

If she wanted me to leave it then I would, no questions asked. I knew she wouldn't be able to rescind my invitation; we'd crossed that bridge shortly after she'd arrived back from the Fae Realm. I would honor her wishes though regardless of what they were though I was silently praying that she wouldn't ever kick me out. She did pick me, after all.

She picked me. Me.

Swooping up the creaky porch steps at the front of her home I placed her down gently and she held onto me for a moment to regain her center of balance. It'd been a while since I'd run with a human and I gave her a sheepish smile as a way of an apology for making her dizzy.

Removing her keys from her pocket I watched as she unlocked the door. "You should smile more ya know. Makes you look younger, old man." She teased as she stepped over the threshold. I couldn't help but laugh at her; only my Sookie would think it would insult me by calling upon my age.

Following her across the threshold I was quick to shut the door behind me, dropping my gaze to the old rug on the floor where two half prints from my once muddy feet remained, serving as a reminder of the night Sookie brought me into her home and start to care for the puppy dog version of me.

A part of myself was angry that I had allowed someone to see me weak, vulnerable and scared. I'm a 1000-year-old Viking; I do not do vulnerable and weak.

When I dared to dwell upon the feeling further I soon found my anger replaced with relief. At least it was my little spitfire who stumbled upon me and took me home rather than some redneck V addict. The last thing I'd have needed during my amnesic state would have been being stuck dealing with the emotions of some unstable inbred.

I'd only been looking at the rug upon the floor for a split second but when I looked back up Sookie had already divested herself of her brown jacket, allowing her lithe and tanned arms to fall into my sight. "Ah yes lover, but with age comes experience." I couldn't help but purr, waggling my eyebrows at her suggestively.

The laughter that escaped her lips was beautifully melodic and I couldn't help but break out into an appreciative smile at how naturally beautiful everything about her was. "Pray tell, Mr. Northman, what experiences are you referring to?" she challenged with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Instinct took over and within seconds I had her pinned against the nearest wall, towering over her. One hand resting against the wall beside her head, the other sat comfortably upon her wide hips, kneading the firm flesh there. With my hand on her hips it was then I felt a pang of sadness within the weak bond we shared and almost immediately I knew where Sookie's thoughts had taken her. "If it were possible then I would give you however many children you want, you know that." I reassured her gently, willing away my own impending sadness.

During my human years I had never cared for any of the seven children my wife had given me. I had married out of obligation, not for love, and I had spent most of my time raiding other countries and sailing the seas. I hadn't witnessed my children's births and subsequently I hadn't witnessed their deaths either after their first winters. All of them had been killed by the bitter cold of the north.

My Sookie was meant to carry children, preferably mine, and the fact she was saddened with my hand upon her hip spoke volumes to me. If it were possible then she would want my children. The thought stroked my already large ego. Her hips were wide and unyielding underneath my hand, her chest ample and close to her forgiving heart. Her gentle nature would make motherhood so rewarding for her yet it was the one thing I couldn't give her. I could give her a new house, a shiny car, a wardrobe fit for royalty and all the diamonds in the world but my Sookie had never been materialistic.

It was one of the many reasons why I loved her, she didn't care about how much wealth I'd accumulated in my 1000 years, she didn't care for designer clothing and fast cars, nor did my portfolio of homes and businesses mean anything to her. All she wanted was to be loved and accepted, and I could give her that, I could give her bucket loads of it.

Her sadness was soon replaced with a sense of gratefulness and before her emotions could slip into anything negative I claimed her lips with my own. There was no haste to our actions, my little faery had nearly been burnt alive inside Moon Goddess last night and this evening I too nearly burnt alive. Well, undead, if one was being pedantic.

Instead I savoured her, her warm body pinned beneath my cold one, her heartbeat skittering, the smell of sunshine upon her unmarred skin. It was then I picked up on another heartbeat and I couldn't help but frown as it didn't belong to my lover or any of her close friends that I had encountered over the past few years.

The sound drew closer and instinctively I tore my lips from my lovers, spinning on my heels to stand protectively before her, pushing her further behind me. "Eric, what the hell?" she demanded, attempting to pass me. A low growl reverberated from within me, my fangs snapping down as the owner of the heartbeat emerged from the shadows, shotgun in hand aimed directly at my lover and her eyes glazed over with hatred.

Debbie Pelt. Hasn't someone managed to kill this Werebitch yet? I mentally sighed. In a nanosecond she'd pulled the trigger several times and without even having to think about it I moved myself into its path, taking all the shot so my Sookie wouldn't be hit. What I wasn't expecting, however, were the silver bullets that penetrated my skin.

Howling in frustration at my lack of judgement and the pain coursing through my system, I collapsed to my knees as the silver embedded itself within me, the burning sensation was extremely unpleasant and the vile smell of my sizzling flesh invaded my nostrils. This really wasn't how I had wanted this evening to go.

Sookie's scream pierced my sensitive eardrums, the fear and anger rolling from her through our bond was enough to make me force myself back up onto my feet to protect her. I would deal with the silver later.

Back upon my feet I was knocked down again only seconds later by a white wolf. Grabbing a chunk of fur I sank my fangs in to rip open the creatures neck before I yanked it backwards, catapulting it across the room and with a thud it smacked against the living room wall before falling to the ground.

If there was one thing my 1000 years had taught me it was to never turn your back to an enemy. The wolf rose to its feet once more, blood from the impact and wound was smeared across its snout and neck and a large chunk of fur was missing from its hide. Snapping its jaws at me I crouched, waiting for it to pounce.

The wolf didn't disappoint. Seconds later it sprung itself at me and before I could even move the sound of a gunshot rung out around the old farmhouse and with nothing short of pride I watched as the bullet from the gun Sookie had clutched in her hands sailed through the air, striking the wolf in the side of the head. The sound of metal meeting bone echoing in the darkness.

The wolf hit the floor quickly and turned back into the naked and broken form of Debbie Pelt, her blood pooling out of the wound in the side of her head, spreading across Sookie's freshly cleaned floor. I could tell she wouldn't be too pleased about that. Without a second thought she raised the gun again, firing another shot into Debbie's head.

Righting myself I hissed as the silver bullets continued to weaken me further though the pain didn't stop me from quirking an eyebrow in Sookie's direction as I took in her uncharacteristic nature. She'd always stated that she hated killing.

"She deserved it. She's covered my floor in blood, poor linoleum." She stated quietly as the gun clattered to the ground at her feet. Instantly her head was buried in her hands, her breathing labored as her emotions finally caught up with her. Mentally I worked through them – horror, guilt, relief and worry.

"I'd like to go one night without someone or something trying to kill me, or you." She muttered quietly, raising her head from her hands. I'd expected to see tears rolling down her tanned cheeks but instead I saw only her smudged make-up. I hated seeing her cry, it made me feel strangely human and I didn't want her to waste any tears on Alcide's ex-girlfriend. She wasn't worth it.

Glancing to the now human form of Debbie Pelt I sighed, a human characteristic I'd taken on during my amnesia period. "She deserved it on a more practical level to, you know. She would've killed you knowing either myself or Bill would've been the first to get here and that we would both be unable to get the silver out of you." I winced, trying to will the silver bullets out. Clearly Debbie had planned this for some time, what other reason would she have to carry solid silver 45 caliber bullets with her?

For a moment there was silence before Sookie came to stand before me, pulling her beautiful blonde locks up into a ponytail. "Sit down," she demanded, giving me a gentle shove onto the couch, "I can feel your pain, so it looks like I'm sucking bullets out of you once again." She sighed in mock exasperation.

Unable to stop the corner of my lips from quirking upwards I allowed her to straddle my lap, rather enjoying the current position we were sat in. She moved the horrendous dressing gown out of the way that Compton had given me before we had left his house in order to give her better access.

As her mouth latched onto the space just below my collarbone, where the first bullet had embedded itself, I lazily stroked her arm. "I'm sorry about that, by the way. It was cruel of me to trick you, to betray your trust like that. I know you probably don't want to hear it but I thought at the time that having my blood in your system would make other vampires less interested in you, that it would keep you safe. I'll admit I did want to take you from Bill but at the same time I wanted you to start to see the truth about him." I explained as delicately as I could.

Usually I went in with guns blazing during an explanation however as my Sookie was currently doing me a favor and in control of how much pain I would have to endure I figured being as eloquent as possible would earn me some brownie points. Finally I felt the first bullet free itself from the wound and watched as Sookie extracted it from her mouth, chucking it onto the floor, no longer caring that my blood was entering her system.

"I won't lie, it was a very underhanded thing to do, Eric. I'll admit I was furious with you for a while but I guess I owe you for it; I started to question Bill from that moment on." She confessed, shock running through my system at her announcement though I didn't allow the emotion to flicker across my face.

Never did I think she'd actually started to question him, given that she'd stormed into my basement at Fangtasia while I was mid-fuck with that Estonian whore and had accused me of taking Compton. Couple that with the ghastly diamond he'd thrown onto her finger. Internally I groaned at the memory of her catching me fucking Yvetta, that was not something I'd wanted her to see. I knew at some point my fidelity would crop up and I'd be perfectly honest with Sookie when it did. She'd ruined others for me. Before we'd attacked Moon Goddess Compton had offered me a donor but the moment her blood hit my palate I wanted to toss her aside, I didn't even want to fuck her which was unusual for me given how closely related the two actions usually were. I only wanted Sookie. I would never again take nourishment or pleasure from another.

I was glad the ring was no longer there if I was being perfectly honest with myself. The stone had been of poor quality and he hadn't even bothered to get the right size for her. My ring would decorate her finger in the future, of that I was certain, and it would be ten times the quality, twice the size and the band would fit perfectly around her slender finger. I'd do it right; she deserved the very best.

"You started to remove the rose-tinted glasses for me so thank you, and thank you for taking those bullets for me." She murmured, the sincerity in her voice silenced me further and she took the opportunity to continue her ministrations, working on another bullet that had lodged itself in my sternum.

"I won't let any harm come to you, I promise." I vowed quietly, slipping my arms around her waist to hold her close, feeling her smile against my chest as she pulled another bullet out of my body


	3. It's My Life

**A/N ****omg omg omggggg, I LOVE YOU ALL SO FREAKING MUCH. All of the notifications I'm getting about favorites and reviews etc, unf I'm feeling the love! As a reward for you all this chapter is longer than the previous two :)**

**I've decided Sookie's eyes are gonna be blue, like they are in SVM, purely because then her and Eric match.**

**I think after everything that's happened Sookie and Eric need to reconnect, so yes, LEMON FEST. Never written lemons before so be gentle with me, unlike the Viking who likes it rough and fast **

**Enjoy my pretties; add to your favorites, shower me with reviews and I shall bathe you in naked Viking goodness!**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake _  
_Luck ain't even lucky got to make your own breaks _  
_It's my life and it's now or never, I ain't gonna live forever _  
_I just want to live while I'm alive_  
_ My heart is like an open highway, like Frankie said I did it my way _  
_I just want to live while I'm alive, 'cause it's my life _  
_~ It's my life, Bon Jovi_

It seemed to be a common occurrence these days, killing to defend myself. First there was René who tried to kill me because I was in a relationship with Bill. Never in my life did I think I'd have the courage to kill someone, let alone with a shovel. Secondly Gabe. Okay so he didn't die by my hand, Godric was there to save me, but he still died because of me. That overweight oaf tried to have his way with me in the basement of the FOTS and if Godric hadn't of showed up and snapped his neck I'd have never been able to live with myself knowing I was taken against my will. Then of course there was Lorena, that bitch totally deserved it though so I felt justified in ending her even though it wasn't the most pleasant of moments. I ruined another outfit thanks to her. Now add in Debbie Pelt and it was clear to me that I would forever have to kill in order to survive. I believe Herbert Spencer coined the phrase 'survival of the fittest.' and right at this very moment it felt wonderfully perfect to describe my life.

Eric's promise rung clearly in my ears and I couldn't help but smile against his broad chest as another bullet entered my mouth. Tossing it to the floor with the others I watched as the hole healed itself. Eric had put himself in danger for me so many times over the past two years and now more than ever I felt the need to learn how to use my powers, how to defend myself, so that I wouldn't have to rely so heavily on him. I had willingly started a blood bond to a 1000-year-old Viking who was the Sheriff of Area 5; it's time he started to worry less about me.

Examining his chest I found no more bullets lodged into his firm flesh and gave a nod of approval. "All gone." I declared happily, lifting my head to look up at the beautiful man before me. It still shocked me how someone as old and powerful, as beautiful and wealthy as him could ever love someone like me. I was a barmaid from a backwater town, of average appearance with little money and only a high school diploma. I was rather humbled.

Casting my eyes over my shoulder I finally caught sight of my living room and sighed, it was a mess again. If Gran were still around she would be so frustrated. Taking in Debbie's naked and still form, my eyes followed to the pool of blood and a shudder ran through me as mental images started to bombard my mind of my Gran, laying alone on the cold kitchen floor as blood seeped out of her and onto the linoleum. I remembered staying up all night cleaning it away. A strangled sob escaped my lips at the memory yet two firm hands came to rest upon my waist, reassurance pouring through the weak bond.

"What's the matter, Lover?" His words were like a tender carress and I took a moment to compose myself.

"My gran died on the floor in the kitchen, there was so much blood. I guess I'm just experiencing déjà vu." I mumbled numbly.

"I'm sorry about your Gran, truly. I wish I could have met her." He informed me, sincerity pouring out with his words.

Turning to look at the man who had taken such good care of me in the past I found it easy to smile, to push away my negative thoughts. "She would've loved you, not at first mind, but you would've grown on her. I can tell."

Amusement flickered across Eric's face and for a moment I saw him straining to keep his mouth in a firm line until eventually he gave up, his laughter echoing around the room. Confused, I frowned a little, my eyebrows drawing together. "Perhaps I'll grow on you." He stated, pausing for a split second before continuing 'I'd prefer cancer." He added in an awful imitation of my voice. I couldn't help it; I doubled over in laughter with him.

All of the tension in the room and my sadness vanished and I couldn't help but grin, my Viking knew how to make me feel better. Giving his chest a playful thump as our laughter subsided I wriggled off of his lap, rising to my tiny 5'3 height. "Go and get rid of the body, I think they had a funeral yesterday so there should be a new grave. I'll clean up the blood on the floor." I declared, suddenly feeling rather empowered.

My Viking rose off of the couch to his full 6'4 height, towering over me as he pulled the dressing gown back around his torso. "You are not to clean up the blood, I will take care of that. Go shower, and I shall join you shortly." He dictated in response, earning him a scowl from me.

"I can clean blood off the floor you know, I cleaned up my Gran's" I crossed my arms over my ample chest, he was not getting away with doing all the work. For far too long I have allowed him to do everything, it was time I started to reduce his workload.

For a moment he was stunned into silence and I felt victorious inside, however that feeling soon disappeared as he spoke again. "Compton left you to clean up your Grandmother's blood, alone? He didn't clean it up himself or hire someone to do it for you?" he inquired in a tone of horror, the angry fire building in his eyes.

Shaking my head in response my arms fell down to my side before I shrugged. "It wasn't his job to clean it up, and besides, I didn't really want anyone but myself to do it. She was my Grandmother and if anyone else had have done it I'd have felt like they were violating her." I explained quietly, scuffing my left foot along the linoleum flooring.

In two quick strides Eric was before me, his hands holding my face as his cerulean orbs gazed into my own light blue ones. "It is because of him your Grandmother was taken from you. I would have protected her right along with you. I promise you now that I will protect your brother as I would you as he is all you have left of your bloodline. I understand that you felt the need to clean up her blood; after all it runs through your veins too. This is not a family member however, this is a Were who would have killed you without a second thought and I will not have you near her disgusting blood. I will take care of it while you shower. Go, I'll join you shortly." He spoke softly, caressing my face.

All of the resolve I'd had disappeared after his little speech, he always knew the exact thing to say. Wrapping my arms around his waist I buried my face into his freshly healed chest, inhaling his scent of pinewood, crisp fresh air and the stormy, salty sea he grew up by. He dropped a kiss to the top of my head before sending me in the direction of the stairs, giving my bottom a playful pat. Allowing myself to laugh quietly I started to climb the stairs before I heard him open the front door and head out to the cemetery.

Entering my bathroom I stripped out of my clothing, abandoning it on the floor before stepping inside the shower and with a flick of my wrist I turned the hot water on. Standing directly underneath the spray a sigh escaped my roughly parted lips as my eyelids fluttered to a close. At least I had one less enemy now.

I must have been stood under the spray for a few minutes before I heard the shower curtain being pulled back. I felt a cool body pressed against my back and with a smile my eyelids snapped open. "That took you longer than I expected." I mumbled as Eric's lips came into contact with my shoulder, moving up to the junction where my neck started and my shoulder stopped.

A light chuckle slipped from him as he nuzzled my damp skin, "I wanted to make sure all evidence was removed. I contacted a builder also to fix the dent I made in your wall." He explained quietly, dropping a tender kiss to my heated flesh.

"High-handed vampire." I couldn't help but grumble under my breath. I would have never thought to bother with a builder. I couldn't have afford one on my Merlotte's salary anyway, even with my tips, but it still frustrated me slightly that Eric spent money on me all the time, even if he did have a huge amount stashed somewhere.

Reaching around me, he grabbed at the bar of soap before sliding it between his hands to create a rich lather. "You love it." He whispered in my ear, gently nipping at the lobe. I couldn't help but let out a low whimper at his action. I had this beautiful man completely naked in my shower and I fully intended to ravage him.

He washed me silently, his eyes never leaving mine even as he crouched down to wash my feet. There was something I thought I would never see. The mighty Eric Northman was washing the feet of his girlfriend. Wait, girlfriend, that's what I was wasn't I? I don't know seeing as how we didn't really label ourselves. Rising back up to his full height I took the bar of soap from him and washed him in return, even going so far as to use a neutral scented shampoo for him. I highly doubted he would have be pleased to smell like lavender or strawberries. I relished the feel of his firm muscles beneath my fingers, the way they tensed when I reached a ticklish spot and the way he purposefully showed them off. His broad shoulders were my favourite thing about him though, no scrap that, it had to be his beautiful bottom. If there were an international butt competition, Eric would win, hands down—or cheeks up.

It was quite a task to wash him and more often than not my Viking had to bend or crouch so I could reach all of him. It was amusing and frustrating at the same time. Obviously he caught on to my emotions as he chuckled, rinsing off his hair before shampooing mine. His fingernails dragged lightly across my scalp, eliciting a moan from me. "Let me take care of you, Lover, as you took care of me when I forgot who I was." His husky voice dragged across my eardrums and I was powerless to say no to him. Nodding in submission my hair was soon free from the shampoo and no sooner had the last of the suds disappeared down the drain I found myself lifted off the ground, pressed against the cold tiles of my shower wall.

Yipping in surprise I instinctually wrapped my legs around Eric's waist, his hands resting under my thighs for support. His head dipped down as his mouth latched onto my collarbone, suckling the skin there before I felt two sharp points drag across it. The fangs only came out to play for two reasons, either when he was angry, or turned on. I settled for the latter of the two and couldn't help feel a thrill of excitement. Cheese and rice, I really was becoming a fangbanger!

He pulled back for a moment, smiling at the sound of my erratic heartbeat. Soon however a serious expression crossed onto his features as he pressed himself closer, his gracious plenty making itself known. I couldn't help but groan, remembering what it felt like to have him buried to the hilt inside of me, moving in sync with me as we made love. I craved it like a drug addict craved their next fix.

"I don't know what I would have done with myself if you hadn't of chosen me." His statement brought me out of my lust filled haze and I found myself lost in his beautiful eyes, so much emotion swirling in them. "I cannot live without you, Sookie. I love life but without you then life has no meaning, no purpose. You are the reason I wake when the sun falls and the reason I smile as the sun rises. Anything you want in the whole world I will give to you, I will do anything to see you smile and I will do anything to keep you safe. I am the darkness and you are my light. Remember that I told you there's a light in you, it's still so beautiful and I couldn't bear it if I snuffed it out." Red rimmed his eyes as he spoke until finally a single tear slipped down his cheek.

Without thinking I lent forward, capturing the droplet with my lips, kissing it away. There were no words I could find to help me convey how I felt, and that was saying something given the word-a-day calendar Arlene always bought me. Instead I focused deep inside myself on the weak bond we shared and pushed all of the love and affection I held for my Viking into it, not really knowing if it would work. The moment he sharply inhaled and then his chest collapsed inwards slightly I knew it had worked, and without saying a word I felt him push all of his own love for me back.

"I love you." I told him firmly, not wanting him to doubt those words at all. I meant it with every fiber of my being and although it may have taken me much longer than anticipated to realize it I was completely certain now. Moving my hands from his shoulders I cupped his face, brushing our noses together in a sweet Eskimo kiss. "Make love to me, my beautiful man." I whispered gently, refusing to call him a vampire in this moment. His humanity was returning to him and it was so incredibly endearing.

Using one hand my Viking aligned himself to my folds and with a gentle thrust he buried himself inside of me, both of us groaning at the sensation. "This is best." He breathed against my damp skin, burying his nose in my cleavage for a moment to allow me to adjust to his size. "This is right." He added quietly, starting to thrust his hips as I rocked mine. There was never any pain when we made love; he fitted inside of me like he was made to be there. I didn't believe in soul mates, not at all, but I could see now why some people did.

His tongue flickered out at that moment, sliding across the surface of my breast before finally he drew my nipple into his mouth, his tongue sliding across the hard pebble in time with his slow yet determined thrusts. His fangs scraped the surface of my skin and with one hand I gently pushed his head closer to my chest, willing him to bite.

It took little encouragement as he gently sank his fangs into my flesh, a gasp escaping my lips. One hand held onto his shoulder firmly, my nails sinking into his skin brutally, while the other knotted itself in his wheat coloured hair, drawing him impossibly closer. Rocking my hips in time with his we found a rhythm that suited us both perfectly, the sensations zipping through my body causing me to cry out in bliss. Releasing my nipple he licked at the puncture wound, sealing it shut before attacking my other breast, giving it the exact same treatment.

My nails dug into his back, breaking the skin there and drawing blood, drawing a loud moan from my Viking lover. Pain and pleasure seemed to be closely linked for him and he was walking the fine line between them right now. "Faster Eric, please." I begged breathlessly as he looked up at me, his eyes smoldering with lust. Letting go of my breast he once again sealed my wounds before kissing a trail up, over my collarbone, up my throat, across my jaw line and eventually to my lips. Our lips mashed together in a fierce battle for dominance as he shifted his stance slightly and with a sharp thrust he hit the wonderful patchy of spongy tissue inside of me. I couldn't help but cry out as he sped up, repeatedly hitting into my g-spot. He swallowed all of my cries and I felt him smirk against my lips. Smug bastard.

My body felt like it was on fire, my insides coiled impossibly tight both thanks to the stimulation and the anticipation. Using his hands Eric spread my legs further apart, burying himself to the hilt inside of me and that's when I snapped. Shouting out his name like a mantra, my head fell back against the bathroom tiles as wave after wave of intense pleasure coursed through my body. My walls clamped down tightly onto Eric's thick member and with two final strokes his own orgasm hit him, grunts falling from his perfect lips along with my name as his cool seed flooded my insides.

If Eric hadn't of had me pinned to the wall I would've fallen to the floor, my legs were like jelly and I could hardly come up with a coherent thought. If I believed sex with amnesic Eric was excellent then sex with the Eric who had all of his memories back was mind-blowing. Both of us were shaking lightly as we stood there in post-coital happiness, our eyes locked on one another. Nothing else mattered. No words were needed to describe our feelings in that exact moment; our weak bond and our body language made it abundantly clear how much we cared for one another.

Still buried deep inside of me, Eric turned the shower off, scattering adoring kisses across my damp skin before stepping out of the shower, my legs wrapping themselves back around his waist once more. In no time he vamped us to my bedroom, my back hitting my soft duvet as he lay above me, his arms holding his weight off of my small form and his member still buried inside of me, once again standing to attention. It was an odd sensation, feeling him come alive inside of me, but at the same time it was gratifying knowing it was me causing it to happen.

"Bond with me?" he begged, his eyes and voice full of honesty and a hint of fear. Did he really think I would reject him or his offer?

"There is nothing I would love more." I returned with complete sincerity. A beautiful smile appeared on his features and his fangs snapped down as he raised a wrist to his mouth ready to bite. I don't know what overcame me but I stopped him by grabbing his wrist, hurt flared in his eyes for a second until my other hand came to rest upon his jugular. "I want to take from here." I voiced, knowing just how much Eric loved it when I nipped at his neck during sex. I guessed it was a vampire thing.

The happiness that shone in his eyes was enough to knock the breath out of me and I sent a quick and silent prayer of thanks to God for giving me Eric Northman, for letting me see the side of him hardly anyone else got to. Losing myself in my Viking's eyes, his head soon dipped down to my neck where he scattered gentle kisses, my vein standing up thanks to the attention. Mirroring his actions I soon found his vein, nipping at it with my blunt teeth. With that he started to rock his hips against mine, a fleeting groan cascading from his mouth, muffled against my skin.

With the precision 1000 years had given him he struck, his fangs sinking into my skin and without a second thought I bit his neck in return. I was slightly worried about hurting him but I knew in the back of my mind that whatever pain I caused him would be minimal compared to other pains he had faced. My blood would also help heal the wound. With my first pull my mouth was flooded with his sweet blood, thick and rich with a hint of cinnamon and dark chocolate. It was intoxicating. I took pulls in time with his thrusts, matching him every time and it wasn't long until my insides coiled again for my second orgasm of the night.

Reaching between us, one of Eric's hands found my nub and as he rubbed and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger I found myself coming undone, my walls contracting around him once more. Pulling back from the wound upon his neck I screamed out his name as I went hurtling over the edge. Eric's own loud groan sounded out seconds later as he toppled over the edge with me, his large frame coming to rest upon me. His weight above me made me feel safe and flooded me with a sense of comfort. Lazily he licked his fangs marks and I watched as my own bite disappeared from his alabaster skin. Panting wildly I started to feel everything Eric could and I was bowled over by the love he felt for me, the lust that took over his eyes when he looked at me and his deep-set need to protect me. "I can feel you, everything you feel I can feel. I love it. I love you." I voiced, my breath coming out in rags as I tried to control my breathing.

A smile played across his lips as he basked in the love I felt for him in return. "I love you too, my Sookie. I feel so alive feeling everything you do. By the time I'm done with you though, you won't be able to feel anything but deliciously numb tomorrow." He promised with his signature smirk before spending all night keeping his promise


	4. Trouble

**A/N ****eeee I love you guys! I want to thank you all for the alerts/favourites/reviews etc, especially the nice feedback regarding my first ever lemons, as a reward there shall be more graciously scattered throughout this story (see what I did there? 'gracious' – nice little reference ;))**

**Anyway, I was super duper flabbergasted and happy to see that MC186 favourited this story! Her story Wild Heart, Eternal Light is by far my favourite Sookie/Eric piece on FanFiction so I am absolutely flattered that she has taken the time to have a look at my work! I am also shamelessly plugging here, go and read it guys, you won't be disappointed!**

**With that being said, onwards we go!**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_No attorneys, to plead my case, no opiates to send me into outer space_  
_And my fingers are bejeweled with diamonds and gold but that ain't gonna help me now_  
_ I'm trouble, yeah trouble now I'm trouble y'all, I disturb my own town _  
_I'm trouble, yeah, trouble now I'm trouble y'all, I got trouble in my town _  
_~ Trouble, P!NK_

Rolling over in my bed I stretched out, my eyelids still hiding my blue orbs from the world. Immediately I felt the empty space next to me and seconds later my eyelids snapped backwards. Grabbing at the other side of the bed I squinted in the bright sunlight that poured through my bedroom window, suddenly understanding why the space next to me was empty. Glancing at the clock on the bedside I found it was 11am.

Sitting up, I rubbed lazily at my eyes, wincing at the delicious pain that suddenly flooded my system and subsequently reminded me of the night before. With a smug smile I spotted a note on the pillow next to me and swipped it up, letting my eyes drop to the page where a beautifully elegant script met my gaze. Of course after 1000 years my Viking's handwriting was a work of art.

_Mitt Hjärta,_

_I love you._

_Now that the most important thing I have to say has been said I'll continue._

_I hate not being able to die for the day beside your beautiful body, as much as I love you I feel burning alive – or should I say undead? – wouldn't be a particularly pleasant experience for either of us. I have taken my day rest in the cubby, should you wish to join me later on then please feel free to do so, perhaps you could even come up with a creative way to wake me?_

_I understand that you have work today and while I am not a fan of you working at the shifters bar I understand this deep desire you have to be independent and will therefore respect your wishes, for now._

_Please remember to eat something today, I always worry that I take too much blood from you and I would hate to see you waste away to nothing and lose the beautiful curves I enjoy holding onto so much during our lovemaking._

_I shall see you this evening my darling._

_Eternally yours_

_~ E xx_

A light blush flooded my features; he could be both sweet and sultry at the same time. At least he was finally accepting the fact that I wanted to work for a living, though his comment of 'for now' irked me a little. I was good at my job and Sam needed me there. I wasn't going to sit at home all day and eat bonbons while reading trashy romance novels and allow Eric to do all of the work.

The phone ringing downstairs pulled me out of my thoughts and with a sigh I dragged myself from my bed, chucking on a light white robe before descending down the staircase and into the kitchen. I pulled the phone from the wall a little roughly, muttering to myself about needing to get a cordless one.

"Yeah yeah, I'm here." I grumbled into the receiver, rubbing my temples with my free hand. Eric had kept his promise, my coochie was wonderfully numb but the last thing I needed was a headache on top of that before starting work and the telephones shrill was damn loud.

"Sookie! I'm glad I caught you!" came the unmistakably deep voice and instantly I froze. The last time I had spoken to Alcide he had told me he'd wished he'd fallen in love with someone like me, then I went and killed his ex-girlfriend.

"Alcide." I greeted, the warmth I usually addressed him with was lacking in my tone but I couldn't exactly be blamed for that. His psycho ex-girlfriend had tried to murder me the night before. Speaking of Debbie, I had no idea what Eric had done with her body or what we were going to tell Alcide.

His sigh of relief sounded over the phone and I frowned lightly. "I hate to ask this of you seeing as how I hate him but I need to get in touch with Northman, however his unbearable progeny won't tell let me speak to him. Can you tell him to call me please, it's urgent, and if he flips it off tell him it's about the parking lot and its resident." He explained cryptically. I wasn't the brightest crayon in the box but his explanation could confuse even a Harvard graduate.

"Alcide, I think you should come over and tell him yourself, it might be better seeing as how I have to go to work in an hour and probably won't remember." There was no way I was going to be a delivery person for Alcide's messages. I just hoped that none of that ridiculous male posturing would occur if Alcide were to come over.

"Northman's in your house? Are you nuts! After everything that's happened and you still allow him to stay over! The moment he gets his memory back he'll drop you Sookie!" I could hear the aggression in Alcide's voice and I was finally done with it. I'd made my choice and I wasn't going back. It was time everyone knew that.

"Yes he is. He owns my house and besides, he has his memories back now, all of them. We're together properly now Alcide, as in boyfriend and girlfriend and we've bonded twice. I love him and he loves me." I responded in an even tone. I adored Alcide in a friendly sense and the last thing I wanted was to lose my cool with him. I knew it was sort of below the belt to chuck in how many times we'd bonded but Alcide needed to get it through his thick skull that I was Eric's now and that Eric was mine too.

Silence stretched over the line for a minute. "I'll be over at sunset. Enjoy your day"

The line went dead.

Sighing with frustration I slammed the phone back onto the hook, stomping upstairs to the bathroom. For the first few days that Eric had been living with me during his amnesia ordeal I'd crept around during the day but eventually I'd realized that you literally couldn't wake the dead no matter how much noise you made.

Sliding the robe from my frame I let it drop to the floor, stepping into the shower and turning it on. The hot water rained down upon me and for a moment I contemplated going to the cubby and curling up with Eric until sunset, then I remembered that I'd only just gotten my job back and was in desperate need of money seeing as how Eric was yet to pay me for looking after him. Hopefully he wouldn't remember that part though, it was a little embarrassing now that I had time to think about it. I was technically babysitting him so being paid seemed a good idea at the time but after everything he'd done for me it felt a little cruel. Deciding to myself that I probably wouldn't take it if it was given to me I gave a resolute nod. Considering what had transpired between us during his stay I'd feel ashamed of myself if he were to pay me.

Grabbing a razor from the side of the shower I quickly went over my legs and instantly felt better. The delicious ache between my thighs had subsided somewhat into a low throb. I could see that lasting much longer but I was in no position to complain. I'd throughly enjoyed last nights lovemaking and so had my Viking.

With a towel around my body and one around my hair I emerged, entering into my bedroom where I quickly changed into my Merlotte's uniform. I thought I'd thrown it out the last time Sam fired me however it turned out I hadn't, it had just been tucked away in the back of one of my drawers. Slipping on my sneakers I applied a light layer of make-up before grabbing my small purse and heading back downstairs.

Chucking my purse onto the kitchen table I grabbed a bowl and some Lucky Charms, splashing them in milk. Not exactly a nutritionally balanced breakfast but the carbohydrates would help me stay on my feet all afternoon, not to mention the infusion of 1000-year-old vampire blood I'd been given last night.

Once the bowl was empty I placed it in the sink to clean up later before popping back upstairs to brush my teeth, the last thing I wanted was to give a 'Crazy Sookie' smile to a customer with bits of Lucky Charm stuck in my gap. Just as I was about to leave the bathroom however a bright red lipstick, clearly Tara's, and an idea captured my attention.

Applying a heavy coat of it to my lips I smacked them together in satisfaction before descending the staircase. Grabbing the notepad and pen I kept by the phone I made sure to close the curtains in the living room, not wanting any stray light to enter. Standing infront of the amore I cautiously opened the doors before nimbly climbing down the stairs into the small space. Automatically the lights came on, flooding the room and enabling me to see.

In the middle of the single bed was my beautiful Viking completely in the buff. Mine. Now I could understand why the word held such importance in the vampire world. Leaning against the bedside table I quickly scribbled back a note in response to the one he had left me this morning, resting it on Eric's bare and well sculptured chest before leaning over his sleeping form.

Even when he was dead to the world he was still strikingly handsome however all form of viciousness he held when awake disappeared, the badass Sherriff left the building during the day and in his place was a sweet and gentle man who's gel-free hair was perfect for ruffling, his bangs falling over his wrinkle-free face. He'd been turned in his prime and it showed.

Godric had not only picked someone with the perfect temperament for a vampire but he had waited long enough for him to be at the height of physical perfection. It was times like this I often wondered if things had been physical between them, I didn't mind of course given that I considered Godric a close friend and that I knew a Maker and their Childe tended to be physical at first, but it had always been very apparent to me that Eric was more of a fan of females than males. It was something I would never ask of course, for fear of embarrassing either myself or one of the two male vampires.

Slowly I pressed my ruby red lips to Eric's, claiming them in a kiss and leaving a mark behind. Unable to help myself I scattered numerous other kisses all over his face and neck, even going so far as to leave a few across his exposed chest, the solid muscles beneath my lips only reaffirming the fact that I wished to skip work and crawl into bed with him. Placing one final kiss to the strongly defined 'V' of his muscles that led to his gracious plenty I allowed a girlish giggle to escape my lips.

I made my way out of the cubby, looking over my shoulder one last time at my beautiful vampire. Shutting the doors firmly, I left the curtains closed just incase Eric rose a little earlier than usual. Now he was mine I was terrified of him being exposed to sunlight even though my blood would be able to shelter him from the effects for a short while.

Locking up my house in order to keep my Eric safe I slid into the driver's seat of my little yellow Honda and headed off to Merlotte's for my shift.

Arriving just as the lunch rush started was always terrible. Pulling up around back I left my car and entered through the employee door, casting my purse aside in Sam's office before making my way into the dining area.

My six-hour shift dragged on uneventfully and eventually I scampered off into Sam's office, grabbing my purse and leaving out of the back door, not bothering to stop for a chat with anyone. I had a Viking to get back home too!

I pulled up outside my newly refurbished home just as the sun was dipping below the horizon and the moment I stepped out of my little yellow car I was scooped up in a hug, crushed against a cold yet solid chest. "You were not there when I woke." Eric murmured in my ear, I could hear the pout he no doubt wore.

"Human, mostly. Need to breathe." I gasped out as Eric gently set me back down onto the ground, letting go of me with another sheepish grin. He seemed to be using that grin on me a lot lately and it only added to his boyish charm. Looking up at his face I had to bite my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing. My lipstick marks were still visible across his alabaster skin which glowed faintly in the moonlight.

Quirking an eyebrow, Eric allowed his signature smirk to cross his features and I couldn't help but suck my cheeks in, in a desperate attempt to quell my impending laughter. "What? Do I have something on my face?" he purred, waggling his eyebrows.

My poker face broke and I couldn't help but double over with laughter. I felt myself being moved quickly and before I had time to comprehend what was going on I was being shoved up against my living room wall, Eric's firm body holding me in place, his lips inches away from my ear. "You've been a very naughty fairy. You think I didn't know what you were up to earlier? I felt your mirth and mischief; it was enough to pull me from my day rest. Of course that's the beauty of being a vampire, we have no heartbeat and no need to breathe, you didn't even know I was awake. I very much enjoyed you scattering kisses across my body, though I do wish you'd ventured even lower." He whispered huskily, giving an upward thrust of his newly clothed crotch to accentuate his point. He clearly had enjoyed my ministrations and I couldn't help the groan that slipped from between my lips. He was insatiable!

With a chuckle his lips met mine in a searing kiss, his hands were all over my body, sliding under my work shirt where he grabbed my waist in his large hands, stroking the smooth and tanned skin he found there. Knotting my own hands in his golden mane I pulled him closer, tipping my head sideways and parting my lips in invitation. His tongue slipped into my mouth with ease, swiping my own tongue out of the way as he tasted me, groaning as the taste of the blueberries I'd eaten on my break met his taste buds. His hands wandered upwards as I wrapped my legs around his waist, climbing up him as if he was some sort of tree. Finally his hands found my breasts, which he palmed expertly.

Losing myself in his kiss and his hands I was oblivious to the sound of a truck coming up m driveway until I heard the telltale sign of the a car door slamming. Moving my hands to Eric's shoulders I shoved him backwards to little avail however I was able to remove my lips from his long enough to speak. "Alcide is here, he phoned earlier and said something about a car park and its resident?" I repeated with a quirk of an eyebrow, curiosity running through my veins.

The moment the words were out of my mouth Eric's hands were out from under my shirt and I was back down on the floor. He was frozen to the spot, his eyes wide yet his face expressionless. If it weren't for the second level bond we shared I would have never known about the horror and fear running through his veins though of course he was quick to clamp down on it the moment he sensed that I was monitoring him.

Vamping to the door, Eric opened it just in time to catch Alcide as he was about to knock. "Northman." The werewolf greeted tersely, sniffing the air audibly. He could sense my blood in Eric and Eric's in mine, along with the scent of my arousal which embarrassingly I could also pick up on. Damn vampire blood and heightened sense.

"Herveaux." Eric responded in like, stepping aside to allow the wolf into the house. It was obvious he didn't particularly wish for him to be inside of the house but I guessed given the nature of the conversation they were about to have it was the wisest choice.

"What happened?" Eric demanded the moment the door was shut, not even giving Alcide a moment to sit or allowing me to offer him any refreshments as my Southern upbringing had taught me to do so.

"I got a phonecall this morning from one of my guys, said something about a big hole in the parking lot. When I got there all the security tapes from last night had been destroyed and my guy said he couldn't remember anything."

Eric's façade may have worked for Alcide, and he'd dampened the bond enough that I wasn't bowled over with the feelings radiating from him, however I could still feel some of his anger and it was enough to make me tense.

"We need to see if there was anyone in the area who can remember anything at all. I'm going to send my best trackers out there to follow the scent. I want you to call me should anything come up." Eric ordered effortlessly. I couldn't help but admire him; this was where he shone, when he was leading others. In all honesty I knew he'd have been a better King than Bill, but I also knew Eric was quite content with his little piece of Louisiana.

Although I was sure I didn't want to know the answer my curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't help but pipe up. "Who was the resident in the car park?" I demanded, folding my arms over my chest in determination. I wasn't going to have them discuss anything without being involved. If it had something to do with Eric then it had something to do with me.

Alcide had been about to leave when I'd spoken up, clearly knowing it was better to go along with Eric's plans than argue with him. Especially given that it was nightfall and Eric was far stronger. Looking over his shoulder he quirked an eyebrow at Eric. "You didn't tell her?"

I'd never seen Eric nervous before, angry and worried yes, but never nervous. "I was going to but other things happened and I wasn't myself, you know that." He shot back with a snarl, reminding Alcide of the rescue mission during the day when Eric had been playing Norse Gods in the lake.

"Told me what?" I interrupted them with an exasperated sigh; I was getting tired of this male posturing. It came as no surprise to me that it was happening, I'd expected it the moment Alcide had told me he was coming over.

Alcide opened my front door and just before leaving he spoke.

"Edgington never died, Sook. He was buried under cement in silver chains, and now he's free."


	5. Uprising

**A/N have I told you all today how much I love you all? No? Well in that case, I love you all :)**

**Okay so there are a few things regarding TB plotlines at the end of S4/start of S5 that need clearing up so I'll clear those up for you now!**

**- Nora will be in the story as an insider in The Authority and she will be an old acquaintance of Eric and Godric. They helped her out of a tight spot a few years back and she's indebted to them, but I don't want her as Godric's other child. I like to think that Eric is an 'only child' and that's why he spoils Pam, because Godric spoilt him**

**- Nan did show up at Bill's, wanting both of their heads, but Bill staked her himself along with her 'gay storm troopers' – this will come into play later on in the story, I promise!**

**I had to re-watch the scene with Eric pleading Godric to stay on the rooftop in Dallas for this chapter, not going to lie I bawled like a baby. I so shouldn't love Godric as much as I do; it's unhealthy.**

**Holla at me if you're part of the Godric fan club too!**

**Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy!**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_Interchanging mind control, come let the revolution takes its toll_  
_If you could flick the switch and open your third eye you'd see that we should never be afraid to die _  
_(So come on) _  
_Rise up and take the power back, it's time the fat cats had a heart attack _  
_You know that their time's coming to an end_  
_We have to unify and watch our flag ascend _  
_~ Uprising, Muse_

Fuck. I should've killed Russell when I had the chance! I was so hell bent on making him suffer for killing my family and stealing my fathers crown that I had unknowingly placed my beloved in danger. I should've known that one silver chain and a lump of concrete wasn't going to keep a 3000-year-old vampire at bay, especially when he's clearly insane and out for revenge.

I could feel the anger starting to overpower my senses and it took all of my control to reign it in as the Were told my Sookie about Russell's continued existence. This was my entire fault, I had allowed him to live when I had the chance to kill him and now it was coming back to bite me on the ass. I should've known that it was far too easy. I decided there and then that I would do everything in my power to bring an end to the estranged King and protect my lover from him.

The moment the front door closed Sookie turned on me and I could feel the anger rolling off of her, swirling and mixing with my own into a potent mix. Instinctively I clamped my end of the bond shut, not wanting her to feel my own anger. Her reaction shocked me, her anger only doubled; clearly she wasn't a fan of dealing with a closed bond.

"YOU DIDN'T KILL HIM!" she roared at me, quite literally roared, and for a moment I was stunned into silence. Her hands were clenched at her sides, balled into fists, her knuckles white with the pressure she was exerting on them. Her usually gentle blue eyes contained a hard glint to them and they were directed right at me. There was definatly trouble in paradise.

"He killed my whole family, slaughtered them over a couple of goats and then took my fathers crown. He was undeserving of death." I shot back coolly, not wanting to fan the flames of her anger by raising my own voice though I was sorely tempted.

Already my overactive mind was working out strategies to get us both out of this alive. We could travel the world, never staying somewhere longer than a week, using cash so we couldn't be traced, live like I did in my human years. It wasn't my best plan, I preferred to fight, I was a warrior after all but my Sookie was in danger and getting her to safety was my first priority. Perhaps I would be able to ask the Fae Prince if he would take care of her for a while for me? He wasn't exactly the perfect option but he would take care of his own kind, I was sure of it.

"You didn't kill him and now he's going to kill us! Didn't you think he would get out of the concrete Eric? I know you, you would've known about that!" she challenged and I couldn't help but wince internally at her words. Her anger was starting to frustrate me. Of course I had known about the risks but I'd been hoping it would be a while before he managed to free himself. I still wasn't sure what I had wanted to do with him in all honesty though I would never admit that to my little spitfire.

"Of course I thought about it woman, I just didn't think he would get free so soon!" I snapped in response, my thinly veiled anger daring to surface a little.

"Woman! Woman! I have a name, Eric! And your actions not only affect you but subsequently me and every other vampire on this planet! You forget that he's insane, he went medieval on TV! He fang-raped me, no thanks to you, and then witnessed me tipping Talbot's remains down the drain in Fangtasia!" She screeched and finally my anger got the better of me.

Within seconds I had her pinned to the nearest wall, my fangs down in aggression, trapping her in place. She'd hit below the belt with her comment regarding the fang-raping, I'd been trying to protect this infernal woman and save my own ass! "Of course I know you have a name, you forget that you made me howl it several times last night while begging for release! He had to taste you so he'd go out into the sun so I could trap him and get rid of him. I'm sorry you were used as bait but it was the only option I had that involved both of us walking out of Fangtasia alive when the sun went down!" I snarled, my nose pressed tightly to hers as I observed her.

Her heartbeat had quickened considerably in both fear and anticipation, it seemed even when I had her pinned to the wall in anger she was still attracted to me. Her eyes held a determination that I had never seen from her before and she had jutted her chin out defiantly during my little tirade. Opening our bond slightly I scanned it quickly, making a mental note of her emotions. Annoyance, anger, determination, fear and lust.

"If it weren't for the fact you currently have my arms pinned to the wall I'd have smacked you by now!" she spat at me, a growl emitting from her chest with her words. The noise shook me out of my angry tirade. She truly would be a wonderful vampire one day.

Not allowing her to get another word in edgeways I crushed my lips to hers, fangs and all. She tried to squirm out of my grasp however I tightened my hold on her, not enough to hurt her but enough to let her know I wasn't done with her.

It took only seconds for her to relent, kissing me back with equal fever and aggression, dragging her tongue across the sharp points of my fangs to draw blood. Groaning into her mouth I sucked the wound she had created, loosing myself in her taste for the moment. Pulling back when I sensed her starting to become dizzy I couldn't help but give her a fangy smirk earning me a scowl in response.

Sliding my fangs back now that my anger has dissipated I instead gave my lover a gentle smile, letting go of her arms and bringing my hands to her face, cradling her head. She was so fragile, so delicate. "I will not let him harm you, I promise you. I will meet the true death before he gets his hands on you." I vowed to her, scaring myself with the honesty of my words. I didn't care if it killed me, Russell would never have my little warrior.

Her features softened at my touch and she leant against my left hand slightly, nuzzling against my large palm. "Don't you dare even think of the true death, I won't let that happen. I'll zap him with my microwave fingers before he gets close enough to hurt you." She vowed with equal sincerity and I couldn't help but laugh gently at her words.

"You are truly a force to be reckoned with, my little fairy." I gave her nose a gentle kiss before moving down to her lips, pressing a chaste kiss to them. There was nothing more I wanted right now than to keep her pinned to the wall and engage in primal and passionate make-up sex with her, but we unfortunately had quite the disaster on our hands.

My cell phone started to ring in my pocket and with regret I stepped back from Sookie, pulling the piece of technology from my pocket and lifting it to my ear.

"Northman." I greeted in my usual manner.

"Brigant." The familiar voice responded and my blood ran cold, well, colder than usual.

"What do you want, fairy?" I couldn't keep the venom out of my tone. Niall was known to be a scheming old bastard and I had no time for his games.

"I want you to be in your office in Fangtasia in thirty minutes. Pack a bag; you won't be going home for a while. Bring Miss Stackhouse with you. I have contacted your Maker and he will meet you there. It is important, vampire." He responded curtly before hanging up on me. Never in my 1000 years had someone hung up on me and in all fairness his lack of respect grated on my nerves.

What irked me more was that he had been in contact with my Maker. Godric had been travelling for the past two years after my beautiful bonded talked him out of meeting the sun on roof of the Hotel Carmilla. He hadn't contacted me during his travels so I hadn't contacted him either but I could feel his life force through our Maker-Childe bond. He was over 2000 years old; I figured he knew how to take care of himself.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, Sookie was onto me in an instant. "Fairy! As in, like me? You honestly can't be expecting me to go and meet them after what they did to me! They tried to force me to eat this light fruit thing and stay there as a brood mare, Eric!" she exclaimed, the fear in her voice evident as it pulsed through our bond too. Her confession came as a shock to me and I realised then I had never asked her about the time she spent in the fae realm. I would make amends as soon as possible. Pulling her to me I wrapped my arms around her back, rubbing it in a soothing gesture. She relaxed against me though there was still tension in her shoulders.

"We need to pack a bag, I don't know how long we'll be gone but if you don't have enough clothes I'll buy us some more. Don't argue with me, please. We're going to Fangtasia to meet Niall Brigant, the Prince of the Fae and apparently Godric will be there also though. Don't worry about Niall though my lover, Godric and I will protect you." I relayed the information to her, pulling back from our embrace and hurrying her up the stairs to our bedroom, grabbing the medium-sized suitcase I found on top of her wardrobe.

The mention of Godric caused my lover's features to light up considerably, two years ago I had asked her to help me find my Maker in Dallas and she had done her job perfectly. I had not anticipated the friendship that would occur between them however. Sookie herself had told me on many occasions during my amnesia, especially when I had my nightmare about Godric and sought comfort in her bed, that upon meeting the 2000-year-old Vampire who still looked like the tender teenager he had been at the time of his turning, she had instantly known he had a kind soul regardless of his bloody past. She had also told me that it was for that reason, and to save me from entering a very dark place, that she had stayed with him upon the roof moments before sunset pleading him to stay, begging him not to meet the sun. She'd told me she had played upon the emotions she knew he was trying to bring back into his life. She'd said that she'd had this gut feeling back then that she needed to keep him alive by any means necessary, that he would be needed for a greater purpose, that he was important. Of course he was important, he was my Maker.

Packing our bag quickly, I took her straight to my red Corvette, placing her in the passenger seat before stowing our luggage in the trunk. Starting up the engine I felt anticipation sweep through me. I longed to see Godric, I couldn't understand how I had gone so long without his presence in my life constantly before the events in Dallas and I was grateful I would get to see him again, to spend some time with him.

As I drove I allowed my mind to wander back to the morning that my bonded, my beautiful lover, had convinced my Maker, a man she hardly knew, not to take his own undead life. I don't think she knew but during her speech I had stayed at the bottom of the stairwell leading up the roof, leaving the door open a crack in order to hear the conversation between the two of them. I hadn't cared about the bleeds, I would have suffered them for as long as it took to ensure Godric was okay.

_"It won't take long, not at my age."_

_"Y'know it wasn't very smart, the Fellowship of the Sun part"_

_"I know, I thought it might fix everything somehow. But I don't think like a vampire anymore. Do you believe in God?" My Maker had asked Sookie with so much hope in his voice._

_"Yes."_

_"If you're right, how will he punish me?"_

_"God doesn't punish, God forgives."_

_"I don't deserve it, but I hope for it."_

_"We all do."_

_"You will care for him? Eric?"_

_"I'm not sure, you know how he is."_

_"I can take the blame for that too."_

_"Maybe not, Eric is pretty much himself"_

_Silence had enveloped the pair and for a moment I had thought that there was nothing else to be said, but my little fairy had proved me wrong once again._

_"Are you very afraid?"_

_"No. No I am full of joy!" I hadn't quite believed Godric's words, why would he be happy?_

_"But the pain…"_

_"I want to burn"_

_"Isn't there something you want more though? There has to be something you wish to hold onto, some form of hope, some unfinished business?" She'd begged for my Maker._

_He'd fallen silent for a moment, as he'd contemplated her words. "Have you ever been in love, Miss Stackhouse?"_

_"Yes. I'm in love now, with Bill." She'd responded. Her words at the time had eaten away at me. She was mine now though and that was all that mattered._

_"I was in love once, in my human years." He'd confessed to her. His words had taken me by surprise at the time, he'd never divulged information regarding his human life to me and yet here he was telling Sookie._

_"She was full of life and so very beautiful, both inside and out. You remind me of her. We came from different backgrounds but that never stopped her though; she fought against her father and her people for me. Her mother was a Queen, her father was an old Roman general and I was nothing but a slave boy. She should have wanted a nobleman, a Prince, someone who would be able to give her the life she deserved and yet she wanted me. She told me all the time how much she loved me and I was so scared to say it back to her. I was scared that when I did, whatever we had would end and she would want me no longer."_

_Even from my position at the bottom of the staircase I'd been able to smell the tears rolling down Sookie's cheeks at my Maker's confession, the minutes were ticking away however as the sun threatened to finally show itself._

_"What happened? Did you tell her?"_

_"I was turned, and taken from her, commanded to not go near her. Only once my Maker perished was I able to return to her, to tell her I loved her too, though her life had spiralled out of control and my reappearance would have distressed her further. I decided to wait a while, to tell her when everything was better in her life. I was too late."_

_"She was turned also?" Sookie had gasped._

_My Maker had laughed lightly at her naïve assumption. "No, she had died. I watched from the shadows as they carried her golden sarcophagus through the city, led by a procession of candles, and into her Mother's tomb so she could be beside her. She's in what you would call Heaven right now, for her it would be the Fields of Aaru. I found out centuries later that she never took another man and never married. Egypt fell after her passing."_

_"What do you think she would say if you met her there, in the Fields of Aaru?" Sookie had questioned. I couldn't see at the time where on earth she had been going with the conversation and had started to think she was wasting precious time._

_"I have sinned too much to meet her there, my heart is in no way lighter than a feather. I would not be able to pass on." He'd sounded so sad at the prospect of never getting to see his love again. I hadn't been able to understand his emotions back then but now I could. I would be distraught if I were to be parted from my Sookie in the afterlife._

_"Then why do this? She fought against those who were suppose to love her so that she could be with you. She didn't allow anyone to take your place in her heart. I don't think she would be too happy that you're throwing away the life you were given. She'd want you to spend the next two-thousand years living, repenting for your sins, not committing suicide." My beautiful little warrior had argued valiantly, and Godric's silence had filled me with a sense of hope._

_"She would probably gently scold me if we were to cross paths, she was always so kind, gentle and understanding towards me when I was undeserving of her affection." I could hear my Maker's own affection for the woman in his tone of voice._

_"Don't do this, Godric. Live for her, live in her memory. Find some way to be close to her again and make up for everything you've done if you wish, but don't let the sun take you away from her, from me, from Eric."_

_I had felt the pull of the sun properly at that moment in time, and even with my age it had been difficult to ignore. There had been only seconds left before the sun would show itself._

_"You're right, Miss Stackhouse. She would not be best pleased if I took this route and my Childe needs me with him. Thank you, for making me see sense."_

Pulling myself back to the present I couldn't help but allow a private smile to cross my lips, my lover had saved my Maker from the sunshine just in time, the first rays of the day had been peaking over the horizon as the door had shut behind them.

The moment he'd descended the staircase I'd grabbed him and had not allowed him out of my sight.

I'd had no clue as to the identity of the woman he had spoken of and had spent the following nights researching the monarchy of Egypt only to draw a blank every time. Going by the details Godric had stated she was the child of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, but they only had one legitimate child, a son, and Caesar's adopted son Octavianus killed him when he was 17. It had bothered me for quite some time as to the identity of the woman in question. I not only owed Sookie a great debt but the mystery woman too, for it was her memory that had helped keep my Maker alive.

Pulling into the parking lot at Fangtasia I ushered Sookie through the employee entrance, holding her hand the whole time. The club was closed as it was a Monday night and Pam was nowhere in sight. I would have to speak to my Childe soon. I'd threatened her life a few nights ago when she had almost blown up Sookie outside Moon Goddess and I owed her an apology. No doubt she would take her anger out on me and my credit card but I deserved whatever she threw at me, it was foolish of me to threaten her after she had stood beside me for so many years.

Moving into my office I could feel the shift in Sookie's emotions the moment we walked through the door, her happiness nearly bowling me over. "Godric!" she squealed, dropping my hand and darting across the room to my Maker, who sat comfortably upon my leather chair with a smile painted onto his face. Looking towards me he quirked an eyebrow, clearly having noted the fact I had entered my office with my hand in Sookie's.

There was a lot to discuss


	6. Shadow

**A/N ****hey guys, thank you again for all your reviews/alerts/etc! And for the positive vibes about Godric still being around, if you don't like him then I'll stake you…I'm mighty possessive of the man-child ;) hahaa!**

**This chapter isn't very long but I wanted to explain briefly where Godric went and what he did but I hope in subsequent chapters to expand on what you learn in this chapter and venture into it in a little more detail.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_Everything's cool now, oh, my life is good, I've got more than anyone should_  
_Oh, my life is good and the past in the past_  
_I was living in the shadow of someone else's dream trying to find a hand to hold but every touch felt cold to me _  
_I'm living in a new day, I'm living it for me and now that I am wide awake, then I can finally be _  
_Don't feel sorry for me _  
_~ Shadow, Ashlee Simpson_

The moment Sookie convinced me to come down from the roof I decided to go and do something I had been holding off doing. It was time to face my past and deal with my emotional baggage. During my 2000 vampire years I'd pushed those emotions aside, locking them away in a corner of my mind where I couldn't access them and dwell upon them.

Once Dallas was secure I'd travelled to Europe arriving first in Belgium, my human birthplace. I spent many nights wandering the streets of the cities and the fields of the countryside, reacquainting myself with my home. It was nothing like I could remember and the thought saddened me, reminding me of my old age. It was then I moved on to Germany, memories of my time with my Childe in the SS flooding to the forefront of my mind. I'd promised him we would avenge the death of his family together, unfortunately I was yet to follow through on my promise.

During my travels I had heard of an elderly man who was selling off Ancient Egyptian artefacts, he'd been an archaeologist during his youth and had no children or grandchildren left. He wanted to sell off everything he had found and use the money to see the rest of the world before his body gave up on him. I had phoned ahead and had no clue what he would have in his collection so I made sure I was there the night before his intended selling period, carrying on my person an extortionate amount of cash just in case.

Knocking on the door I'd waited patiently for it to be opened. I'd decided not to use my glamour on the man to get what I wanted should he have something of interest. I had no fear of humans knowing what I was and this elderly man would probably take my identity to the grave with elderly seemed so much more willing to accept my kind than the younger generations.

The man who opened the door had to have been in his seventies, his hair white with age and the lustre from his eyes had long gone. His skin was wrinkled, especially around his eyes and mouth which made me believe that during his youth he had been an exceptionally happy man. "Mr Nervii?" the elderly gentlemen had asked me and with a nod of my head he'd allowed me entry into his home. Immediately I'd been hit with the smell of history, of a time long forgotten and something inside my chest tightened. I was so sure in that moment that I'd find something of interest.

"What sort of thing are you after, chap?" he'd asked me as he'd slowly made his way to the back of the house, towards an impressive dome shaped room. Artefacts were concealed in wooden boxes stacked neatly upon dozens of shelves and the bookshelves were full of dusty ancient textbooks.

"I was wondering if you could show me anything you have from the reign of Cleopatra the Seventh." I'd enquired, following him through the house. A knowing smile had crossed the mans lips at this point as he'd turned to observed me properly.

"I can tell you have been a night walker for some time, though I would never have thought of you as an Egyptian going from the tattoos upon your body." The elderly man had pointed out, gesturing towards the ink across my chest and neck that had been peaking out from under my shirt collar. For a human he was exceptionally smart and I found my respect for him grow.

"I was born in Gaul in 60BC and taken to Egypt by Caesar during one of his raids to work the fields in front of the palace however I ended up being the companion to Cleopatra's daughter. Both were wonderful and beautiful women." I'd explained fondly, recalling the day I had first met my Ata and her mother.

"You met Cleopatra? And the rumours of her having a daughter with Julius Caesar are true!" he'd asked me in shock. Clearly the truth about my Ata's existence was a big mystery to Egyptologists, though they were fast figuring it out. With a nod of my head in confirmation he'd moved towards a small wooden box and carried it over to me with wide eyes. "I think this is something you'd most likely find interesting." He'd told me with a small yet knowing smile.

Stopping before me he'd opened the box and instantly the tightening sensation in my chest became unbearable. In the middle of the box sat a golden crown, beautiful swirls decorated the band and a row of the purest pearls adorned the bottom of the solid gold band. Across the band were numerous peaks, decorative arches which held large clear purple amethysts. At the front of the crown two snakes sat proudly, their eyes made of the brightest green emeralds and their mouthes open, breathing fire. The coils of their bodies were encrusted with diamonds and their mouthes held up a gold star, in the centre of which sat a clear and flawless apophyllite. More diamonds edged the apophyllite. On each of the remaining points of the star a crescent moon sat proudly. In Ancient Egypt the crescent moon had been associated with the bull, and the metaphor of the 'rutting bull' had ben given. Bulls in Ancient Egypt were often seen as a symbol of fertility. At the back of the crown sat a golden sun, whose rays extended outwards. A friendly face had been etched into the gold.

Instinctively my hand had gone to my mouth to hide my shock, red rimming my eyes and threatening to spill over as I'd taken in the crown before me and the scent attached to it. The smell was too weak for a human nose but my ancient and acute senses had picked it up. My lover had been the last to place this crown upon her head. Although her crown had been her mothers she had changed it a little during her reign. The added sun to the back was a symbol of how she controlled the day and the night, the sun and the stars were hers to control, it showed how her power was vast. The crescent moons were used as a method of boasting, she had been young and full of life, perfect for motherhood. The expensive stones and pearls had been a show of her wealth, how Egypt had flourished under her mothers reign and would continue to do so under hers.

"What do you want for it? How much?" I'd all but begged, knowing instantly that I had to possess this piece of my beloved's history. Money was not an issue for me anyway and I would have given the man every cents I owned if it meant I would be granted the treasure nestled within the box.

The kind gentleman had spoken softly to me, as if I were his son, and he seemed to be so genuinely full of curiosity. While I wanted to like all humans I'd found myself drawn to those of an inquisitive nature over the years. They were always wanting to know more, fuelled by knowledge. Knowledge was something I could easily give them. "I don't want your money, dear boy, all I ask is that you tell me about this crown and why it caused such a strong reaction from you. Why does it means so much to you?" He'd requested. I could tell the man had been unbearably curious to find out and I was aware that he was aware of how much we vampires disliked to talk about our human lives.

Making my decision, I sat for three hours with the elderly gentleman, talking to him about the kindness of Cleopatra and her mysterious first daughter. I had told him about the scent attached to the crown and of my love for the woman who had last worn it. I had no problem with sharing my knowledge of the past with a man who had dedicated his whole life to uncovering it; it was liberating to share my story with someone.

"I recognise you from somewhere." The elderly man had told me as my story had come to a close. Rrising from his armchair, his old bones creaking with his steps. It always saddened me with how temporary human life was. As he'd approached the bookshelf he'd seemed to remember where he'd seen me from and I couldn't help but become curious. With a smile he'd returned to me with a thick book, the papyrus pages slowly deteriorating. "I believe this belonged to your fair lady also."

Taking the book from him with shaky hands I inhaled the scent from the binding. My sweet Ata. With cautious hands I'd opened the first page, my eyes falling immediately to the image in the centre of the page. It was a drawing of a human male asleep on his front on a bed, a zigzag pattern across one arm and a sea serpent down his back. Freezing instantly my free hand went to the zigzag tattoo upon my left arm. "I-Its me. She drew me, as I slept." I'd stuttered in complete shock.

The elderly man had smiled at me with nothing short of affection. "There are hundreds more drawings in the book and I believe all of them are of you. The pages are so well worn that I can only assume she spent time looking over them frequently. They're all dated too. Myself and other Egyptologists were baffled by them at first, we assumed they were drawings of a hired artist but as the dates on the pages went onwards we realised that they were drawn by a woman completely in love with the subject she was drawing. Every little detail was meticulously recorded. The pair of you became rather famous within our line of work." He'd explained fondly, as if he'd been remembering his years working out in the Egyptian sun uncovering millenniums worth of history.

Unable to tear my eyes away from the pages before me I'd flicked through them, observing the countless drawings of my sleeping form in her bed in the palace, drawings of myself harvesting the grain during Shemu, the harvesting season, and individual drawings of the tattoos that marred my body. "What do you want for this?" I'd asked quietly, entranced by the images before me.

"I don't want anything, my son. It's yours. She would no doubt want you to have it." I had been so honoured by the respect this man had shown me that I had kept a note of his address. I had called Isabelle and asked her to send him a ticket for a holiday around the world. It was the least I could do for the man who had been so kind towards me, refused my money and had preserved my lover's most treasured belongings.

After my encounter with the elderly man I'd felt ready to face my biggest challenge, to visit my lover in her resting place. Few knew the location of the chamber or even how to access it these days and that was exactly how I liked it. Although I found the work of archaeologists fascinating and I respected them for their love of history I would never let them exhume my lovers body. I would take her from her tomb before they could get to her and keep her in her gold sarcophagus in my home if anyone tried to take her. I would build her a tomb of her own in my basement and allow her to sleep peacefully for the rest of time. I would watch over her and lay flowers for her every day to make up for the fact that I abandoned her. I'd given her flowers a few times in my human years and although they had not been huge wonderful bouquets she had accepted them gleefully and had placed them pride of place on her nightstand.

It was on my way to Egypt that I received the phonecall.

"Nervii." I'd greeted in typical fashion.

"Brigant." Came the response.

"What can I do for you?" I'd enquired, puzzled by the voice of the Fae Prince.

"I need you to return to Louisiana immediately to your Childe's social establishment. It is of the uttermost importance, vampire. The lives of your kind and mine are at risk. Do not contact your Childe, let him come to you." He'd demanded before hanging up on me. Phone etiquette was something neither of our races were very good with.

Sensing the urgency in the old Fairy's voice I had hopped on the first plane back to Louisiana, my precious cargo in my hand luggage. I would never allow anyone to touch it. I would venture to Egypt soon though and visit my lover, to say my goodbyes properly and ask for her forgiveness for leaving her behind.

Now I sat in the leather chair my Childe kept in his office, observing the room around me. It wasn't as tidy as I thought it would have been. My Childe had always been known for his neatness so it was a strange sight to behold. It was the photograph in the frame on his desk that captured my attention however. It was of my Childe and Sookie, locked in a lovers embrace, my Childe's fierce lips pressed to Sookie's in a somewhat aggressive and possessive kiss. The image wasn't entirely in focus and looked to have been pulled from a security camera. I couldn't contain a chuckle. Sookie had obviously taken my words upon the roof to heart and was caring for Eric in a way I could not.

The sound of a car pulling up outside made me turn to look at the door and seconds later my Childe entered, his large hand holding Sookie's small one. Upon seeing me however she dropped his hand, squealed my name and made a beeline for me. I was not a physical creature and I disliked physical contact. It had been difficult for me to be physically affectionate with my Childe over the years we had spent together and yet he had seemed to understand. My Maker, the man who had taken me in when I had been forced into slavery by Caesar and his men, had spent the last of my human years physically and sexual abusing me.

It was why I had gone to my lover so often, to seek solace in her bed. We had never shared anything more than a simple kiss and yet simply being beside her offered me perfect comfort. She had known of my mistreatment and her touches had always been soft and gentle, she'd taken care of me when no one else had bothered. She'd washed the cuts from my abuse, prepared medicines for me to stop infections and had held me close when I'd finally let the damn break once and had cried myself to sleep.

Stopping before me, Sookie pulled me into a short hug which I awkwardly returned. With time I may grow to like physical contact given that I was dealing with my past but for now it was something that still troubled me. "You're back! I can't believe it! How were your travels?" she asked, clearly excited by my return. I could see through her façade however, underneath her excitement was a layer of worry and fear. Whatever was about to happen I wouldn't let anything hurt her, my Eric cared deeply for her and she was too much like my Ata.

"My travels were wonderful, Miss Stackhouse. How have the past two years been for you?" I responded politely, not quite ready to share my discoveries with her yet as clearly there was something bigger going on here and we had no time for stories. However I had still found myself brimming with curiosity concerning the new affection between the little blonde telepath and my Viking Childe.

"Eventful, but then I've come to expect that. We had a run in with Russell Edgington and then Eric forgot who he was for a week." She explained briefly with a waft of her hand.

Looking over her shoulder to my Childe, he grimaced. "Witches cursed me so that I would lose my memories, it's all good now though and they're all dead." He explained with his signature smirk. Few crossed my Childe and lived to tell the tale, it was why I had chosen to turn him and I couldn't help but smile proudly at him. I knew it was wrong to kill humans but when they tried to kill us I felt it was acceptable. An eye for an eye I believed the saying went.

"I watched Edgington become rather deranged on TV, what happened?" I inquired, tipping my head sideways slightly as Sookie sat herself upon the couch in Eric's office. Eric took a seat beside her. I don't know if she realised it but she took Eric's hand and started to play with his fingers, her body pointing towards his in a subconscious show of affection. Over the years I had learnt body language was just as important as words.

"I killed Talbot. It's him, Godric. Russell was the one who killed my family, over a few goats." He growled out, the anger and pain flashing in his cerulean orbs. I had feared that Russell was the one behind the slaughter of my Childe's human family and it seemed that I was correct.

"Do you think that's why we're all here? Because you killed Talbot and now Russell's free from the concrete grave you shoved him in and he's coming for us to get revenge?" Sookie asked us both, giving Eric a disapproving glare.

A sudden popping noise pulled our attentions to the other side of the room, my fangs instinctively sliding into place at the intruder. "That's exactly why you're here." The old man spoke, flashing us a perfectly white smile.

"Niall." I greeted curtly


	7. Mama and Daddy

**A/N ****hey guys, look at this, another chapter today! WOWOWOWOW! It's 'cause I love you all so much and can't stand to keep you waiting ;)**

**I do want to point out now that some of you make think that Godric is a little OOC, but you must remember he's become a renouncer, he 'doesn't think like a vampire anymore' and is seeking to get back in touch with his humanity, hence his display of emotion and treating humans equally in the previous chapter.**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_I'd walk for miles, cry and smile for my Mama and Daddy _  
_I want them, I want them to know how I feel, my love is real for my Mama and Daddy _  
_I want them to know I love them so and in my heart joy tears start`cause I'm happy _  
_And I pray every day for Ma and Pappy and each night I'd walk for miles, cry and smile for my Mama and Daddy _  
_I want them to know I love them so _  
_~ Mama and Daddy, Boxcar Willie_

It felt incredible to see Godric again after so long, last time I had clapped eyes on him had been two years ago. He'd left shortly after I'd convinced him down from the roof. He'd been pale back then, I know vampires were supposed to be pale but he was too pale, his blue eyes had lost any sort of life to them but there was a spark there now even though his skin was border-lining on transparency. It looked like he'd found a way to be close to his lost lover.

The popping sound put me on high alert, I was well aware of that noise. It was the sound Claudine had made whenever she'd come to visit me. Clearly the man who had entered the room was fae also. Tightening my hold on Eric it came as no surprise to me that both vampires had their fangs out, bearing them at the elderly man who had entered the room. His words had stunned me into a temporary silence and Godric's greeting reminded me of the power of the man before me. Eric had referred to him as the fae Prince and I suppose as a fae myself he deserved my respect, but I'd make him earn it anyway.

Niall emitted a low laugh, turning to face me with nothing short of complete fondness. "I would love the opportunity to earn your trust, dear one. I do not demand it." He replied. For a moment I was puzzled until I realized what he'd done.

"Hey that's not fair! Stay outta my head!" I instinctively went on the defensive, pulling up my mental shields to protect myself.

"And yet you have spent your life in other peoples heads have you not?" he inquired with a quirk of a grey eyebrow.

"That's not the point. You're a stranger." I shot back, Eric's hold on my hand tightening to try and keep me in place upon the sofa. Neither vampire had retracted their fangs and neither had attacked the man before me. I felt somewhat safe with the two ancient vampires in the room even if I was unaware of who the man was.

A smile broke out across Niall's face as he took a spare chair from the corner of the room, placing it down before me and sliding elegantly onto it. "That's where you're wrong, dear one. We are both fae, and we are both of the same blood line."

His confession caused Eric and Godric to pale, if that were even possible, and I instantly felt Eric's emotions streaming through the bond. Shock, disbelief, curiosity and concern. "But Eric said you're the fae Prince?" I questioned with a frown, not quite sure if I believed the man before me.

"That I am, and you, dear one, are my great-granddaughter." His comment silenced me and I stared at Niall for a moment, my brain processing what he'd just told me. There was no way I was his great-granddaughter. I mean, Gran would of told me if I was a descendant of fae royalty, surely?

"No she wouldn't of. I asked your Gran not to tell you in order to keep you safe. I'm sorry." He replied gently, an apologetic smile on his handsome yet aged features. I was getting rather annoyed with his constant mind intrusions. Is that what it felt like for my few friends? Eric and Godric were still sat in silence, the eldest of the two vampires simply observing the scene before him but Eric was somewhat in shock, if vampire could go into shock that was. He'd known she was Fae, but fae royalty? Sookie could see he'd been blindsided by that.

"You're Granddaddy Earl's dad? 'Cause Gran never mentioned you so I guess you aren't from her side of the family." I inquired, scowling at the situation.

Shaking his head, a sigh slipped between Niall's lips. "No I'm not. Before I go on let it be known that your Gran loved your Granddaddy Earl very much. He couldn't give her what she wanted though; he was unable to give her children. My son, Fintan, was half-human and half-Fae and one day he travelled to this world. He met your Gran and he fell in love with her instantly. I'm sure you aren't a stranger to love at first sight, dear one, even if it does take you longer than most to realize it." Niall explained, glancing at my Viking for a moment before turning his attention back to me.

Eric couldn't help but smile smugly at me, seemingly snapped out of his daze and wonderfully pleased that I'd been attracted to him at first sight. "You might wanna stop there Mister, or your head won't fit through the door." I muttered under my breath knowing full well he'd hear me. It was Godric's musical chuckle though which made me smile. I'd never heard him laugh before and it was a rather pleasant sound, not as lovely as Eric's of course, but still delightful to hear.

Turning my attention back to Niall I thought over his words, letting them sink in before I realized what he was implying. "Wait, are you calling my Gran a floozy!" I snapped at him, trying to get up onto my feet only to be pulled back down onto the couch by my Viking. How dare this stranger walk into here and start accusing my Gran of being unfaithful!

"I understand you are upset, Sookie. Your Gran was no floozy however. Earl was well aware of what was going on and consented knowing it would make your Gran happy to have children even if they weren't his." Niall explained further. I could hardly contain my rage and if it weren't for the vast waves of calm Eric was sending through the bond I would have happily ripped the head off of the man sat before me.

As if sensing my anger towards him, Niall shifted in his seat a little. "My son and your Gran had two children together, Corbett and Linda, and I think you know the rest from there regarding your family tree. You are an eighth Fae. Fintan was called back to the fae realm however when civil unrest started to rear its ugly head, unfortunately he perished during one of the wars that took place. By that time you had already been born and you carried the essential spark, the gift to become a magnificent fairy. His last wish was for me to take care of you and your parents, to protect you from those fairies who wished to hurt you. I was able to protect you but in doing so your parents were unfortunately lost. Our enemies got to them before my guards could." Niall concluded solemnly, avoiding eye contact with me.

"What do you mean my parents were lost? They died in a flash flood…" I murmured quietly, the shock of the night's revelations seeping into my already tired brain. Couldn't a girl go one week without a whole loada crazy being poured on her?

"A flash flood that was caused by fairies, dear one. There are four lines within our species, those who belong to fire, those who belong to the earth, those who belong to the water and those who belong to the sky. We are sky fae, Sookie, and those who are water fae have been causing trouble for us over the centuries. Their leader, Mab, is a cruel and devious woman" He explained to me, Mab's name making me shiver as I recalled my treatment at her hands. Then of course it all fell into place.

"The flash flood was no accident." I stated quietly, my eyes wide at the realization that my parents had been murdered.

"I'm afraid so dear one, but they loved you so very much and you must remember that." He reminded me gently, leaning across to take my free hand. Eric growled at the physical contact but his growls subsided as he felt the calm and serenity pouring from my into our bond. The old man was soothing me with touch, something I plucked from his brain as being a typical fae trait.

"I never got to tell them how much I loved them." I sobbed, the tears running freely down my cheeks as reality finally hit me. My parents died because of me.

"No, Sookie. Your parents didn't die because of you, they died for you." Niall cemented, giving me an affectionate smile.

"I lost Gran too. The only family I have left is Jason and he has his own problems. He doesn't care about me no more and he doesn't want to get involved in all the drama I find myself in." I whispered, feeling a fresh round of tears coming on. Eric's hand tightened in mine and he lent forward, pressing a tender kiss to the side of my head before he started to whisper gentle words into my ear. I had no clue what he was saying, the language long forgotten with time, but it was soothing nonetheless.

"That's where you're wrong, dear one. You also have your Viking, his Maker, his Progeny and there are others." Niall pointed out.

The mention of Pam caused me to snort. "Yeah, 'cause Pam adores me right now." I deadpanned.

Leaning back into the chair, Eric took the opportunity to say his piece. "I commanded her not to fire the rocket launcher at you and she disobeyed. I told her to get out of my sight before I killed her for her disrespect of my orders. She is currently doing what I believe humans call 'throwing her teddy into the corner' and sulking. Pamela will have to learn to accept that you are part of my life now, and if she does not then I will remove her credit card from her for however long it takes for her to see sense. You are just important to me as she is and I will not have her harm a hair on your head." He told me in all seriousness. Great, now I had to deal with his pissed off Progeny, Pam would hate me even more if he took her credit card from her.

"She will see sense, dear one." Niall assured me, though of course I was feeling anything but assured.

"Now, back onto the main topic of this evening. Russell Edgington is free from his concrete prison and is plotting his revenge against you Viking, unfortunately his plan includes my great-granddaughter." Niall addressed Eric in a clipped tone, clearly laying the blame for this clusterfuck on him. I had to hand it to Eric though as he took it like a man and acknowledged his mistake with a nod, something I'd never seen him do before. He'd always believed himself to be in the right and never the one to blame for anything.

Turning to me, my great-grandfather addressed me once again. "You need to learn how to control your fae abilities, Sookie, or you won't make it out of this alive, or undead." He added, ruling out the prospect of any chance of me being turned should something go wrong. All that did was strike the fear of God into me, knowing Eric nor Godric would be able to save me should I be knocking on death's door. "I would send my great-grandson, your fae cousin Claude, to help you. He's the one who helped you escape Faery when Mab tried to make you take the light fruit but he is my fiercest warrior and with two vampires around I'm sure you can understand why I would not send another full-blooded who is unable to suppress his scent to aid you."

I nodded in acceptance, his reasoning's were perfectly clear. "Instead I'm sending you to Nevada. Las Vegas to be exact. Remember when I said there was other members of our family?" He asked and I nodded once again, functioning on autopilot. "Well it is time for you to meet them. They'll help you develop your powers and will understand exactly what you're going through and what you've already been through." He produced a brown envelope from the inside of his jacket and handed it to me. I passed it on to Eric, not trusting myself with the information that could be inside of it.

"You'll find directions in there to where I want you to go once you reach Las Vegas. I have a plane waiting for you in a hanger on the outskirts of Shreveport. I'm sending the three of you to them because I know you'll all get on well and the trip will change things for all of you forever, of that I promise." He beamed at me before turning to both Godric and Eric.

Giving them both curt nods he handed me a card from his pocket, "If you need me, give me a call. It's 8pm now, the plane will leave in thirty minutes, you should arrive in Las Vegas in five hours, take the two hours time difference away and it should be 11:30pm when you arrive. Plenty of time to meet your new family members." Rising up to my feet as Niall prepared to leave, I felt an urge to give him a hug so I did, feeling somewhat safe in his embrace. "Take care of yourself, dear one." He whispered to me, letting me go before disappearing with a pop.

I stood in silence for a moment, allowing my body time to catch up with my mind. I was tired and sore from my shift at work; my brain was hurting with all of the new information it had been presented with. I resented having to run again but Niall had told me I'd find help and without that I would surely be at risk of dying, again. Both ancient vampires sat stewing in their own thoughts for a minute or so until I finally broke the silence.

"I guess we go to Las Vegas then.


	8. The Memory Will Never Die

**A/N ohhhh so we're off to Sin City guys! Super duper exciting! What were your thoughts on Niall? I'm curious to find out!**

**This is a really beefy chapter history wise. I was originally going to have Pam's POV at the end of it but then it would have been unbearably long so the next chapter is much shorter and is purely Pam. They'll be more from her in later chapters but i thought it was time for a quick catch-up with her too!**

**I took some creative license with Godric's past and I did use some bits I found on various Godric/Allan Hyde fan sites and other sources and even spent the day researching the tribe I've decided he's come from, the location of Cleopatra's palace and Caesar's takeover of Gaul. All in all most of this is factual though some dates have been tweaked here and there to fit the story more, I do however want this to be as realistic as possible!**

**I'm going to look at each of our three favourite vampire's histories in this story in order to let you see how they got to where they are now and what's made them how they are.**

**Once again some of you may think Godric is a little OOC in this chapter but I reiterate that he's a renouncer – he's trying to do some soul searching and get back to the humanity he lost, so please be nice to the beautiful man-child. He's trying his best to become a good vampire and repent for his sins!**

**I will warn you now that there are sections referring to physical and sexual abuse along with a brief mention of suicide in this chapter, nothing graphic at all but if stuff like that bothers you then let me know and I'll send you an altered version of this chapter**

**Please fasten your seat belts, have your chairs and tray tables in the upright position and make sure the armrests down – we're in for a bumpy ride!**

**ENJOY!**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_I whisper in your ear the words you want to hear_  
_ You feel the wind and it reminds you, it happens every time you stop and close your eyes _  
_You can't deny what lives inside you _  
_Well I know it's hard to see what is meant to be, when yesterday is so far behind you _  
_Deep inside your soul knows I'm always there, you made me believe the day you surrender to me _  
_The memory will never die, the love that you gave I'll never throw it away _  
_~ The Memory Will Never Die, Default_

I didn't think it was possible for vampires to go into shock, but there was no other explanation for what I was currently feeling. My Sookie, my beautiful little fairy, was the great-granddaughter of Niall Brigant. She was royalty.

Of course it made perfect sense, she'd grown up not knowing what she was. It had to have been to protect her and to stop others from finding her and hurting her. I had to hand it to the old man, he did his job well. But then of course she went and got herself involved with my kind and the little bubble Niall had created around her was broken. I would never let any fairy take her from me though, never again.

The year I had gone without her had been the hardest of my existence. I couldn't even feel her presence and that had been what had killed me the most. Her life force had always been there since Dallas, a gentle hum in the background, but when she'd left that hum had stopped altogether and for the first month I'd panicked in private, not allowing anyone to see my stress. I'd bought her house from Jason the moment Pam had shown me the advert in the local newspaper and I had restored it back to its former glory. I didn't trust workmen with some of the jobs so I had done them myself. I even went shopping myself into the old antique stores in Shreveport to try and replace the trinkets the maenad had destroyed. It became my little project, my way of being close to my Sookie.

I hadn't a clue at the time what I was going to do if she never come back, that house contained so many memories for her and her scent lingered on everything. I'd contemplated a few times turning it into my main home but I found myself unsure of what I would say to my spitfire if she suddenly did return and found me slumbering in her bed. I'd built the cubby in order to both respect her, by not automatically claiming her bed, and so that I would be relatively safer from sunlight and strangers. Of course now I had complete access to her bed and to her. Speaking of her home, I'd have to call my day-man, Bobby, to gather the paperwork to put it back in her name. It was a little security for her at least.

With Niall now gone I had time to think through everything he had told us. He had people expecting us in Las Vegas which meant he'd planned this; did he know Russell was going to get free? And if so, how did he know?

"I guess we go to Las Vegas then." Sookie interrupted my thoughts, sparing a glance between my Maker and myself. We currently had a lack of options and although walking into the unknown wasn't my usual MO it seemed the only sensible choice right now. We were in need of all the help we could get.

"Godric, could you take Sookie to the car please? I need to leave instructions for Pam." I asked my Maker. The last thing I needed was to abandon Pam when our relationship was already extremely fragile.

Nodding his head, Godric rose from his seat, moving to the door and holding it open for my lover. "Go on, I'll join you shortly." I assured her as she looked back to me.

Once the two had left my office I took out a pen and a sheet of paper and wrote a note to my Progeny, leaving it on the desk for her to see. Removing my wallet from my back pocket I plucked out one of my black Amex cards, leaving it on top of the note before returning my wallet to its usual place. Pam would certainly take great enjoyment in trying to make a dent into the fortune I had made over my 1000 years. Rising from my seat I too left my office, locking it behind me. No one would be able to gain access to my fortune, I kept the pin codes secret and only Pam and I knew them, but it was a precaution nonetheless.

Leaving my club, I locked the external door too, moving around the side of the building to my Corvette. Godric and Sookie stood beside it and judging by Sookie's laughter and my Maker's smile he had just told her something rather amusing. "What did I miss?" I quirked an eyebrow at my lover, who was trying her hardest to contain her laughter now that she had clapped eyes on me. Her eyes moved to my Maker's and he gave a small shake of his head. "I can't say, sorry." My Sookie responded with a shrug, the smile on her lips telling me that later I'd get it out of her.

"How are we gonna do this? Your car only has two seats, Eric." My lover pointed out.

"I'll run it, I don't mind." Godric piped up, placing his small bag in the trunk of my car before making a comical show of stretching as if he were warming up for a marathon as Sookie took her seat in the passenger side of my car. I watched as my little fairy laughed at Godric's antics.

"See you at the airfield in ten?" I challenged him with a smirk.

My Maker mirrored my actions, "Make it five." He shot back before disappearing off into the night. Within seconds I was in my car, had the engine started and was ploughing down the road.

"Human on board! I'm fragile Eric!" my lover shouted at me, and all I could do was chuckle, did she really think I'd let any harm come to her?

Drifting around the cities roads we were out in the suburbs within three minutes and it was then that I could put my foot down properly. Few people lived out here so my chance of hitting someone had reduced drastically. I had such good reaction times though that if someone did come into view I would be able to stop the car without hitting them.

As the airfield came into sight a blur shot past the passenger side of the car, causing Sookie to shriek and giggle in excitement before laughing. My Maker's age meant his speed was difficult to rival by many. Driving onto the airfield I slammed on the brakes as we entered a private hanger, throwing the car into park and jumping out of the drivers side. Only once I was out of the car did I realise I'd lost the race.

Leaning against the steps up into the aircraft, Godric crossed his arms over his chest, a smug smile on his features. "I do believe I won." He commented, vamping over to my car and to the passenger door. Opening it, he offered his hand to Sookie who took it graciously. Giving my Maker's arm a playful slap she glared at him from under thick black eyelashes, "Never challenge him again! I'm breakable and he's a lunatic behind a wheel!" she huffed. I was stunned at Godric's lack of response to her slap, although it had been playful if anyone else had dared to do such a thing he would have most likely snapped them like a twig.

Ever the apologetic sort, Godric dipped his head as way of an apology, "I'm sorry Miss Stackhouse, it has been some time since I have been able to race my Childe."

"Yeah well-" Sookie muttered under her breath before grumbling something incoherent though the smile on her lips told me she wasn't really mad. She moved to the trunk of my car, opening it with ease. Leaning over, she rummaged around for her bag and I couldn't help but admire her pert rear.

"Ever the optimist." My Maker's whisper met my ears; it was quiet enough for my Sookie not to hear. Stifling a laugh I turned to watch as my Maker took his own bag from the trunk now that Sookie had hers.

"Can you blame me?" I shot back as a whisper, moving to my lover before taking her bag, and mine, from her and handing it to a member of crew who was stowing our luggage in the hold. Godric only rolled his eyes at my response.

The crew member went to take Godric's bag but he suddenly became defensive. "No, this stays with me." He demanded, clutching the bag tightly to his chest before disappearing up the steps and into the aircraft. Frowning at his protectiveness of his little bag I escorted my lover up the steps and into the aircraft where we took our seats. There was a cluster of four seats around a medium-sized coffee table and Godric had taken one of them, his bag on the other. Taking the last two seats, Sookie and I sat down.

The first hour of the flight was spent in silence, it wasn't awkward but I knew we all needed time to think things through. It was after this hour however that Sookie broke the silence. "I don't want to pry but I was wondering, on your travels, if you found a way to be close to her?" she spoke softly, addressing my Maker.

A brilliant smile lit up his features as he nodded his head enthusiastically, "Yes, I did!" he exclaimed happily. Maybe that was why he'd been so protective of his bag, had he found something of interest?

"Would you be willing to tell us about your past and about her? About what you found?" Sookie asked gently, I could tell she was being cautious, she knew all to well how vampires shut down at the mention of their human lives or emotions.

"I'm going to have to start at the beginning, Miss Stackhouse, and it isn't a sweet tale. You might want to get yourself comfortable. It's a tale I should have told Eric hundreds of years ago but I never had the courage to do so. You see, once we are turned we are taught to forget our human lives; we are taught that we must end that chapter and start another. Some refuse to do so, while others embrace it. I'll admit that I originally embraced it but now, now I wish to return back to that time. Things were so simple then." I could almost see the wistful look in my Maker's eyes and something inside of me told me I'd get to see a side of him I never had before. Pulling Sookie over to my seat, I arranged her comfortably on my lap, taking my hands in hers as she lent back against me to listen to my Maker's story.

"I was born in 60BC in a place called Gaul. These days you would know it as France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. I was a Nervii, which is where I gained my surname from. We were an ancient Germanic tribe and not to sound my own horn but we were one of the most powerful Belgic tribes. We lived in the northeastern corner of Gaul on the coast and we were known to trek long distances to engage in various wars and functions." Godric explained, pausing to allow Sookie and I to process the information. I'd always known Godric was European but he'd never divulged to me where it was exactly that he came from.

"We were considered one of the most warlike of the Belgic tribes. We had a Spartan culture, we didn't believe in drinking alcohol or having any luxuries. We believed that the mind must remain clear in order to be brave. We had no trade or merchant classes either, everyone was equal. We weren't exactly very rich or economically develop and yet we still thrived.

In 52BC, when I was eight, my people were part of the Belgic alliance that resisted Julius Caesar as he tried to bring Gaul under Roman rule. After the alliance broke up, and some tribes surrendered, my people came very close to defeating Caesar. At the battle of the Sabis in 51BC, when I was nine, my people concealed themselves in the forests and attacked the approaching Roman column at the river.

Their attack was so quick and unexpected that some of the Romans didn't have time to take the covers off their shields or even put on their helmets. The element of surprise briefly left the Romans exposed. However Caesar grabbed a shield, made his way to the front line, and quickly organised his forces; at the same time, the commander of the tenth legion attacked our camp where the woman and children, including myself, sat waiting for the men to return. The two legions that had been guarding the rear of the Roman soldiers arrived and helped to turn the tide of the battle. My people were almost annihilated in the battle." Godric sighed, obviously remembering the slaughter that he had witnessed.

I felt for my Maker, he had lost everything and had been powerless to help. It was true that in those times young men were an aid to battle, my father often taught me how to wield a sword and protect myself, but at nine years old my Maker would still have been considered too young to fight on the fields. Sookie sat silently upon my lap and yet I could feel the sadness rolling off of her and into the bond. It touched me that she felt sorrowful for my Maker's loss.

"Caesar's men captured those of us remaining in the village and took us as slaves. The group was split in half, half going to Rome and the other half to Egypt. My mother was taken to Rome while I was carted off to Egypt. I don't know what happened to her." Silence fell in the room again and my Sookie offered her hand to Godric in a comforting gesture. Although I knew Godric was shy of physical contact he took her offering, giving it a light squeeze in return. Sookie brought her hand back to her lap; my Maker had our rapt attention.

"There were at least thirty of us in my group and we were taken to Cleopatra's palace on the island of Antirrhodos, which is now submerged in the port of modern day Alexandria. Cleopatra herself sat upon a throne and observed us all one by one as we were presented to her. She was picking which of us she wanted in her palace. I was the youngest in the group, all the other children under the age of nine had been slaughtered as they were of no use." Godric paused for a moment, pain evident in his eyes at the memory. I pushed comfort through our Maker-Childe bond and received a small smile from my Maker for my effort. By now a tear had slipped down Sookie's cheek at the tale. Life was so different in my childhood and even more so during Godric's. I could understand why she felt sad about the information she was receiving.

"It was then her daughter entered the chamber, carrying a little doll in her hand. Caesar's men parted for her and I remember the respect they showed her even though she was only a child of ten. She marched up to her mother and crossed her arms over her chest like a little madam." My Maker recalled with a warm smile. "She said 'I want a new friend, Mama, I have no one to play with!' and stomped her foot. Caesar told her she could have one friend and that she could pick from the group of people I was stood with. At the time I was frightened of this little girl who seemed to have such a hold over her parents. She started at the other end of the line and walked along it. As I was the youngest I screwed my eyes shut and prayed that she'd pick me, even though I was frightened of her I knew she was my best chance of freedom and in all honesty I found her rather pretty. When I opened my eyes she was stood before me and I remember how bright her blue eyes were and how shiny her blonde hair was. She was smiling at me and her chubby cheeks were flushed from being out in the sunshine. She stretched out one small hand and traced the marks upon my arms and used her other hand to move a strand of my hair out of my eyes" Godric explained, subconsciously moving to touch the zigzag pattern on his left arm and the writing in Elder Futhark on his right arm.

"She said to me 'You have pretty marks on your arms and your eyes match mine, so you're going to be my new friend. My name is Ata.' and she gave me a hug. I was shocked beyond belief and although I was young I sent prayers of thanks to anyone who was listening. I was too young however to live in the palace permanently, the other slaves already had to care for Ata and I wasn't going to receive the same treatment as her. Instead her mother entrusted my care to her close friend, who I only ever saw after sunset. Suffice to say there's no need for me to explain what he was." Godric grimaced.

"Did Cleopatra know this man was a vampire?" Sookie piped up with a frown.

Shaking his head, Godric sighed sadly. "No, she didn't. I never mentioned it to her either as I was simply grateful I was still alive. Many slaves died after a few years of service due to lack of nutrition or overworking. As I grew up I was put to work. I still spent time with Ata in the palace but her mother was training her on how to be a proper Queen so there was little time to play. Of course once we reached thirteen playing held no interest so instead we talked, I would go for walks with her around the grounds of the palace and she would complain to me about whatever had happened that day. I had plenty to complain about in return but I never did so, I was just grateful she'd chosen me and that I was still alive.

When she turned fourteen however, things changed. Her mother started bringing young men into the palace and keep encouraging her to court them but she didn't want too and I'll admit that over the years I'd grown protective of her. I remember being in the throne room with my Master as a young man asked for Ata's hand in marriage. Ata looked so upset at the prospect of having to marry the man. He was in it for the money and the prestige and her mother was contemplating it. I couldn't contain the anger I felt and I shouted out in protest, telling the young man he couldn't have her. My Master dragged me out of the room and that was the first time the beatings started. Every night he found some reason to hurt me and for a week I wasn't allowed to see Ata. I thought that perhaps she had grown tired of me but one day she surprised me with a visit. She'd slipped out of the palace without her guards because she missed me. I hid my bruises and cuts from her though, not wanting her to worry." Godric smiled fondly at the memory and I couldn't help but smile too. I had never been in Godric's position but to know a Princess favoured you had to be one of the highest compliments one could receive.

"I went and visited her every day after that and I remember we once went swimming in the Nile together. We did what the youth of today call 'skinny dipping' and I remember seeing her without her clothes on for the first time. She was the first woman I had been attracted to that I had ever seen nude and she was beautiful. Her body had filled out into these soft curves, her limbs were slender and strong and her skin was beautifully pale. Those with tans in those times were often seen as slaves and working class because a tan signified that they spent time outdoors working but of course times have changed now." My Maker reminisced and I couldn't help but trail my hands over my Sookie's beautiful form. That was one thing my Maker and I shared in common, the love of shapely women.

"She was unable to swim so I taught her. I'll admit at the time I wasn't really interested in teaching her but I used it as an excuse to see her without her clothes on, an opportunity to get to place my hands upon her warm flesh. Our knowledge of anatomy in those days was limited, but pretty good given the lack of back-knowledge we had to work from. It was obvious however, without going into too much detail, that I was attracted to her and she to me. She saw my bruises and cuts one day and took me back to the palace; she nursed me back to health with a variety of different mixtures she had learnt to create especially for me. She would sneak me into the palace at night as I had told her of my inability to sleep with my Master around and she would allow me to rest beside her in her bed. Nothing came of sharing a bed, of course, but it was the comfort she offered that I was thankful for. One night while cleaning my cuts she suggested we make a blood oath. I'd heard of them before but never conducted one as they were a serious action that bound two people together for all eternity. She cut her thumb and then cut mine and then she took my thumb, licking the blood clean before offering her own thumb to me and I returned the gesture. We exchanged words and I believe they went something like this 'If we are ever in dire need one of another, we'll find each other. If we ever need comfort, then it will be with one another. If we ever get tired of this life, we'll leave it together.'"

Reaching for his bag, Godric pulled out a thick papyrus book and a sudden sweet smell hit my nostrils, causing me to inhale sharply. "Her scent still lingers on the pages." He explained as he turned the book to us, slowly leafing through the pages. "She drew me as I slept, every night. I went to visit an elderly man who had some Egyptian artefacts and this was amongst it." He gently handed the book over to Sookie and I could feel how honoured she felt that Godric would allow her to handle one of his treasures. If my heart had of been beating it'd have swelled.

As Sookie and I slowly looked through the book, Godric continued. "My Master found out about the time I was spending in Ata's bed and told her mother. Her mother didn't seem to mind; Cleopatra had always been kind to me. It was her father however who deemed it as outrageous and gave my Master permission to do with me as he wished. It was then that my beatings shifted from a more physical aspect to one of a sexual nature." My Sookie gasped at the revelations, a small hand covering her mouth. I too found it difficult to contain my shock; it explained why my Maker had never taken a serious lover and why he had always found it difficult to fuck after feeding even though his nature told him to do so.

All those years by his side I'd joked that his sexual drive was 'broken' and now I realised it actually wasn't. He was the broken one, unable to do to others as his Maker had done to him all those years ago. He had been forced into giving himself up to someone he didn't much care for and in some respects glamouring some poor human for a fuck and feed was the same. You didn't know one another, held no feelings for each other. Before the Great Reveal the sight of our fangs meant we had no choice but to glamour our meals or risk dying the true death should anyone find one.

At least I had my beautiful Sookie now to satisfy both of my desires willingly. Hanging my head a little in shame at the years I had spent tormenting him about it, Godric seemed to understand my sudden mood. "Do not blame yourself, my Childe. You did not know." He comforted me. Sookie looked like she was about to ask something however backed down seconds later, sensing perhaps that she didn't want to know.

"It is why physical contact is such an issue for me. Ata was the only one to give me gentle caresses. The only other feelings I had known was that of a smack and a whip. It is an unfortunate trait I carried over into this life. One night my Master became so angry with me, he'd watched me leave the palace in the evening and I'd finally plucked up the courage to give my Ata a proper kiss goodbye. I had of course placed kisses upon her cheeks before but to kiss her on the lips was a rather bold statement in those days. I had no idea it truly would be a goodbye however. I was suppose to meet her the following night, she had sent me a letter telling me she had exciting news and that she wanted to meet me at sunset outside the palace but of course I never made it to her." A red tear slipped down my Maker's cheek as his heartache flooded our bond and instinctively Sookie lent forward, offering him a tissue from the tissue box in the centre of the table with a reassuring smile. I had never seen Godric so stripped down emotionally before. There was no one else here to listen in and pass on his secrets, Sookie and I were his family and he trusted us with his tale. After 2000 years he was finally taking the weight from his shoulders and letting others carry it with him. The relief coming from him was almost palpable.

He'd taught me back in Germany, while we had been in the SS, that emotions made a vampire weak and that we had to dominate them. Yet now I realised that it was his own personal way of coping. He had to shut out all the emotions to keep on going, but now he didn't have to, now they were suffocating him and he needed to let it go so he could carry on with all of his 2000 years of strength. My respect for my Maker doubled, if that were possible, in that single moment.

"I woke three nights later and the first thing out of my Maker's mouth was a command not to go near Ata, not to see her, nor speak to her. I wasn't allowed to pass along letters or word-of-mouth messages either. I was to have no contact with her whatsoever; she was to believe I'd died. I watched her from afar though, I watched as her guards told her of my demise and I watched as she fell to the floor in agony. I watched as she cried herself to sleep for weeks on end. I watched as she started to take her dinners outside and I could see how much she would relax the moment the night was upon us. Sometimes I would wonder if she could sense my presence. I tried to focus on glamouring her a few times, to try and alleviate her pain, yet I could not. The weeks rolled into months and then her father died, he was assassinated by his own people. Ata's mother took another lover, Mark Anthony, and I watched as the two happily fell in love, feeling bitter about the fact I would never get to love my Ata." Another red tear slipped down Godric's cheek but he quickly wiped it away with the tissue. Leaning forward I grabbed another tissue, handing it to Sookie who was a shaky, teary mess on my lap.

"In 34BC her mother died one night, I wasn't there to witness it but I heard Ata's anguished cries from across the city. My Maker had been dishing out abuse once again and he commanded me not to go to her. I couldn't fight the feeling to be near her though and I fought with my Maker, ending him and thus ending the commands he had placed upon me. I couldn't enter the palace, I had no invitation, so I watched as my Ata cradled her mother's body, the Asp that had killed her lay dead beside her. Ata took the crown that night even though she didn't want it and was forced two years later by the High Court to marry in order to start the process of producing an heir." He growled, clearly displeased with the thought of his lover carrying someone else's child. I couldn't blame him, I would hate it for my Sookie to have another mans child growing inside of her.

"I found out one night that it had been her wedding day that day but that in the morning she had taken her own life. She had told her Vizier, her right-hand man, that she didn't want to marry someone she didn't love and she never would. She said that Osiris, the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead, had taken the one person she loved from her and that she wanted to be with him. She died because she thought I was dead and because she wanted to be with me. I should have made myself known to her but I was so frightened that she wouldn't want me anymore, that she'd be scared of me. I couldn't live with that. I watched as fifty days later they carried her gold sarcophagus through the streets of the city in the middle of the night, torches lighting the way. They buried her with her mother in the royal tomb and sealed it shut. I left Egypt that night and I haven't been back since." We all fell into silence, none of us sure what to say.

Sookie rose from my lap, gently closing the book Godric had handed to us and placed it back into his bag. Slowly she moved towards him before wrapping him up in a gentle embrace. Although he had spoken of his issues with physical contact he tried his best to return her gesture, knowing it had been given with the purest of thoughts. "My friend Lafayette is a medium, when we get back home I could talk to him for you if you'd like? We can see if he can find her for you. She loved you so much, that's obvious. She couldn't bear the thought of another and gave up her throne, her crown and her life because she wanted to be with you. That's not something to be sad about but something to be proud of. Like I said up on the roof two years ago, she fought against those who were suppose to love her so that she could be with you because she knew you truly did love her, she didn't allow anyone to take your place in her heart. She'd be proud of you for coming this far, and for doing everything she never got the chance too." Sookie reassured.

My Maker looked up at her, red still rimming his eyes, threatening to spill over once again. It pained me too to see him so upset but at the same time I understood his need to talk about it, to get it all off of his chest. "You think she would be proud of me?" he whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

"I know she would be." My beautiful fairy answered confidently and I realised right then that I loved her not just because of her beautiful body and her sweet blood mixed with her intoxicating smell, but because of her pure heart and the way she reassured and loved all those around her, even when they had never loved her.


	9. Jealous

**A/N hey guys! Have some Pammy for you! She loves you lots even if she does want to sink her fangs into you ;)**

**Also, judging by the low number of reviews for the last chapter would it be fair to say that it wasn't to your liking? And if so – what about it didn't you like? Was it too long? Too wordy? Too much speech? Too much history? Constructive criticism is welcome guys, you know that :)**

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**PAM'S POV**

_Now let me be real with you about my feeling's, the way that i deal with you I just can't conceal it _  
_I don't really mind all your female friends and all, just know that i'm possessive and aggressive when it comes to you. _  
_Im so jealous, I can't help it i'm not the type who cares to share because im selfish. _  
_Im so jealous i cant control it, ain't no need to lie about it cause i know it. _  
_~ Jealous, Faith Evans_

Fucking Sookie. Fucking Fairy vagina. How could Eric threaten to kill me over that gash in a sundress! I was not about to let him meet the true death in order to save that damn girl. I'd spent the day at Ginger's house and while she wasn't exactly the perfect companion it was better than having to be at Fangtasia and potentially having to face Eric. Unfortunately I couldn't put off seeing him any longer. I'd always been a proud woman, always willing to face my fears and now was one of those times.

He'd threatened me over a human. A HUMAN. She better have more than her taste going for her because if that's all that Eric sees in her I'll stake him myself for abandoning me and picking Little Bo Peep.

Stalking into his office I found it empty and was immediately assaulted with three fresh scents. Eric, Godric and fucking Sookie Stackhouse. My fangs snapped down in anger. How dare she think she can waltz in here after everything that's happened! Moving to the desk I caught sight of the black Amex left on the desk. I could do some serious damage as revenge. Swiping it up, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Snatching it up I was greeted with Eric's elegant script.

_Pam,_

_I do not know where to start with an apology other than 'I'm sorry' but I fear that won't be good enough for you._

_It was rash of me to decide to meet the true death in order to save Sookie, not knowing if she would actually be free or not and thus leaving you without me. I realise that now. I would put my life on the line for her in the future though if I had too, but not that way. If I ever have to die I will go down with a fight, you know, Viking style and all._

I couldn't help but laugh a little; my Maker had always been one to fight, to never run away from things.

_Remember last year when I returned to Fangtasia covered in cement after burying Russell? Alcide got in contact with me earlier this evening. He's free, Pam. Russell escaped and you are not safe._

_Niall Brigant contacted me and has told me to leave the state; I have taken Godric and Sookie with me but we didn't have time to come and get you. I regret that._

_I have left you my Amex and you have full permission to do however much damage you want to it, I do not care, just so long as you will speak to me again. Once you have taken your anger out on my card then let me know and I will send you our location so you can take your anger out on me personally. I deserve it. You have stood by my side for over a century and I treated you like you meant nothing to me._

_That is not true._

_You are my most trusted companion and I love you. You are my greatest creation. Forget all the money and businesses; forget the piece of Louisiana I have gained. You are my single greatest accomplishment._

His words made me feel something I never had before, not even in my human life. If my heart had of been beating I'm sure it would have squeezed at his words. Emotions – the bane of my undead life.

_I know you dislike Sookie, Pam, but I don't want you away from me while Russell is free. Once you have made a sufficient enough dent into my finances send me a text and I will arrange for your transportation to me. I have a feeling you and I, and subsequently Sookie, have some things to work out._

_I love her, Pam, and I love you too. I don't want my two favourite women in the world to be fighting and hating on one another. I have completed a second bond with her, and I hope during this trip to finalise it with the third but will only do so when you two are at ease with one another. You're both part of my family and I want you both to be happy. It would mean the absolute world to me if both of you could get along, even if you're just being civil with one another._

_Anyway I have to go, our plane leaves in twenty-five minutes._

_You are so important to me, Pamela, never forget that._

_~ E_

I couldn't stop the red tears streaming down my cheeks, as much as I wanted to hurl abuse at Eric and call him every foul name under the sun I could tell it wouldn't work, it wouldn't make me feel better. He was my Maker and I loved him. Before reading his letter I had been so cemented on spending an awful lot of his money but now I felt like that would just be cruel. Of course I would treat myself to those new season Louboutin's and Jimmy Choo's, Eric still owes me a pair of pumps after I tracked that filthy maenad in the woods over two years ago, but I wouldn't buy anything else. He knew he'd fucked up and was trying to make it better for me; perhaps he really was becoming a better man, or vampire.

I would even try and be civil to the waitress in a sundress. I'm glad she can't read my mind; she probably wouldn't like to witness me thinking of all the ways I to want to kill her. I would do this for Eric though, not for Sookie.

Nodding to no one in particular I folded up my Maker's note and placed it into my handbag along with his Amex before trotting into the bathroom where I wiped the blood from my cheeks and reapplied my make-up.

I would do my shopping this evening, and tomorrow I would join my Maker and Grandsire.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_A little less conversation a little more action please, all this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me _  
_A little more bite and a little less bark, a little less fight and a little more spark _  
_Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me, satisfy me baby _  
_~ A Little Less Conversation, Elvis Presley (a.k.a Bubba!)_

I don't know what compelled me to offer comfort to Godric; perhaps it was because in a way he was like a father figure. He took care of Eric and thus subsequently took care of me. He didn't have to be here right now, he could have rebuffed Niall and he could have gone back in Europe or wherever else he had been going and yet he chose to be with us. That alone warmed my heart.

Returning to Eric's lap after my little embrace with his Maker, I remembered the envelope Niall had given us. "Oh Eric, the envelope!" I exclaimed, wiggling on his lap to get to the inside pocket of his leather jacket. Of course my wiggling drew a moan from my Viking's lips and his obvious excitement at my movements pressed against my backside. Popping him on the arm I glared at him. "Not the time or the place, Mister!"

"Don't you want to join The Mile High Club, my lover?" He leered at me, waggling his eyebrows. I contemplated his offer for a second but that second seemed to be all that was needed to confirm that yes; I most defiantly wanted to join the club.

Godric's chuckle reminded me that he was present and I couldn't help but flush a light shade of red. "Once we've gone over the content of the envelope I'll leave you guys in peace." He offered with a smile, no suggestive eye waggling or smirking. Clearly those traits were ones Eric had been born with in his human years that had simply been carried over once he'd been turned. Speaking of his human years, I decided then and there to ask him about it at a later date. It seemed only fair that I learnt his story given that he had no doubt found out everything about mine.

"Oh I don't want you to feel chased away! There's no rush, Eric will have to wait!" I protested, the last thing I wanted was for Godric to spill his heart out to us and then feel chased away while his Childe enjoyed my body. I could hear Eric's grumbling in my ear and had to withhold my laughter.

"It's fine, Miss Stackhouse. I wouldn't deprive him of you nor you of him. It's lovely that you can enjoy one another." He reassured and I could see now that Eric's Maker was just as stubborn as him. I felt bad for a moment knowing Godric couldn't have the body of his lover beneath him, but I remembered that I was going to do everything I could to try and get them in contact with one another and suddenly I didn't feel so bad anymore. Lafayette was a powerful medium, he would be able to bring them back together. Maybe they'd even be able to talk to one another, maybe Godric would finally get to tell her that he loved her. The thought made me smile and a rush of happiness took over my system. I could feel Eric's confusion at my sudden emotion however I brushed him off, wafting my hand in the air like it was nothing.

Having finally removed the envelope from Eric's jacket, I carefully opened the seal, pulling out the documents that were inside. Letting my eyes scan over the first page I found the address of our destination. "Looks like we're going to 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South." I read aloud, frowning a little at the address. "Isn't that the Las Vegas strip?" I asked the two ancient vampires.

Godric shrugged at my question. I should've known he wouldn't know much about Las Vegas, he had never striked me as the sort to visit Sin City and gamble anyway. "At least it won't be far from the airport, I think the strip runs right alongside it." Eric contributed. Why didn't it surprise me that the mighty Viking knew his way around Sin City?

Accepting the location I flipped to the next page where I was greeted with a photograph and some personal details of the man who would be meeting us, or should I say the vampire who would be meeting us. "Apparently this vampire is expecting us and we're to ask for him upon arrival." I informed both vampires, holding up the photograph to get a better at it while Godric took the information pack from me.

"Ari Seti-Nekht" Godric read aloud, the words flowing off of his tongue as if they were part of his native language. "An Egyptian by the sounds of it." He commented, looking over the rest of the information regarding the man. That would explain why his pronunciation was so spot on. "Ah, he was turned not long after I was, he could be a powerful ally. Niall obviously thought ahead." Godric added looking up at Eric with a smile. I had a feeling the more people we had on our side the better.

"He's not that bad looking." I commented quietly, observing the image of the man. The shot was taken from the shoulders up so there was no way to judge his height, however his broad shoulders and sharp collarbones led me to believe not only was he tall, but he was built. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown, his hair was black and cropped. He had a light dusting of black facial scruff and his nose was a little on the large side but his sharp chin and jaw set that off.

A low growl resounded from deep within Eric's chest as I admitted that this unknown man was reasonably attractive.

"He pales in comparison to you though, my handsome Viking." I reassured Eric with a chaste kiss to his lips, stroking his already overinflated ego. Never did I think I would be reassuring Eric that I wouldn't go off with another man. I had always thought it would be him reassuring me he would never go off with another woman. I still hated the fact that he use to sleep with a load of women, the sight of him at it with Yvette was going to be forever burnt into my mind. Of course I hadn't minded seeing his bottom, it was rather yummy after all. We hadn't had the conversation regarding monogamy yet though, but we were going to the moment we were alone. He would only get to feed and share a bed with me, that much was obvious. If I were his then I'd make sure he'd damn well be mine in return.

"He's the Sheriff in Las Vegas. Which means those in his area owe him fealty. That could be useful if we find ourselves in need of back-up." Godric added, flicking through the remaining pages of information.

"I'm sure the King of Nevada would love that." Eric commented dryly, quirking an eyebrow at his Maker.

"Wait the King of Nevada? Do you think he knows about me, about what I am?" I asked, suddenly not entirely comfortable with where we were going. I'd been used enough while I'd been in Louisiana. The Queen had tried to procure me and turn me into her own little pet in order to use my gifts whenever she wanted, plus Russell Edgington had been after me for my gift and my taste too, wanting to walk in the sunlight again. I don't think I could handle another monarch after me.

"I doubt Felipe de Castro knows about you and if he does we can fend him off. He's only 800-years-old. I'm sure though with Russell on the loose he'll be willing to help. Russell is putting our kind back into the dark ages so it'll be in every monarch's interests to find him and end him." Eric explained to me, plucking the photo from my hand and handing it to Godric who in turn handed me back the envelope.

"There's a note from Niall here, it says he's gotten us formal clothing and placed them in the wardrobe in the bedroom. Wait, there's a bedroom on this thing?" I asked in shock. I'd never had enough money to go on holiday before I'd met Bill, or Eric, and during my time with Bill I'd only been on a small jet with Anubis Air on the way to Dallas. This plane was so different and the company onboard was so much better.

"Yes, and I hear the bed is excellent." Eric purred in my ear. I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine or the tingly feeling in my lady bits. He'd be the death of me.

"Let me grab the clothes Niall left for me and then I'll let you two play." Godric teased, vamping across the plane before returning seconds later with a garment bag in one hand, and a small wash bag and pair of shiny black shoes in the other. "I assume this one is mine, given that the bag is much shorter than the other." He teased his progeny, placing the clothes down onto the flat surface of the coffee table so they wouldn't wrinkle.

Laughing at Godric's jibe about his height, Eric lifted me from his lap and within seconds had us in the bedroom of the plane, locking the door behind us. My clothes lasted all of three seconds and for the next hour he made sure I was well and truly initiated into The Mile High Club


	10. Blonde, Bad and Beautiful

**A/N Pam's going to go and spend Daddy's money for a bit so we'll catch up with her later on. For the record, the songs at the start of each chapter are what I was listening to while writing, I feel they fit each chapter wonderfully.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing ;)**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Blonde bad and beautiful, in the hot summer sun, with her tight dress painted on _  
_Fahrenheit 101 _  
_She got the long legs to prove it, the back end to move it _  
_She's a XXX movie just walking by, lip-gloss, high heels, I'm losing my mind _  
_She's coming at me like a wrecking ball, upstairs, downstairs she got it all _  
_Blonde bad and beautiful, blonde bad and beautiful, she got it all _  
_~ Blonde, Bad and Beautiful, Airbourne_

With only an hour to go until we were due to land I pulled myself out of the bed Eric and I had found ourselves making love in. I'd tried my hardest to be as quiet as possible because I'd been unsure as to what exactly Godric could hear. Eric had assured me numerous times that no one would hear us but my good Southern upbringing had taught me to not flaunt ones relationships in front of others and having Godric hearing us was certainly flaunting in my opinion.

Moving to the wardrobe in the room I plucked the pink garment bag from the rail, at least Niall helped us to identify which outfit belonged to whom. Picking up a matching pink wash bag, medium sized make-up bag and a large box I made my way to the bathroom to change. I had no issues changing infront of Eric but I didn't want him to see me until the outfit was perfect.

Showering quickly using the contents of the wash bag, I dried my hair quickly too with a hairdryer I'd found under the sink. Opening up the garment bag I couldn't help but gasp. Niall had really outdone himself. I'd planned on wearing one of my sundresses; I never have been and never will be one for fancy and expensive clothes. Material wealth doesn't matter much to me and I get the feeling Eric quite likes that. Pulling on a pair of brand new lacy red Victoria's Secrets panties I found in the garment bag I withdrew the dress.

Holding it up, I let my eyes trail over the garment. The fabric was silk and a beautiful deep red colour. It looked just like the colour of blood and would sit with my tan wonderfully. The thought brought a smile to my lips and I couldn't help but squeal in excitement. I actually squealed. Cheese and rice.

Without thinking twice I pulled the dress on, I'd had a feeling I wouldn't be able to wear a bra to hold 'the girls' in place in this dress. I was correct in my assumption but the structure of the garment allowed for that and held them snugly in place. The fabric flowed over all of my curves; the neckline was plunged and there were thick straps across my shoulders. The dress was pulled into folds across my chest to add texture and the edge of the fabric around the neckline was studded with silver gems. Glancing down I caught sight of my legs; the dress had a slit in it, right up to my thigh. Oh my Viking would love that! The back of the dress fanned out into a trail and for a moment I panicked. What if I were to step on it and stumble?

Right, of course, I would be right next to a 6'4 vampire who would catch me before I could land on my backside, I hope. Pulling the lid from the large box my eyes bugged out at the contents. Pulling out a pair of silver sandals I slipped them onto my feet, lace straps criss-crossing halfway up my calf. A little red bag sat in the box too so I plucked it out and placed it down on the counter. A black box sat inside the large box and I opened it to reveal droplet shaped earrings. The droplets were red. 'Very funny Niall.' I thought to myself, rolling my eyes at their representation.

Sliding my earrings in, I opened the make-up bag and applied a little bit of powder to further my sun-kissed skin, lip-gloss to add some sparkle and some mascara to make my eyes pop. My recent infusion of 1000-year-old vampire blood meant my complexion was otherwise perfect. I was thankful in that moment that my hair dried with a natural curl to it so I took a few sections and pinned them up with bobby pins, allowing them to fall over one shoulder. The style left my neck bare, just how Eric liked it.

Packing up both my wash bag and make-up bag into the large box, I left it on the counter to retrieve when we landed but not before dropping my make-up into the red clutch bag. It would no doubt need touching up later on this evening.

Drawing a deep breath I unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out to be met with an empty room. Moving to the main area of the aircraft I opened the door from the bedroom to be met with the back of my Viking and his Maker, both already dressed in their suits. I couldn't contain myself as I took in the appearance of my Viking and lent against the doorframe. He was a beautiful 6'4 Nordic God, dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and red tie on that matched my dress perfectly. Eric could be wearing a sweatsuit with a wifebeater on underneath and he would still the most beautiful man on the planet. Godric had gone for a more conventional look from what I could tell, a simple black tux which helped to slightly age his young appearance. "'ello 'andsome." I drawled at my Viking lover, soaking my words with my Southern accent. Eric had always said he loved my accent. I was unfortunately spending less time with Southerners though so my accent was starting to disappear. It was difficult to keep it up when I was constantly surrounded by European vampires.

Both vampires whipped around at the sound of my voice and as Eric's eyes travelled up and down my figure I crossed one leg over the other, the fabric sliding from my skin to reveal a shapely tanned limb. A deep growl resonated from my vampire's chest as his fangs snapped down in appreciation, a raw hunger radiating in his eyes. "Fuck me." He leered, clearly enjoying the sight if the bulge in his tailored trousers was anything to go by.

"I did, about an hour ago." I teased, waggling my eyebrows in exactly the same way he did to me. In an instant he was before me, pressing me up against the doorframe. His 6'4 frame pinning me in place, his hips pressed to mine so I'd feel the evidence of his arousal. A whimper slipped from my lips.

"Don't tempt me. I'm already seriously considering not letting you off this plane until you've come at least six more times, screaming my name." He whispered huskily in my ear, licking the area just behind my earlobe. I could already feel my panties dampening.

Pulling myself from my daze as I remembered the other male vampire present on the plane I gave Eric's arm a playful slap. "No nasty talk. Perhaps if you're good I'll let you undress me later though." I offered with a wink, sliding out from his grip and crossing the plane. I had no idea where this sudden sex-kitten act had come from; I think it had something to do with Eric's reaction to the sight of me. I felt beautiful around him, treasured, valued. No one else had treated me like that, not even Bill.

Godric held his hand out to me and I took it as he pressed a kiss to the back of my hand, "You look lovely, Miss Stackhouse." He complimented with complete sincerity and a warm smile. Returning his smile I took a quick second to observe his own attire before glancing over my shoulder at my Viking who was now stood exceptionally close behind me, towering over my small frame. I took a couple of seconds little longer checking out his outfit for the night.

"As do both of you." I returned the complete with an equal amount of sincerity. Eric looked like the devil and completely edible while Godric looked every bit the gentleman he was.

"Lady and gentlemen, we'll be starting our descent soon. If you could please take your seats." The voice over the tannoy announced and I moved to my seat slowly, unsure on my feet in these ridiculously high shoes I had been given.

As I sat, Eric leant over and captured an earring in his hand. "Niall's sense of humor I assume?" he asked with his signature smirk and I nodded in response, automatically going for his hand with my own as he let go of my jewelry. I still hated flying with a passion.

As the plane landed on the tarmac and came to a stop the captain opened the door for us, pushing the steps down so we could exit. Godric left first with his bag in his hand, I followed after him and Eric took up the back. A man was stood at the end of the steps and once we passed him he was up in the plane clearing out our belongings for us.

Watching as he went up the steps behind us I turned back in time to see a beautiful black limo pulling up and a gasp escaped my lips. Clearly the man who we were meeting had money and liked to flaunt it. The chauffer scuttled out, moving around to open the door for us. We filed in, using the same order we had used to come off the plane. Our belongings were stored in the trunk and soon we were pulling away from the airport.

I was trying my hardest to keep my excitement from bubbling over but the smile on my features was refusing to leave any time soon and if I was being honest with myself I didn't want it to go away. I couldn't remember a time, after Gran had passed, when I'd smiled so much. Although I had done well to hide the physical signs of my excitement, the emotional side wasn't doing so well.

"Your excitement and happiness is intoxicating, Lover." Eric declared, slouching back into the seat beside me, one arm thrown lazily behind me as he watched me with keen eyes and a smile on his lips. Godric sat opposite us and he too could sense my extreme excitement and happiness through his Maker-Childe bond with Eric.

"It is nice to see you smile so much, Miss Stackhouse. Have you ever been to Nevada before?" the older vampire inquired.

Shaking my head I locked a hand with Eric's, his long slender fingers fitting perfectly with mine. "No, I never had the opportunity to take time off work and I don't have the financial means to do so. The first time I ever left Louisiana was when we went to Dallas." I explained. I had enjoyed the trip to Dallas really, minus the whole almost rape, the bombing and having to talk Godric off of the hotel roof at sunrise. But then that was just another day in the new life vampires had given me.

"We'll go on many more holidays, Lover. I promise you. Anywhere you want to go, we shall go there." Eric vowed, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Would you take me to your home country?" I asked, turning to look at Eric. I felt curious about where my Viking had been born.

I could feel the shock through the bond; clearly he hadn't been expecting me to ask for us to go to his home. The shock soon changed to a tidal wave of love and happiness, along with yearning. I knew he wanted to go back home but had never had an excuse to go; now he did.

"I would love nothing more than to take you back to my home. I have a log cabin there actually; we can curl up infront of the fireplace in a big blanket and watch the northern lights. We can go for walks in the snow and build snowmen, go ice-skating on the frozen lakes." He continued, his eyes taking on the distant look they so often did when a vampire was recalling memories from their past life.

Sparing a glance to Godric, I caught his warm smile. "Thank you." He mouthed at me. I had no idea what he was thanking me for but obviously I'd done something right. Maybe it was time for Eric to remember his past, get in touch with his humanity as Godric had.

The bright lights of Las Vegas soon flooded the limo and I couldn't help but twist to look out of the window. Casino's, shopping malls, hotels, all of them passed us by and all of them were beautifully illuminated with beautiful people milling around outside them. It was now obvious to me why Las Vegas was known as Sin City.

The limo turned infront of a large building, sliding to a stop in the car port. The chauffer opened the door for us and held out his hand for me. Graciously taking it I exited the car, the two vampires following closely behind me. A bellhop came to take our bags from us and reluctantly Godric handed his over, though he made a show of snapping his fangs down as a warning that should anything happen to his luggage then heads would roll.

Dropping my shields I focused on the bellhop. _"Oh god I can't believe I've been put in charge of taking care of the Northman parties bags. Big boss said they have money; I don't even wanna think about how much all their stuff will be worth. Gotta make sure it gets to their rooms in one piece and stays safe. Big boss would have a fit if something went wrong and I need this job so bad. Need the money. Need the good reference. Holy hell, sharp fangs! Shit! Take care of this bag with my life, gotta do that, make big boss happy."_ He went on and on and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the young man. He was obviously trying his hardest. He reminded me of Barry, back in Dallas, and I couldn't help but smile at the memory. I hope he had managed to get out of the fae realm okay.

Eric offered the crook of his left arm to me and with a fluid motion I took it, leaving Godric stood on my right. Taking a deep breath I knew we would be able to do this. We were walking into the unknown and yet I had two of the oldest and strongest vampires in America beside me. Suddenly I wasn't so worried anymore.

The doors were opened for us and we entered the lobby of the hotel. My jaw dropped instantly and I quickly had to regain my composure. The whole room was made of marble, buffed to perfection and shining back the golden lighting, giving the room a warm glow. Thick pillars of marble supported the ceiling and chandeliers hung down proudly, the light capturing the beautiful teardrop gemstones that hung from them. In the middle of the room, pride of place, sat a fountain. The fountain consisted of three women, all made of white marble, stood together in a group with their backs to each other facing outwards. They wore togas and watched over the lobby and its guests.

What caught my eye the most though was the man stood before the fountain. He was the man from the photograph earlier! I was right with my estimations of him, he was defiantly tall, about 6'5 I would say. Of course he looked no different than his photograph given that he was a vampire and didn't age. He wore a smile which revealed perfect white teeth, fangs retracted, and he had donned a simple black suit and tie for the evening. Stepping forward he gave all three of us a nod. "Mr. Nervii, Mr. Northman, Miss Stackhouse." He greeted us in turn, starting with the eldest of our party. "It's a pleasure to meet the three of you. My name is Ari Seti-Nekht and should you need anything during your stay then please do not hesitate to ask me." He greeted formally with impeccable manners. Although it was obvious from his accent, and name, that he wasn't a southerner he would get on perfectly in Louisiana.

"I will have my staff take your bags up to your rooms. I have placed you in our two most luxurious suites and you may stay for however long you wish, the cost is on us." He continued glancing between the three of us, his smile never faltering. I realized then that he had clearly had a role as some sort of businessman or politician in his long life.

Turning his attention to me, his smile softened, "Your kin has been so impatient to see you. Would you like to meet them now?" he offered, giving me a chance to back out should I want it.

"Thank you, Mr. Seti-Nekht, I'd love to meet them." I replied with equally impeccable manners. I felt Eric's pride flooding through the bond.

With a nod of his head Ari started to guide us through the lobby. I couldn't help but gawk at everything around me, the high ceilings all looked to be hand painted, the chandeliers must have cost a fortune and the neutral tones of the walls picked up the warmth from the lighting. The vast use of marble made the building even more impressive. My heels clicked against the polished floor and I became very aware of the eyes following me as I walked past.

_"Who the heck is she?…"_

_"Oh my goodness I want her dress! I wonder if she'll tell me where she got it from…"_

_"Two vampires? She must have some sort of special va-"_

I quickly threw my mental shields back, firmly clamped them in place. Nothing would ruin my good mood.

We were led through a series of marble walkways before being guided through a large marble arch, the words 'Casino' were printed on it in beautiful ancient lettering. The room was packed with humans, vampires and weres and I was relieved I'd thrown my shields up. Eric moved closer to my side and Godric mirrored his actions, protecting me from the strangers in the room. We moved through throngs of people, some sat at tables playing poker or roulette, some stood by fruit machines and others occupying the bar and lounge areas. Everyone was exceptionally beautiful and obviously wealthy. I felt so out of place. I was nothing like these people. My wardrobe consisted mainly of Walmart clothing and I didn't have the spare change to gamble. As if sensing my unease Eric lent down to whisper in my ear as we walked. "They pale in comparison to you, my little fairy." He told me reassuringly, pressing a kiss to my temple which I gratefully accepted. It was nice to feel wanted by such a gorgeous and powerful man.

We drew to a stop at the bottom of a large sweeping staircase, two flights of steps led up to the first floor and a balcony sat in the middle, the perfect vantage point. The top and bottom of the staircase were decorated with golden spheres which I assumed represented the world. Whoever owned the place could most certainly own a nice chunk of the world given the fancy feel and expensive tastes of the place and I hadn't even clapped eyes on the rooms yet!

"Ah, here comes my Queen!" Ari interrupted my thoughts and I returned my eyes to the staircase in time to see the woman who emerged from around the corner, starting her elegant descent of the staircase.

Never in my life had I felt as jealous as I did then. She looked around twenty years old and she was easily 5'4 without her gold strappy heels, but with them she was definitely pushing 5'9. She was dressed in a white gown that clung to her curvaceous frame like a glove and fell to her ankles. Her waist was clinched inwards to showcase her hourglass shape by a golden band of fabric, ornately decorated. She too had a plunging neckline, just as daring as mine, and yet her chest was a little more ample. Another notch against the woman. Golden straps, in the same fabric as the band around her waist, held the dress up on her slender frame.

As she moved down the steps I caught a glimpse of the back of her dress. The golden straps that went over her shoulders crossed between her shoulder blades before disappearing under her arms to meet the white fabric of the dress. Her attire was backless, showing off her smooth skin and the fabric met again just above her backside where golden sparkles and gems flared downwards, pulling attention to the small trail that flowed over the steps as she walked.

Looking up from her dress I was frustrated to see that her face was just as beautiful as her dress. She had this ethereal glow to her that I found captivating and her bright blue eyes were wide and sparkling with joy. They were framed with a light dusting of gold and bronze eye-shadow and her eyeliner was kept minimal, flicking out at the far corner of her eyes. Her porcelain skin was flawless, her features all in proportion and her lips were painted ruby red, contrasting with her dress and skin. She wore her hair in natural curls, just like mine, and ironically enough it was the same shade of light blonde. The one little difference was a delicate diamond tiara upon her head peaking out from her curls.

As she took the last step down Ari offered his hand out to her and she took it with the elegance and grace that only a proper upbringing could give. She glided across to us, her blue eyes fixed firmly on mine. She was oblivious to Eric and Godric for now. A bright smile crossed onto her features and I caught sight of her brilliantly white teeth which were were perfectly straight, it was obviously a physical feature the upper-class loved.

Based on first impressions I didn't like the woman very much; she was too much of a show off for my liking. She flaunted her wealth and her figure and that infuriated me. Gran had always taught me to work for my money and to work hard. This woman looked like the sort who would let the men do all the work and she would spend all day lounging by a pool or shopping, spending her mans money.

Dropping my shields I attempted to poke her mind but was met with a high, steel wall encasing all of her thoughts. I was stunned for a moment; I thought I was the only one who could build up walls to keep people out. Was she expecting me to prod her mind?

"It's so lovely to finally meet you, my kinswoman! Niall has spoken so fondly of you." She beamed with pure excitement. Without even having to read her mind I could tell she was sincere in her joy; I'd learnt how to read people's body language too over the years. What caught me was her reference to being my kin. How closely was I related to this woman? I could see a physical resemblance; we were blonde, blue-eyed and slender. The similarities stopped there though.

Dropping Ari's hand the beautiful woman gestured around her to the casino, obviously proud of her business. "Welcome, welcome to Caesars Palace, my name is Ata."

I heard Godric gasp beside me. "Ata?"

Ata's eyes shifted from mine to Godric's and she gasped to, a shocked expression on her pretty features as her eyes fell to the tribal tattoo peaking out from under his shirt, as if seeking confirmation of his identity. Looking into his eyes once again, she fought back the tears welling up in her eyes, her voice coming out in a whisper. "Godric?

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**A/N OMG GUYS. OMG. DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING DID YOU? EH?**

**Hahaa, I was so excited to write this up. I hope you liked it! :)**


	11. Halo

**A/N Emotional chapter this one guys, weepiness and cuddles galore!**

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**GODRIC'S POV**

_Hit me like a ray of sun, burning through my darkest night  
You're the only one that I want, think I'm addicted to your light  
I swore I'd never fall again but this don't even feel like falling  
Gravity can't begin to pull me back to the ground again  
It's like I've been awakened, every rule I had you breakin'  
It's the risk that I'm taking, I'm never gonna shut you out!  
Everywhere I'm looking now I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby, I can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace  
You're everything I need and more, it's written all over your face  
Baby, I can feel your halo, I pray it won't fade away  
~ Halo, Beyonce_

Entering the lobby of the location Niall had sent us to I felt a tightening sensation in my chest. I was unsure if it actually existed or not so I brushed it aside to deal with later, there were more important things at hand. The man from the photograph we had been met us and led us through the exquisite building. There was no denying its beauty but the Roman theme made me feel uneasy, the last time I had faced Romans I had been fighting for my life and had ended up dragged into slavery. I suppose the Romans did have one redeeming quality however, they had taken me to my Ata.

Upon entering the casino I moved to flank Sookie, not entirely trusting the surrounding vampires and weres. We were in unfamiliar territory and that made this all the more dangerous.

Stopping before the grand staircase Ari addressed us once again. "Ah, here comes my Queen!" His words caused me to frown a little. It was true that a man should always give his lover a beautiful term of endearment but to call someone a Queen was just asking for them to gain an ego that could rival my Childe's.

Looking up as a woman started to descend the staircase, I froze. She was a carbon copy of my Ata, even down to the shade of blue in her eyes. I watched as she moved down the staircase, oozing grace and elegance. I was captivated by her resemblance to my lover and for a moment I believed God was playing a cruel joke on me, that he was mocking me.

Her gaze was focused on Sookie and I was grateful for that as it gave me time to compose myself. "It's so lovely to finally meet you, my kinswoman! Niall has spoken so fondly of you." She beamed with pure excitement, her body language bubbling over with happiness. She even had the spirit of my Ata, so full of life and joy. A wave of sadness washed over me as the memories of the times we had spent together flooded my mind.

Dropping Ari's hand, the beautiful woman gestured around her to the casino, obviously proud of her business. "Welcome, welcome to my palace, Caesars Palace! My name is Ata."

I couldn't stop the gasp that slipped out of my lips. "Ata?"

Her blue eyes shifted from Sookie to me, our eyes locking as she gasped at the sight of me, a shocked expression on her features as her eyes fell to the tribal tattoo peaking out from under my shirt as if she were seeking confirmation of my identity. Looking up into my eyes once again, I could tell she was fighting back her tears; her voice came out in a whisper. "Godric?"

The moment my name slipped from between her red lips I knew she was my Ata and that she was very much alive. Vamping infront of her as the tears started to fall from her eyes I grabbed her waist gently, pulling her to me and into a tight embrace. My own tears were threatening to roll down my cheeks as my mind comprehended the fact that Ata was alive, and that she was here. Her body shook as sobs escaped her and I could feel her erratic heartbeat against my own silent chest. The rest of the world didn't matter at that moment in time. I had my Ata and she was locked in my embrace. She remembered me after 2000 years. The last Queen of Egypt remembered **me**, the poor slave boy.

Pulling back to look at her my hands cupped her face and she immediately lent into my embrace, her warm flesh contrasting against my cold hands. Leaning forward I pressed my lips to her cheek, capturing her tears. They were incredibly sweet and rather addictive. "How?" I asked in a whisper, winding my arms back around her waist

"Fae, we have long lives." She responded equally as quietly, obviously not wanting to broadcast her race to all of the vampires in the casino. Her hands moved to my lips and I parted them slightly. The moment her fingertips ghosted over my front teeth my fangs slid down into place of their own accord and I saw the anguish on her beautiful features. "I should have said something to my mother, I was too late to save you from the darkness. I'm so sorry." She apologized, more tears rolling down her face.

Shaking my head I kissed her fingers as I retracted my fangs. "Don't apologise my darling, it's not your fault. If I hadn't of been turned we wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't be able to hold you close to me once again." I reassured her quietly, gently tightening my possessive and protective hold on her, causing her slender frame to press up against mine. "I saw your sarcophagus though, were you in it?" I murmured, the memory of watching the procession of mourners making itself known in my brain.

Shaking her head her teeth sank into her lower lip. "It was empty. I wasn't ageing and I refused to marry the man the High Court was forcing me to because he wasn't you. I needed to get out of the city. My boys helped me fake it. I'm so sorry you had to see it." She apologised to me, which was twice in the last thirty seconds.

"Your boys?" I asked, cringing internally at the accusing tone my voice had taken on.

Smiling reassuringly, her finger moved from my lips to trace my jaw lovingly. "I learnt of what I was and discovered that I would live an awful long time. The most trusted men in the palace vowed to stand by my side forever, they sought out your kind and had themselves turned so they could protect me until my death." She explained, sparing an affectionate glance to Ari who stood a little to her side, smiling at us warmly.

Another vampire approached our group, he was of a similar build to Ari yet had long dark hair, pulled back into a neat ponytail and his eyes were a bright green. "Ata, the penthouse is perhaps the best place to continue your reunion, people are starting to notice." He addressed Ata, glancing around the room as more eyes started to turn towards us.

Wiping her cheeks free of tears, Ata nodded in agreement, her hand finding mine and holding onto it tightly. "Thank you, Khai." She addressed him. Gently tugging me, she motioned for Eric and Sookie to follow. She led our group back up the staircase and to a private lift. Entering the space, the walls were decorated in rich red velvet with gold detail and the backs of the elevator doors were crystal clear mirrors. Ata pushed a button and the elevator lurched to life, starting to carry us all up to the penthouse. My grip on Ata's hand tightened a little and I lent into her, not wanting to be physically parted from her.

"You own a beautiful building, Miss Caesar." Sookie broke the silence, watching my love through the mirrors on the back of the door.

"Please call me Ata, we're family sweetie," Ata requested, "and thank you. I do love this place but I'm not a fan of all the marble. I find myself falling flat on my backside a lot." She laughed, her melodic laugher filling the confined space with its warmth. Closing my eyes I relished the sound. For 2000 years I had gone without it and now I could hear it again, I was reminded of how beautiful it was.

Both Sookie and Eric laughed along as Ata laughed at herself and a sudden sense of peace fell upon me. I had my beloved, my Childe and my sort of daughter-in-law with me. They were my little family.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid back to reveal the penthouse suite. It was nothing like the rest of the building. Gone were the marble floors and instead a rich cream carpet was in its place, the walls were painted a creamy brown colour and the cherry wood furniture was comfortably modern and no doubt expensive, yet they didn't scream wealth. The room used a mixture of creams and browns and had a warm feeling to it which was a stark contrast to the cool marble and whites that were used on the lower levels of the building. The lighting gave the room a golden glow and abstract paintings were hung on the walls. Flowers decorated the surfaces and wicker chairs sat infront of a breakfast bar. The room was open plan so the kitchen could be seen from the living room. The kitchen itself had doors made from the same cherry wood and granite-topped counters. The appliances sparkled and a huge bowl of fresh fruit sat on one of the were two doors off of the open plan space and both were open. I could see hallways through the open doors and assumed they led to bedrooms and other rooms.

"Welcome to my proper home. Please make yourselves comfortable here, what's mine is yours." Ata warmly informed us all with a grin. "I'll have a couple of my boys bring up your belongings. I had the best suites put aside for you but I can assure you staying in the penthouse will be a much better experience." She declared, sparing a glance to a tall blonde vampire who was leaning against the doorway to one of the halls. No words were exchanged yet with a nod he left, taking the elevator back down to presumably gather our belongings.

Ata's attention turned to Eric and she regarded him for a moment, "I don't believe we've met but I'm going to go with Viking…" she started and my Childe picked up the slack.

"You are correct. Eric Northman, Sheriff of Louisiana Area 5 and Godric's progeny." He stated with his signature smirk. Ata's eyes turned to me and she tipped her head sideways a little, exactly like she use to during my human years.

"Eric is a fierce warrior and I wanted his companionship." I explained, wanting Ata to know that I hadn't been replacing her.

Sookie watched my lover as I interacted with her before turning to Eric and speaking up. "You know, I've never been to a casino before. I'd just love to try and win a buck." She batted her eyelashes before she started to gently tug my Childe towards the elevator. Sookie was allowing me some alone time with my Ata and I would be sure to thank her for it later.

The moment they left the room my arms were back around Ata holding her close to me, relishing in her body heat. Her tears started falling again as she held me close in return. "I've missed you so much. The moment my guards told me you were dead I didn't believe them, I refused to." She confessed, the fingers on one of her hands running into the short hairs at the nape of my neck, her touch as light and gentle as it had been over two millennia ago.

A few stray bloody tears slipped from my eyes at the memory of her anguish and I wiped them away before they could fall onto her white dress and ruin it. "You have no idea how much I've missed you too. I've missed your smile, missed your laugh. I saw when your guards told you. I'd only just risen for the first time and I'd managed to get away long enough to watch you from afar. I saw you cradling your mother when she passed and I wanted nothing more than to comfort you. I was so frightened though, so frightened you wouldn't care for me anymore. I remember being told you'd died, I didn't believe it either." I confessed in return.

Pulling back, Ata's hands held my face, her bright blue eyes finding my pale ones. "I will always care for you. I wouldn't have cared about what you are, I still don't care about what you are because to me you will always be the beautiful man who kept me company throughout my childhood, who held me when I cried, who taught me to swim, who slept beside me and took me on long walks."

"What about Ari? Won't he be angry that you care for me?" I asked, uncharacteristically worried that the Egyptian vampire would become jealous and lash out.

It took Ata a moment to catch on to what I was saying but soon she was laughing, "Oh I'm not with him! No, no! He was my personal bodyguard and he watched over me all the time. He's my guardian, Godric, not my lover nor my bedfellow. Those titles have always been yours." She assured me, brushed her nose against mine in an affectionate gesture.

Moving my face I nuzzled my nose into the crook of her neck as more tears escaped both of us. I inhaled her sweet scent, felt the thumping of her tender heart through her jugular; it was reassuring, steady and strong. I was suddenly reminded of the fact that I hadn't fed for over four years. At my age I needed very little blood to survive but Ata's scent was too tempting. My fangs snapped down without warning and I instantly removed myself from her arms, raising a hand to my mouth in embarrassment. My control was usually perfect but for some reason, at the moment, my control was similar to that of a newborns.

Ata took a step towards me with no horror or shock on her features. She removed my hand gently, once again running her fingertips over my front teeth, brushing them against my fangs. An involuntary groan left my lips at the contact; vampire's fangs were an erogenous zone. "You're really pale, you haven't fed in a while." She gently scolded, a brief smile flittered across my lips as I remembered the conversation with Sookie on the roof in Dallas when I'd mentioned Ata's way of gently telling me off. Forcing my fangs back I licked her finger playfully.

With a sweet laugh, she swept her hair up, pinning it to the side with a bobby pin that she had hidden within her dress, the action exposing the creamy skin of her neck. Raising a hand to my cheek she brushed her thumb across my cheekbone, wiping away the few stray tears there. "Take from me, I want to nourish you."

There was no denying how tempted I was. I could smell that her blood was unpolluted – no drugs and no alcohol - and yet I struggled with myself, worried that I'd lose control and hurt her. She was fae and I'd drained the last fairy I'd fed from.

"I trust you." She broke my silence, gently leading my head to her neck. Stopping just shy, I turned my head to look up at the woman I'd believed to be dead for the last 2000 years. There was so much we still had to discuss and yet I knew at that moment I wouldn't be going anywhere without her. So, for the first time in 1000 years I decided to share my blood with another. It was a sudden decision but in the years we had been parted there hadn't been a moment where I hadn't been thinking of her, the smallest things reminding me of her. I wanted to feel her, to feel her emotions, to feel my blood in her veins, to reacquaint myself with her.

"Will you take from me, as I take from you?" I asked quietly, nervous about her response. As an older vampire I'd been taught that our blood was sacred and I'd only given it to one being in my time and that had been Eric.

"You want to start a bond with me?" she asked in response, blinking in surprise. Clearly she was savvy in vampire custom and ways though it didn't surprise me considering she lived with these 'boys' she would occasionally reference to.

Panicking slightly at her question I babbled for the first time in my undead life, worried she wouldn't want me. "Only if you want to. I mean I completely understand if you don't want that, we have 2000 years to catch up on and I…" she cut me off there, her lips meeting mine in a gentle yet sure kiss. 2000 years and I finally got to kiss her again. Her lips were soft and smooth and delightfully plump. She pulled away slowly, almost reluctantly.

"I want nothing more. I've gone for too long without you. You're not getting away from me again." She murmured gently and my lips found hers once more, imprinting the texture and taste of her into my mind. Pulling her body closer, I pressed my hips to hers, letting her feel exactly what she did to me. A whimper escaped her as she felt my arousal and I chuckled in response, pulling back to look into her eyes.

Letting my fangs fall back into place I led her to one of the sofas, taking a seat before sitting her in-between my legs, her back to my chest. Raising my right wrist I bit into it, breaking the skin, before offering it to Ata. She took it gently, kissing my hand before licking tentatively at the wound. "Keep drinking until it heals over." I explained as she latched on, concealing the wound in her mouth so as not to spill a single drop.

Groaning at the sensation of her pulls I could feel my blood entering her system and her emotions started to fill me up. _Happiness, glee, excitement and love _were all present. The love part baffled me; I had expected some form of affection of course but love? I had abandoned her for 2000 years and yet she still held some form of love for me. God had indeed blessed me. Sookie was right - God doesn't punish, he forgives.

Using my free hand I swept away the stray strands of her golden locks, licking and kissing along her neck, causing her to sink back against me and for her vein to stand out. I struck with precision, easing my fangs into her unblemished skin. The moment her blood hit my palate I moaned in delight, her rich ambrosia was sweet and wonderfully thick. My free hand snaked around her waist, resting on the inside of her thigh which I stroked gently. The smell of her arousal hit my flared nostrils and combined with her sweet blood I had to call upon my 2000 years of control to stop myself from throwing her down on the coffee table and fucking her until dawn.

I felt the bond between us forming and relished in it. This was the way it should have been, I should have tied myself to her in our human years the moment I had staked my Maker. We could have spent 2000 years together, travelling the world. As the wound on my wrist healed over Ata licked it clean and at the same time I pulled back from her neck, licking and sealing the marks I'd made before kissing the spot lovingly. Eyes shut; I focused on her emotions, smiling as I felt each one.

The bond was there, it was faint but it was there, and for the first time in 2000 years I felt utterly complete


	12. Sin City

**A/N I will say now that I have never gambled before in my life, I have never played any casino games either. I'm just going by the rules and regulations I've found on google (Y)**

**ANYWAY. ENJOY MY PRETTIES.**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_Ladders and snakes _  
_Ladders give, snakes take _  
_Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief _  
_Ain't got a hope in hell, that's my belief _  
_Fingers Finney, Diamond Jim _  
_Ya' better get ready ready, look out, I'm comin' in _  
_So, spin that wheel, cut that pack Aad roll those loaded dice _  
_Bring on the dancing girls and put the champagne on ice _  
_~ Sin City, AC/DC_

I must admit that the moment I saw the blonde woman walking down the stairs I was fascinated by the ethereal glow around her. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, but she paled in comparison to my Sookie. Everyone paled in comparison to her.

When she introduced herself I fell into silent shock, watching as my Maker vamped infront of her and the pair found themselves in a tight embrace. The beautiful woman was the Ata my Maker had spoken so fondly of on our journey over here? She was alive? I could feel Godric's happiness pouring through our bond and while I was pleased it was there I was angry too. She'd given up on him, accepted the fact he was dead and just moved on with her life. I analyzed my anger for a moment and it dissipated, she'd been a Pharaoh and any weakness would have made her vulnerable to attacks. I'd been a Chieftain's son in my day, and when my father had been murdered I had taken over his position, I could understand her dilemma. I would have looked weak also if I had mourned over the death of a servant.

I watched their reunion carefully, observing their body language and the words spoken between them. The woman seemed sincere in her emotions, genuinely sad that she had lost my Maker two millennia ago. As another vampire approached the group my back stiffened and my hold on Sookie tightened a little. While my Maker may trust the woman before me I didn't trust her or the other vampires in the room at all.

Following my Maker and his newly found beloved into the elevator, Ata made a joke about herself and her lack of balance and I tried to suppress my laughter but t I found myself laughing anyway. I'd always appreciated people who were able to take the mick out of themselves. I noted quietly how my Maker held her hand, how he lent into her. It was obvious that after 2000 years he still held a considerable amount of affection for her, probably even loved her still. True I was jealous, this woman was giving my Maker something I couldn't, but at the same time I was happy that she was making him happy. It had been some time since I had felt this level of contentment and ease in our Maker-Childe bond.

Entering the penthouse, I was surprised by how different it was to the rest of the building. It had a homey feeling to it and had been tastefully decorated. The colours were still light enough to make the room feel big but the dark furniture was a reminder of the nature of the company Ata kept. Speaking of which, the tall blonde vampire leaning against a doorframe caught my attention and a frown crossed my features. He looked like someone I had once known in my human life, the son of the Chieftain of another clan that had lived beside ours. We had fought together plenty of times and had sailed the seas in harmony. I would bring the subject up at a later date; clearly the main concern was the reunion between my Maker and his lover.

Ata's attention turned to me and she regarded me for a moment, "I don't believe we've met but I'm going to go with Viking…" she started and I picked up the slack for her.

"You are correct. Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5 and Godric's progeny." I introduced myself with my signature smirk, we were in unknown territory and I wanted to assert some form of authority. Ata's eyes turned to Godric and she tipped her head sideways a little, like the puppies I once had as a human use to do.

"Eric is a fierce warrior and I wanted his companionship." Godric explained. I couldn't keep my pride and love for my Maker from flooding our bond and in return I received the same emotions.

Sookie watched Ata and Godric as they interacted, seemingly just as fascinated with them as I was. Of course she had more reason to do so as she had been the one on the roof with my Maker in Dallas, she'd been the one to convince him to come back inside and away from the sun in memory of Ata. Sookie soon turned to me, tipping her head back to take in my full 6'4 frame. "You know, I've never been to a casino before. I'd just love to try and win a buck." She batted her eyelashes before she started to gently tug me towards the elevator. I allowed her to pull me along knowing that she wouldn't be able to make me move a millimetre if I didn't want her to, but I could sense my Maker's relief and gratitude in the bond. He wanted to be alone Ata for a while.

Once inside the elevator my lover hit the button for the ground floor, a large grin on her face. "I literally cannot believe it! Can you? All that talk about her, finding her sketchbook and everything and then we get here and she's stood there, looking as if she hasn't aged a day! And she remembers Godric, and she's a fairy too and related to me!" she babbled on in excitement and I couldn't suppress a chuckle. Niall, the old bastard, had been right. We'd only been in Las Vegas an hour and already we were having surprises thrown at us from all sides.

When the elevator stopped we disembarked and were instantly met with the two vampires who had spoken to Ata when we had first arrived. Ari and Khai if my perfect memory served me right. "Miss Stackhouse, Mr. Northman." Ari greeted politely. "Miss Caesar has asked for me to present you with these." He told us, producing two black casino plaques which I took graciously. "Miss Caesar wants you to enjoy your stay here so feel free to play any games you wish, whatever you win is yours to keep." He informed us as both vampires bowed before disappearing off into the crowds.

"I've seen those things on the TV before, in the early hours of the mornin' when I was shutting up after my shift at Merlotte's. What's our limit?" Sookie asked me, rising up onto her tiptoes a little in a hope of catching a better view of the plaques. Usually they had their limit printed on them but the only detail on these were the hotels symbol. I had never encountered a black casino plaque before but I was pretty certain about the allowance.

"They're black, Sookie, like my Amex, and my Amex has no limit." I explained quietly, not sure about how much of a good idea it would be to flaunt the plaques around.

I could feel my lover's shock in the bond, and I turned to look down at her, offering her one of the cards. She shook her head adamantly. "I can't take it, I won't take it. I don't want to spend someone else's money." She declared, the stubborn streak I loved so much shining through.

I could understand her qualms, even though I'd lived for 1000 years I was still weary of the fact I was holding an infinite amount of money in my hand, and that was saying something given the total of all my bank balances. "I suppose it isn't so bad. If we lose, the money goes back into the casino and back into Ata's pocket really, and if we win we've been told we get to keep it. She's your family and she wants you to be happy." I said thoughtfully.

Still shaking her head, my lover put her foot down. "I'm not spending her money, even if she is my family." She decided and I knew that for now I had lost the argument.

"Well in that case, I'll spend it." I grinned, tucking both black plaques into the inside pocket of my jacket.

"Eric! No!" Sookie protested but I silenced her with a kiss. We were in Vegas in one of the best casinos on the strip, which happened to be owned by my lover's kinswoman and we were running from a psychopathic 3000-year-old vampire. There wasn't a cat in hells chance I wasn't going to spend some serious money and have a good time this evening.

Navigating my lover through the array of people and tables I led us to a fairly quiet roulette table. I figured I would start her off with something nice and simple, poker and craps would come later. Stopping beside the table, I placed myself behind her, giving me the perfect position to whisper the rules of the game in her ear. "Roulette is a spinning wheel that contains slots numbered one to thirty-six, as well as two additional slots, zero and double zero. A white ball is spun around the wheel as the wheel rotates and when the ball loses speed, it drops, falling into one of the numbered slots. Players can continue to place bets as the ball spins around the wheel until the dealer announces no more bets." I whispered, running my hands over the bare skin on her arms.

"Half of the numbers have a red background and the other half a black background. Zero and double zero have a green background. Aside from the roulette wheel the rest of the table layout shows various bets that you can make by placing your chips on them." I continued, gesturing in the direction of the table layout before us. "There are two types of bets, inside and outside. Inside bets are made on the chart of the various numbers one to thirty-six and zero and double zero. Just put a chip down in the middle of the square with the number you select. It is called a straight up bet. Separating the chart into various squares with numbers are lines. These lines are called streets. By putting a chip on the street between two numbers, called a split bet, you will win if either one of them comes up on the spin." I spoke clearly and slowly, not because I deemed my lover stupid as she was far from it, but because I knew how difficult it could be for newbies to completely understand the game.

"You can also place your chip to cover three numbers, known as a street bet. The chip is placed at the end of any row of numbers. Bets placed at the junctions of '0, 1, 2′ and '0, 2, 3′ are also considered to be a street bet. You can cover four numbers, called a corner bet and you can cover six numbers, which is called a line bet, by placing a chip on two adjoining streets" I concluded my instructions on inside bets.

Checking the bond, I felt a slight tinge of confusion but it was soon overrun with determination. Falling silent for a moment as we watched the game before us, the ball spinning around the roulette wheel, my bonded nodded for me to continue as she finally made sense of the rules I had told her of.

"Outside bets are bets made that do not involve specific numbers. You can bet a red or a black number will win – a colour bet. You can bet the number will be odd or even – even/odd bet. You can also bet the number will be high, nineteen to thirty-six, or low, eighteen or less, and this is called a high-low bet. You can also bet on any of the three columns, this is called a column bet. The thirty-six numbers have been broken up into three dozens; they are called the first dozen, second dozen and third dozen. You can bet on these groups, called a dozen bet." I finished, not bothering to batter my beloved's brains with the payout statistics that each option would give.

Sookie seemed skeptical, she understood the game but I could feel her reserve in regards to spending her kinswoman's money. "Ata might be offended if you don't play and enjoy yourself." I murmured, knowing it was a cruel way to encourage her to spend money but I knew Sookie's good Southern manners would stop her from wanting to offend anyone. With a sigh she nodded in defeat, holding her hand out for the black plaque.

Silently triumphant I watched as the vampire Croupier took one glance at Sookie's plaque, offering her a box of chips. Clearly there was no squabble. Tentatively my lover plucked six $100 chips from the set, they were the lowest denominations available, and pulled them back to her body. It wasn't an awful lot but it was a start. Looking over her shoulder at me, I gave her a reassuring smile, pushing the feeling through the bond too. Daintily she lent over the table, her beautiful butt pressing against my crotch, before she placed her bets. She popped one chip on the ten square, one on the three and one on the thirty-four. Pausing to contemplate her next move, my lover placed the last three chips on the second dozen. With her chips in place I felt her anxiety in the bond. I was about to check in on the bond I had with my Maker when I suddenly I was smacked with a new thrum of life, causing me to take a sharp intake of breath and sway on the spot slightly. My Maker's sudden happiness poured into the bond I had with him and rendered me speechless.

Ever the caring woman, my lover disregarded the game for a moment, turning to look at me as her hands came up to my cheeks, cradling my face. "What's the matter? What's gone on? Is it Godric, is he okay?" she asked quickly and quietly, obviously not wanting to broadcast our group to the others around the table but of course the vampire Croupier would hear. I trusted our location was safe with him though given that he was on Ata's pay roll.

Not entirely sure what the new thrum of life meant I nodded, giving my lover a dazzling smile before turning her around to face the table once more. I wanted her to watch her first bet and I was praying that she wouldn't lose. It would be disheartening for her. Wrapping my arms around her waist I held her close to my chest as I kissed her shoulder blade, my eyes trained on the roulette wheel.

An idiotic 3000-year-old vampire may have been hunting us down but I couldn't have been happier. My lover was in my arms, she was going to get all the training she could possibly need to help her master her powers and my Maker was happy for the first time in centuries. For a moment I reminisced, remembering the journey of the past two and a half years from the moment Sookie walked into my bar. I knew then I would have her, and now she was mine and I was hers. If someone had of told me back then that a small, blonde, telepathic fairy waitress would turn my world upside down I'd have laughed at them and then drained them dry. But then again I'd learnt over my 1000 years that life isn't always what you expect it to be, that things change and you must either learn to adapt or you'd perish.

I didn't hear their approach but I felt my Maker get closer. The ball stopped circling and dropped at that exact moment, sliding neatly into slot number twenty. Sookie was silent for a moment, unsure what to say or do, clearly still trying to wrap her mind around the game. Thankfully Godric stopped at my side, his hand locked firmly in Ata's and Ata looked upon the board with glee. "My dear, you have won! You placed a bet on the second dozen and twenty is within that category! You placed $300 dollars so I do believe you just won yourself a nice little $600!" she exclaimed happily, a broad grin on her features as she gave her relative a hug.

Shock and triumph sounded through our bond and I couldn't suppress a chuckle, my lover would no doubt want to save whatever she made and it would take some convincing initially to make her keep it. Looking to my Maker as my bonded embraced her family member I took in his slightly pink complexion, a drastic change from the awful shade of grey he'd been donning recently. Sparing a glance to Ata as she pulled back from her embrace with my lover I caught sight of the faint marks upon her neck. To the human and were eye they would be invisible, but to vampires not so much. Turning back to my Maker I couldn't help but smile, "You look a lot better, Godric."

"I feel better, my Childe." He responded contently.

"Is it Ata I can feel? The other thrum in our bond?" I asked, wanting clarification. If it were indeed Ata, as I suspected it would be, then I would have to thank her later. Not only had she fed my Maker and given him back his healthy glow but she had also given him a purpose.

"Yes my Childe, I will not lose her again." He stated firmly and I heard the certainty in his voice. I knew he would use all 2000 years of his experience to keep her willingly by his side.

For the next hour we played roulette and Sookie had pocketed $4,500 by the end of the night and had only spent around $2000. I was content and everything was perfect, a little too perfect. There were guards around us constantly though it never caused us any undue attention. The regulars were obviously use to seeing Ata guarded and assumed that because we were her guests this evening that protection fell to us also.

Godric and Ata kept their attachment to one another on the lowdown as plenty of people came to talk to Ata, neither of them wanted to draw attention to themselves incase someone came to use it against us. People complimented her on her clothes or her business and she slapped on a smile and accepted every compliment graciously before returning them. I could see through it though, I could see how she wavered between people, forcing her smile just a little too much. Clearly the lifestyle was taking its toll on her. I had only been running my bar for a few years, ever since the Great Reveal, and although it was a money maker the amount of hours I was forced to put into it was rather stifling. I could only guess that having to run a huge casino and hotel would be ten times the work and ten times the stress.

Finally as the number of people speaking to Ata decreased, Ari approached our group again. "Atzi, you have not eaten this evening yet again." He reprimanded lightly, addressing his Mistress with an affectionate nickname and smile.

Turning back to us, Ata gave a sheepish smile. "Are you hungry?" she offered, glancing between the three of us.

Godric and I shook our heads, nothing would ever compare to the blood of that belonged to each of our mates. Sookie on the other hand still needed to be fed, "Famished!"

"Where would you like to eat? We have a variety of Chinese restaurants, a grill, and a bistro, an Italian restaurant…" Ata reeled off the list and my lover licked her lips at the mention of all the food

"The Italian perhaps? I'd love some pasta if you've got some!" she all but begged, clearly hungry. I scolded myself internally for forgetting her need for food. It would take some getting use to, catering for my Sookie's needs, but I wouldn't skimp. She would eat only the best and freshest food, sleep in the most luxurious beds and dress in the finest clothes. I would make sure of it


	13. This is Me

**A/N I know most of the content of recent chapters is about Ata but we have lots of information on Eric, Sookie and Godric from TB so I kinda need to give Ata a back-story and balance it out a little!**

**This chapter is my shortest to date, sorry about that, but I wanted to get their meal out the way with and speed things up a little so we can get to the good stuff! ;)**

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark?  
To dream about a life where you're the shining star?  
Even though it seems like it's too far away I have to believe in myself, it's the only way  
This is real, this is me, I'm exactly where I'm suppose to be now  
Gonna let the light shine on me now I've found, who I am  
There's no way to hold it in, no more hiding who I want to be, this is me  
~ This is Me, Demi Lovato_

Our small group moved through the casino with ease, emerging from the hubbub of glamorous men and women into the lobby of the building. Taking a left we wandered down a few more marble corridors until eventually we reached a large dome. The dome consisted of two floors and we stood on the upper level. I noted that this level contained up-market restaurants and the level below consisted of casual diners and cafes.

Entering Rao's, an Italian restaurant, we were immediately shown to a private booth tucked away in a corner from prying eyes and unwanted visitors. Eric allowed me to slid in first, and then took his seat next to me. Godric mimicked our actions with Ata, letting her sit in first. Both Ata and I were trapped between the wall and our vampires, probably on purpose.

A waiter came over and handed Ata and I golden menus while Eric and Godric were given menus bound in thick leather. Our waiter disappeared to give us a moment to choose. "Whatever you want is on me for the whole of your stay, so indulge yourselves." Ata declared happily, folding her menu up and placing it before her, already knowing what she wanted. I felt bad spending all of her money. I'd already gambled a lot of it, all right so I'd won it all back and then made some but that wasn't the point. If I couldn't take Eric's money then I sure as hell couldn't take Ata's.

I opened my mouth to protest and ask to pay for my own meal but Eric knew me exceptionally well and nudged my foot under the table, causing me to close my mouth against my will. I would find some way to repay Ata later.

Both Eric and Godric placed their menus down too, neither of them were that hungry and I could understand why. Ata and I were on tap for them and due to our fae heritage we were probably considered the equivalent of caviar in the vampire world. Why drink something like cheap Walmart wine when you could have Krug champagne instead?

Finally the waiter returned and took our orders and I frowned at the menu for a moment, uncertain with my pronunciation. I didn't have the first clue about Italian. Leaning over the table, Ata glanced at my menu and to the item I was point to before turning to the waiter and addressing him in perfect Italian. "Potremmo tenere a portata di due Salsa alla Marinara e Rigatoni Filetto di Pomodoro con una brocca di tè dolce?" she asked the waiter who furiously scribbled down our order before taking the menus from us all and disappearing from sight.

Looking at Ata I couldn't keep the awe off of my features, she was full of surprises! "What did you order and how on earth did you learn Italian?"

"I ordered your pasta and mine along with a pitcher of sweet tea. I find it to be my vice of choice lately! And I learnt Italian in the 16th century. I travelled to Venice with my boys for a holiday and during the daylight hours I kept the company of an elderly glass blower. He taught me the language every day for three years until he sadly passed away due to a heart attack. He had no children and no wife so he left his business to me as thanks for the companionship I gave him. I still have his business now and have employed others to manage it for me, with tourism on the increase in Venice it makes me a pretty penny." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You went on holiday for three years?" I asked in surprise, the longest holiday I'd ever been on was around three days!

"When you live forever, a three year holiday passes in the blink of an eye. To me it is the equivalent of one of your weeks." Ata explained to me, suddenly I could see where she was coming from. Surely life became boring when you knew you would be around forever?

"How many languages do you speak?" Eric inquired, his intrigue echoing in the bond. I glanced to Godric who was holding Ata's hand tightly, looking at her with nothing short of adoration.

"Eight in total. 2000 years is a long time and I needed something to fill it. I know English, of course, along with Italian, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Latin and Swedish."

"Ah mitt modersmål!" Eric approved happily.

"Ja Viking, ditt modersmål" Ata shot back with a grin. She was intelligent, pretty, kind, rich AND spoke several languages perfectly. If we hadn't of been related I would have hated her. She was growing on me though and seemed sincere in her emotions.

"You speak of your boys a lot, my sweet, would you mind telling us please who they are?" Godric asked and even I could feel the tension within him and I wasn't directly bonded to him.

Ata noticed how uncomfortable Godric seemed to be with the mention of 'her boys' and pressed a reassuring kiss to the corner of his lips. "You know you're the only one for me, okay?" she whispered, nuzzling his jaw as he smiled at her, his features visibly relaxing.

"When I learnt of what I was and discovered that I would live an awful long time, four of the most trusted servants in the palace vowed to stand by my side forever. They sought out your kind and had themselves turned so they could protect me until my death. They all have their own roles based upon the roles they had in their human years and their most dominant traits carried over after their turning. Ari is my guardian, Khai is my head of security, Oeri is my doctor and shaman and Riei makes sure both my home and myself are in order. I have two other boys, both of which were Vikings in their days," Ata explained, glancing to Eric and laughing gently, "Egor and Agmund stand guard by my room all night and they follow me wherever I go. They also occasionally run errands for me if I don't have the time. Egor was the blonde vampire you spotted up in the penthouse." She explained.

"I recognise him from somewhere." Eric mused.

"Probably, before I managed to tie him down he was a bit of a wild card, liked to travel a lot and steal other men's women." Ata rolled her eyes and a deep growl radiated from Godric, causing all three of us to look at him in complete surprise.

"He's not having you, you're mine." He stated firmly, his pale blue eyes focused on Ata. With another roll of her eyes she rubbed her free hand over his arm in a soothing gesture.

"The only thing I share with him is my blood because we are family, other than that he has no claim over me. I've forgotten how frustrating the whole 'mine' thing is." She commented.

"You're fucking telling me." I muttered under my breath, not expecting everyone else at the table to hear but of course they did.

Ata barked out a laugh which was only complimented by the deep chuckles that belonged to both vampires present. "Oh we're going to get along fabulously! I promise we'll start your training tomorrow afternoon. Take your time in the morning and have a lie-in, we'll lounge by the pool over lunch when it's nice and hot out and then I'll start teaching you some new tricks."

"Niall says I'm only an eighth, what are you? How old are you and what kind of things can you do?" I asked, suddenly curious about what I would be able to do also.

"I'm a third, but can thankfully suppress my scent and the toxicity of my blood, being coveted and drained doesn't sound too good to me. I was born in 61BC so I guess I'm around 2070, but don't tell anyone that!" She winked playfully, wanting to maintain the illusion that she was the young and fresh-faced woman she looked to be.

"We live for around 2500 years without our mates and indefinitely once we have them. I have photokinesis, I can cast illusions to trick others, I can teleport, create oaths with my light and can infiltrate dreams. I'll explain all of those in more detail tomorrow when we start your training. Oh and of course I can hear everyone all the time." She explained and I felt my jaw drop a little. Not an attractive look, I was aware, but even if I only get half of those powers they could come in mighty useful given the number of Supes wanting me.

Ata's eyes found mine and she smiled reassuringly before I felt her mind open up and prod mine. _"And when I say I can hear everyone, I mean__** everyone**__." _I heard her clearly, her eyes moving between Eric and Godric in a casual manner before returning to mine. She was letting me in on her secret.

Our meals and drinks arrived at that moment and the silence was blissful, it allowed Ata and I to continue our conversation in the privacy of our own minds.

"_Why can't I hear them?"_ I started off.

"_I don't know, want me to do some digging in some of my ancient textbooks and see what I can find? I might even be able to free up your mind to accept their thoughts, how would you feel about that?"_

Chewing my pasta slowly, I pretended like nothing was happening. _"How many people know that you can hear vampire thoughts? Surely that'd get you killed!"_

"_My boys know, it's how I communicate with them across busy rooms or when they're out of state on business. The vampire King of Nevada knows but other than that no one else does, though I fully intend on telling Godric this evening. I know how big vampires are on privacy but lets face it, we're so far in vampire shit right now that it would be advantageous for us to know what they're thinking." _She explained.

"_I suppose that makes sense, I've always been worried they'd kill me for it. What's Eric thinking right now?" _I quizzed, wanting to see what he was musing over in the silence.

There was silence from Ata's mind for a moment before I felt a haze of activity in it. "_His mind is like a whore's legs, honestly. It's fucking wide open. He really wants to take your fork from you and feed you himself and is currently battling internally with himself about how you would take that. He's also thinking about, and I quote, "how great Sookie's breasts look in that dress.' So really he'd being a typical Viking." _She told me, maintaining a poker face the whole time

I couldn't help but laugh out loud and ended up snorting, one of my hands flying up to cover my mouth to stifle the giggles. Ata joined in my laughter a second later, unable to contain it any longer, and our vampires looked over to us with matching quirked eyebrows which did nothing to ease our laughter.

A moment later we'd calmed ourselves down and resumed eating, smiling at our own vampires as if nothing had just happened. Nibbling the inside of my lip I offered my fork out to Eric. Stunned for a moment at my gesture, as it must have been strange for him to be thinking something and for it then to occur, he took it from me before gently stabbing a few pieces of pasta, bringing them up to my mouth for me to take. Chewing the Italian goodness I decided it was time to speak up, we'd been quite for too long and I had a feeling Eric was starting to get suspicious that we were having silent conversations.

"I kinda wish I was normal sometimes, do you ever feel like that?" I asked, breaking the silence as I caught Ata's eye, finally having someone to talk to who could understood my predicament. Godric had mimicked Eric's actions, taking Ata's fork from her before stabbing some of her pasta and offering it to her.

Swallowing her mouthful, Ata shook her head and sighed. "No, I could never be normal because I don't know what normal is. I've grown up with all these abilities, perfected them over two millennia and it's embedded in me. It's who I am and I'm happy about that. Besides we could never be normal anyway. I mean, we're currently sat in an Italian restaurant dressed up to the nines in the bright lights of Vegas and we're descendants of Fae royalty. I'm over 2000 years old and you've seen so much more than others your age could ever hope to. You're being fork-fed by a 1000-year-old Viking and I'm being fork-fed by a 2000-year-old Gaul. Shit doesn't get weirder than that." She summarised and everyone at the table burst into laughter at her blunt approach.

Ata reached out, taking one of my hands with her own and giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "You're wonderful as you are Sook, everyone here loves you in their own way. You need to start loving yourself too."

* * *

**A/N**

**I'm English and my grasp on other languages sucks (harharharrrr!) so blame Google if any of this is wrong!**

**Potremmo tenere a portata di due Salsa alla Marinara e Rigatoni Filetto di Pomodoro con una brocca di tè dolce? (Italian) = Could we please have two Marinara Sauce and Tomato Rigatoni Filet with a pitcher of sweet tea?**

**Ah mitt modersmål! (Swedish) = Ah my mother tongue!**

**Ja Viking, ditt modersmål (Swedish) = Yes Viking, your native language**


	14. Glad You Came

**A/N I've changed my pen name to midnightopheliac, if I'm going to be writing more lemons for you I want to maintain some anonymity from people I know! Explaining to them would be an awkward conversation and my previous pen name was easily linkable back to me via a google search for my name!**

**Opheliac is taken from a song by Emilie Autumn, if you get the chance then listen to her as she's wonderfully wacky. Her song 'Marry Me' is my favourite ;)**

**Ohh and now I get to pretend that I'm a Queen of Egypt! FUN TIMEZ GUYZ!**

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_The sun goes down, the stars come out and all that counts is here and now  
My universe will never be the same, I'm glad you came  
You cast a spell on me, spell on me, you hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me  
I decided you look well on me, well on me  
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me  
~ Glad You Came, The Wanted_

When Niall had phoned me informing me that I was due three guests to protect and that I would be related to one and would have to train her up, I had no idea what he'd been going on about. As far as I'd been concerned my human family had died over 2000 years prior and my fairy family were in their own realm leaving me in peace. It had been quite the shock to see that a relative of mine was mostly human, and that she was the mate of a vampire who happened to be the Childe of my childhood sweetheart, the man I had been searching for throughout my long existence.

Niall had told me I would be in for some surprises, he'd failed to mention just how astronomically large those surprises would be.

Just as the sun had set, the tugging sensation from within my chest which I had been experiencing for the past two years, grew stronger. It had reached the point where I'd asked Oeri to bring me two painkillers and a glass of water but still it wouldn't shift. Dressed in my favourite outfit I'd greeted my kin with welcome arms and had felt the moment she'd attempted to breach into my mind. I wasn't all too bothered about her rummaging through my memories or thoughts and the fact that she attempted to do so made a good first impression. Being cautious in this day and age was always a very good thing.

The moment I had dragged my eyes from my kin they had sought out the shorter male at her side, my Godric, and for a moment I had feared I would stop breathing and die, or that he was some form of illusion sent to haunt me. For over 2000 years I had been searching for him and then he turned up on my doorstep, looking as young and radiant as he had during his human life. The tugging sensation had ended the moment I'd uttered his name and it was a relief to be free of it, though I started to question what it was in the first place. Although the tugging had ceased my tears had not, holding him close to me was a miracle in itself and I sent a silent prayer of thanks to Osiris for not taking my Godric from me permanently. After a gentle prompt from one of my boys I'd taken my childhood sweetheart, my kinswoman and her lover up to the penthouse. I had originally intended for them to stay in our best suites but that wouldn't do at all now that I knew whom they were.

My new family member had been considerate when she'd encouraged her vampire to go and play in the casino with her and I'd mentally told Ari and Khai to give them black chips. I'd only ever given them out twice before, both times to the vampire King of Nevada, Felipe. The moment Godric and I were alone I couldn't stop the waterworks, nor could I stop myself from confessing how much I'd missed him. He was so pale and a little slower than I knew vampires usually were so I had offered him my blood, not wanting any other woman, or man, to sustain him and give him nourishment. The fact he'd wanted to start a bond with me had meant more to me than anything else in the world. I guess he'd missed me just as much as I'd missed him.

Returning downstairs once my love had been fed and our bond had been started, I'd witnessed my kinswoman win her first game and I honestly couldn't have been happier. The way her vampire was all over her and the thoughts coming from his mind filled me with happiness. I'd been reading minds my whole life and I'd learnt the subtle art of dipping in and rifling through thoughts and memories without the other person knowing I was doing it. It wasn't my favourite thing in the world to do, I always felt rather rude, but I'd dipped into Sookie's mind and witnessed everything everyone had ever said or thought about her. I'd witnessed and felt all the heartache she'd gone through with the name-calling and the bullying and the deaths, the lies and the deceit that seemed to forever follow her. I felt for her, and I felt we would understand one another well. I was glad her Viking was there to help ease her suffering. He treasured her and was beautifully patient with her. It warmed me.

I did skim over the memories of him fucking her brain out however. Somehow I got the impression we weren't at the stage in our relationship where that was acceptable to know yet.

Dinner had been short and sweet and I'd made a point of reassuring Sookie that all of us at the table loved her. I knew the Viking loved her unconditionally and completely, I'd witnessed inside her head everything he'd said and done during his time when he'd been cursed. There was a good man under the calculating and cold exterior. I loved her too because we were family and because we were so alike, not just physically but mentally, and of course I knew Godric loved her for saving this life. I guess he thought I didn't know about that but Sookie had left her shields down around the two ancient vampires so I had access to everything while we ate our meal. I could have gone into Godric's mind and plucked the information out myself, but I wary about entering my beloved's mind.

The thought of my Godric so lost in despair and upset with everything, wanting to take his own life in a hope to repent for his sins, tore me apart. The fact he had thought of me when he was up on the roof, had lived on for me, filled me with pride and a sense of hope that now we'd finally be together properly. In his human life we'd had no chance to be together on a permanent basis as there was everything to stop us, but in this life we had nothing between us and I fully intended to make him mine and to be his in return. Never will he be so lost again. If he thinks of himself as the darkness then I shall be his light.

After our meal I'd escorted the group back to the elevator and we'd entered the penthouse. Everyone's luggage had been brought up and placed in their respective rooms. Niall had forewarned me that Eric and Sookie would want to sleep together so I'd had their bags placed in one room and I'd placed Godric's in another. My boys had been with me from the very start so I had learnt early on that a vampire is at their most vulnerable during the day, so disliked having company with them while they rested. I didn't want to assume Godric would want to sleep beside me.

Having shown Eric and Sookie to their room, I closed the door as I left and I was glad that I had soundproofing installed in all the rooms as the thoughts coming from Sookie's head were less than innocent at that moment and I didn't need to hear it. Throwing my shields up to remove any potential mental images coming from her I moved to Godric's room.

Stepping into his room I gestured around and smiled. "I hope it's alright, light-tight shutters and a steel-plated locking door with a silver core to make your day rest peaceful, I hope."

He looked at me with something akin to sadness, "I'm not sleeping with you?"

His question stunned me into silence for a moment before I finally reeled in my mind. "I didn't want to presume and I know that during the day you're vulnerable." I explained quietly, feeling a tiny bit idiotic. I'd shared rooms with my boys before during the day when we'd been travelling across the continent, stopping off in those cheap motels. I'd been forced to stay awake in the day to watch over them and ensure that no one got in and that no sunlight managed to creep through the flimsy curtains.

Finding my eyes, a gentle smile crossed Godric's features and his eyes took on a softness I had once thought I would never see again. In that moment he looked so much like he had done in his human days. "I'd like to rest beside you if you'd allow it, please, like I use to when we were younger."

My heart hammered against my ribcage at his request and he obviously heard it as his eyelids fluttered down, hiding his beautiful pale blue eyes from the world. A blissful smile crept across his lips, "I thought I would never hear that reassuring sound again." He admitted quietly.

Taking the two steps across the room I stopped before him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing a tender kiss to his lips. "And I never thought I would see you again, or get to hold you once more." I murmured against them, pulling back a fraction to watch as his eyelids snapped open. My mother had always told me that eyes were important and that you could learn a lot from the way someone looked at you. I could see the years in Godric's eyes, I could feel the pain he'd been through during his undead life, I could sense the knowledge he held and I could feel the affection he had for me.

"I can hold you as you sleep now, I don't have to worry about guards finding me and throwing me out for touching you." He returned, pulling me closer and resting his forehead to mine, the faint feeling of his love flittering through our weak bond.

"And I can hold you as you rest in return." I replied, nuzzling my nose affectionately against his, eliciting a gentle laugh from his roughly parted lips.

"Or you could draw me again?" he teased.

My eyes widened as he spoke of my drawings, I'd always double-checked that he'd been sleeping deeply whenever I'd drawn him. I'd even sat facing him so I could hide my sketchbook if he'd woken. How did he know I'd been drawing him!

As if sensing my question he removed himself from our embrace and crossed to his bag, rummaging through it before finding what he was after and then he explained. "I went to visit a man who had a large collection of Egyptian artefacts, he had this." He told me, turning to face me and holding out my thick sketchbook, the papyrus pages having deteriorated slightly with age.

My jaw dropped slightly as tears welled up in my eyes once more and with shaky hands I took the book and opened it to the first page, my eyes finding the first drawing of him that I had ever created. "I thought I'd lost this. When I faked my passing I asked my boys to take everything but they missed this. I've been searching for it for so long. I looked over it every day after my guards told me you'd gone so that I wouldn't forget what you looked like." I confessed, slowly flicking through the pages.

"I think I might buy a new book, I haven't drawn anything in over 2000 years. I couldn't find anything of interest to draw given that I had lost my muse." I smiled.

Godric grabbed his bag, carefully placing it over his shoulder and offering a hand to me. Clutching my old sketchbook to my chest with one hand I took his outstretched one with the other. Leaving the room behind we entered the hallway and I led him through the penthouse to my bedroom, which we entered together.

Placing my old sketchbook on my bedside table I flicked the lamp on, throwing warm light around the room. The far wall of the room consisted of a curved window overlooking Vegas, thick golden drapes hiding the shutter system. Although it was not necessary in my room I had installed it just in case any of my boys needed to seek shelter with me during the day. Two plush brown chairs sat in the bay of the window, golden cushions decorating them. I'd kept the carpet and walls neutral in a light cream colour to compliment the gold detail of the crown moulding. Spotlights sat in the ceiling along with a large fan for the nights when Vegas became far too hot. My Queen size bed sat in a small alcove on the right wall of the room, the size had been a joke with my boys, and it was decorated with a golden duvet and throw, the bed frame made of black steel in an intricate design of swirls and leaves. Countless gold and brown cushions decorated the bed as a final touch. A door sat back in another alcove to the left of the bed and it led to the bathroom while another door sat in another alcove to the right of the bed and this led into my wardrobe. I would need to make some room in there for Godric's belongings. On the left hand side of my bedroom sat a large flat screen TV, the perfect distance away to watch in bed and it was surrounded by a marble trim, which had been curved to remove sharp edges that would disrupt the flow of the room.

Godric placed his bag down on one of the brown chairs, stealing a glance over Vegas. "I'll make some room in my wardrobe for you tomorrow afternoon." I offered, slipping my golden heels off of my feet. Although I had been wearing heels since they had been invented in a primitive form during my human life in Egypt, I still found them painful if worn for a long period of time.

"I don't know if you want to shower, but I should be done in a few minutes." I offered again, moving into the bathroom where I started to pull bobby pins from my curled hair, placing them down on the marble counter. Grabbing a make-up wipe I removed the chemicals from my face, the wipe turning a combination of cream, black and red thanks to my powder, mascara and lipstick. Catching my reflection in the mirror I smiled at the miracle of vampire blood, my complexion was wonderful, meaning my make-up would remain unused for a few days.

Removing my jewellery I left it on the counter top and slid my dress off, folding it and placing it on the counter too. "Can I join you, please?" I jumped, my heart skittering at the sudden sound of Godric's voice. Looking to the door I found him standing a little nervously, rocking on his heels. With a warm smile I nodded and he grinned as he shut the door behind him, crossing to me as his eyes raked over my form clad in light blue bra and panties.

I noticed as he approached that he kept his lips closed; yet I could see the ends of his fangs and I couldn't help but laugh inside. Dipping into his mind for a moment I caught his train of thought. _Great, my control is like that of a newborn. I didn't take too much from her earlier did I? I just have this urge to claim her. Would she want me to claim her? She seemed okay with the bond earlier…just look at her in that skimpy underwear set. I want her out of it as soon as possible. I want to run my hands over her smooth skin like I use to when I was teaching her how to swim. I don't think she knows I only offered to teach her so I could touch her and see her naked. She'd probably smack me if she found out…_

As he came to a stop before me I pulled out of his mind, excited at the prospect of being claimed. Before the Great Reveal, Ari and Khai had claimed me in front of others purely to save me and stop others from feeding from me. There was nothing romantic about the claiming though, it was a protective measure. No one had argued with them due to their ages.

Reaching for the lapels of his jacket I slowly slid the fabric down his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Fingers moving to the buttons of his white shirt, I slowly popped each one open, my eyes never breaking from his as I worked. When the last button was undone I drew the fabric from his strong form, letting it pool on the floor beside his jacket. Breaking eye contact I looked down to the markings across his chest, following them as they curved around his neck. Reaching out, my fingers traced over the intricate design, the ink still as fresh looking as it had been in his human days. I'd missed this, missed feeling his skin beneath my fingertips.

Moving on, my fingers traced the zigzag design on his left arm, remembering the time when we were younger when he'd told me all about the markings that covered his body. He'd told me that these zigzags represented water and complimented the sea serpent inked down his spine. Without the markings he would have still been radiant, but with them he was beautiful. Moving to the other arm I traced the Elder Futhark, Oeri was the one who dealt with my runes so unfortunately I was unsure what exactly was written upon Godric's arm, but that didn't matter as it was beautiful anyway.

Slipping my hands down his smooth stomach I knelt at his feet, lifting one foot to remove his shoe and sock before doing the same to the other foot. I had never knelt before any man in my life, I had always thought of myself as dominant and somewhat of a feminist. Yet I would kneel before Godric any day, regardless of the situation and who was around. I respected him and loved him and knew in the vampire world that kneeling at his feet would be a show of submission, that I was acknowledging the fact that he owned me. Of course I owned him too, but there would be plenty of vampires who would frown about that in public, so I would reserve those comments for the times when we would be in private.

Rising back to my feet at an unhurried pace, I traced the deep V of his muscles with my fingers that led to the treasure I found myself craving. Popping open the button of his slacks, I helped the fabric along as it slid down his powerful thighs and over his calf's, stopping at his feet. He stepped out of them, kicking them aside to join the growing pile of his clothing.

We stood admiring one another's frames for some time, both of our hands trailing lightly over each other's skin as we reacquainted ourselves with one another. There was no hurry, dawn was hours away, and I could tell that we both intended to savour this time together. With the lightest of touches Godric reached around my back, unhooking my bra with one hand and sliding it gently off of my arms, letting it fall to the floor.

My hands moved to the waistband of his boxers and playfully I pinged the elastic, a light giggle escaping my lips at the childish gesture. Godric's own rumble of laughter blended with mine perfectly.

I would never confess out loud but I had been saving myself, during Godric's human years I had silently vowed to myself that he would be my first and my last. When my guards had told me he'd died I'd vowed once more to myself that I would never take another man into my heart or my bed. It was another reason that I had decided to fake my passing on the morning of my wedding. I didn't want to go through the day with everyone telling me how wonderful my wedding night would be. For me it would have been torture, the biggest betrayal to Godric. I couldn't do that to him.

Over the millennia's it had become important to me and it wasn't difficult to abstain. If you had never had something then you didn't know what you were missing out on, and of course there was the notion that a woman should be pure until she is married. I, of course, never married and therefore remained pure. When sex turned into a more casual affair I rebuffed any and all offers. There were a few who thought it okay to grope and smother me in kisses, I didn't mind that because I could maintain control. If things got a little heated however I would call for Ari to come and save me and he often pretended to my boyfriend to scare away the other men.

That wasn't to say I was completely innocent however. I may have never engaged in anything more than second base but I'd been inside so many people's minds that I knew how everything worked, what would happen and every possible location and position that had been thought up of since my time. I'd even heard from numerous minds, including that of Sookie's, that sex with a vampire was extraordinary and completely mind-blowing. If a 1000-year-old Viking was good at it then I knew without a shadow of a doubt that a 2000-year-old Gaul would be even better. Perhaps Sookie and I could exchange notes later…

Pulling my thoughts back to the present moment, I hooked my fingers over the elastic of Godric's boxers and dragged the tented fabric down, licking my lips in anticipation. I could remember every inch of his body from our childhood. I'd watched him as he'd worked the fields with the other slaves, I'd observed the mouthwatering flexing of his young yet strong muscles, and of course I'd admired him when he'd stripped down during our swims in the Nile. Although young when he'd been turned he'd thankfully been blessed with a more than generous package. With the gentlest of touches I took hold of the solid yet soft 8" gift.

A groan fled from his lips as his eyes closed, his head tipped forward so his forehead rested against my left shoulder. I gave him a few quick strokes, earning another groan from him and then removed my hand, using it to help my other hand in pulling down my panties. Kicking them off, I gently grasped his chin, tipping his head back before looking into his beautiful eyes. Leaning forward I gave him a lingering kiss, a promise for later, before turning and sliding into the shower. Switching the water on I left the door open slightly, and it was only seconds later that I felt him slide in behind me, hearing the click as the glass door shut.

His lithe body pressed against mine from behind, his excitement nudging my lower back. I took the soap and turned around, washing his broad chest first, relishing in the feel of him. I was pleased that he still accepted and enjoyed physical contact from me. In a teasing gesture I allowed my nails to drag across his nipples before moving onto his arms which I washed gently, ignoring his mewl of protest that I had ended my earlier ministrations. Tracing the intricate ink designs on his arms I decided now was the time to ask him my questions. Clearing the lump from my throat I spoke quietly.

"Why did you let the Fellowship take you, why did you try to meet the sun?" I asked gently, no accusation in my tone, just a terrible curiosity.

He was silent for a moment as I continued to clean him before he spoke up, his voice quiet and remorseful. "I've done terrible things in the past 2000 years, the memories of which haunt me every waking moment. I slaughtered millions for fun and sport, not caring for their gender, age or race. I was consumed with rage and anger for my mistreatment, for the unfairness of the situation placed upon us all those years ago. I wanted everyone to suffer as I had. About five hundred years ago I reigned in that anger, knowing it wasn't doing me any good; I took on a more peaceful approach as I tried to atone for my sins. I wanted vampires to treat humans as equals, I wanted us to maintain our emotions even though I had drilled it into Eric that emotions were a weakness; I wanted everything to change, for vampires to move forward and evolve. After thousands of years we haven't evolved, we've only grown more brutal, more predatory. I don't see the danger of treating humans as equals, the Fellowship arose because we never did so." He explained, his voice regaining its steady and strong tone towards the end of his speech.

"How did you know?" he asked in turn, no anger in his voice, just the same curiosity I had spoken with.

"Sookie lets her shields down around Eric and it wasn't hard to find the information." I responded gently, moving down to wash his supple legs.

"Why did I feel a burst of pride and hope from you earlier?" he quizzed, threading his fingers through my blonde locks as I knelt at his feet once more in order to clean him.

I was silent until I had finished washing his legs and feet and then rose up to my full height, locking eyes with him. "Because I found out what made you stay, that I was the reason you decided to live on and it filled me with such pride, knowing you had the courage to set aside how you felt so as not to disappoint me. You will never disappoint me though and you must remember that. I felt hopeful because you, well, you clearly still cared for me after all of that time." I stated, raising a hand to delicately trace his jawbone before. "Turn around for me?"

Nodding slowly he turned on the spot, giving my access to his marked back. Lathering up my hands once more I gently washed the broad surface, tracing the sea serpent design. Moving to the red disk on his right shoulder blade I sighed, sadness washing over me.

"Why are you sad?" his calm voice sounded out against the noise of the water beating down on us.

Gently I tapped the raised red mark, "It's my fault you got this, I should've demanded for you to be kept in the palace with me. It's my fathers fault you found yourself so far from home, all alone."

"Do not blame yourself, my sweet. As I said earlier, if none of it had of happened we wouldn't be here now." He chided me gentle. Smiling at his gentle scolding I sighed once more before I lent forward, kissing the bumped brand.

Allowing the water to wash the suds from him I shampooed his hair and washed it all out, dragging my nails across his scalp in a slow but sweet torture, eliciting a moan from his beautiful lips and a hiss slipped out from the slight gap between his front teeth. I'd always loved the little gap there, it added to the innocent appearance he held.

Once all the suds were gone, I turned my back to him. "Could you, please? I can't reach." I asked quietly, moving my wet blonde hair to the side and out of the way.

Once again pressed up to my back, he nestled his still alert excitement between us. Grabbing the soap from the dish he lathered up his hands before returning the soap and moving his hands to my shoulders. Slowly he washed me, his fingers and thumbs rubbing all the right muscles, removing the unwanted tension the day had brought me. He worked his way down, rubbing circles across my back, following the contours of my hourglass shape. Reaching my behind he gave both globes a gentle squeeze and I had to silence my moan by biting into my lower lip. Not enough to draw blood however, I didn't want him to risk him losing control and taking me just yet.

He worked meticulously, cleaning the back of both of my legs before rising back up to his full height. "Turn around, my sweet." He commanded quietly in my ear, his authoritative yet gentle tone mixed with his husky voice did unspeakable things to my coochie. Willingly obliging I turned to face him, his eyes glazed over with lust as he took in my naked and damp form.

While he was cleaning my neck I was careful not to expose too much flesh to him, knowing that if I bared much of the smooth skin it would be an invitation to feed and I was already feeling a little weak from his earlier meal. His hands worked lower until they were cupping my breasts, his slender fingers worked over the smooth skin and his thumbs dragged across my puckered nipples in tantalising torture. Too soon his fingers were working down my cleavage and onwards to my flat stomach.

His forefinger on his left hand dipped into my belly button and I giggled at the sensation, a beautiful smile lighting up his features at my reaction. "I've missed that noise." He admitted before falling to his knees before me in a show of submission that mirrored mine. In that moment I realised we belonged to each other and I couldn't be happier. He lifted up my right foot to wash it and my fingers found themselves in his short brown hair. Leaning forward he pressed a kiss to my knee before looking up at me. "I'll never leave you again, I promise." He vowed, washing my other foot before rising back up.

His hands worked over my wide hips, moving towards my centre. Finally he cupped my sex with one hand, both of us groaning at the sensation. His dexterous forefinger found its way through my folds as I took hold of his him. Gently he pressed the digit against my entrance, testing the barrier before finally breaching it. The sensation drew a moan from me and my internal muscles clamped down. My hands took on a mind of their own, stroking him gently as the other traced the muscles of his back. He inched his finger in a little further before stopping abruptly, looking at me in surprise. "You're unclaimed." He voiced, awe to his tone.

Biting my lower lip in slight embarrassment, I dropped my head a little before I nodded, "I was saving myself for you." I mumbled truthfully.

Removing his finger from within me, I whimpered at the loss but he captured my face with his hands, forcing me to look up at him. "You have no idea how happy that makes me, that even though you thought I'd truly died you still saved yourself." He smiled warmly, the finger that had been inside me moments before traced my lower lip. Darting my tongue out, I tasted myself on him and we both groaned at the sensation.

"After 2000 years I can still be surprised. Let me make love to you, please." He begged, and who was I to say no?


	15. Ours

**A/N here you go, lemons for ya! We join Eric and Sookie in the next chapter, don't worry, you'll get your fix of them too!**

**I think the song for this chapter is perfect for G & A – what are your thoughts? :)**

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_And it's not theirs to speculate if it's wrong and  
Your hands are tough but they are where mine belong and  
I'll fight their doubt and give you faith with this song for you  
'Cause I love the gap between your teeth and I love the riddles that you speak  
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored  
'Cause my heart is yours  
So don't you worry your pretty little mind. people throw rocks at things that shine  
And life makes love look hard  
Don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at things that shine  
But they can't take what's ours, they can't take what's ours  
The stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours  
~ Ours, Taylor Swift_

Nodding my head I allowed Godric to pull me out of the shower, shutting the water off before he toweled both of us dry quickly. His lips soon found mine though and I was swept up into his exceptionally strong arms. Still locked together by our lips he led us into my bedroom and carefully placed me down on the soft duvet. Throwing the scatter cushions out of the way he moved me up the bed, kneeling over me as his eyes wandered across my naked form.

I felt a little self-conscious as he drank in the sight of me, he'd seen me naked before but that was when we had yet to acknowledge the romantic affection we held for once another. I attempted to cross my legs to hide some of my body but he soon stopped me. "Don't hide from me." He ordered gently, his authoritative tone back in play, the sound of which increased my arousal. I could feel myself dampening between my legs. He took a deep breath in, scenting me.

Bending down, he peppered light kisses along my collarbone, his hands grasping my breasts firmly yet with a tenderness to them. "You're beautiful, my sweet." He commented quietly, licking along my neck and up to my jawbone. He gave my breasts a gentle squeeze and I couldn't stop my head from falling back and a moan from escaping my lips. His thumbs dragged over my puckered nipples before finally his mouth came down on my left breast. He offered kisses at first before moving across the soft skin to my dusky nub, which he sucked greedily into his waiting mouth. The sensation of his wet lips was incredible. Dragging his tongue across the sensitive nodule I clawed at his back, pulling his head closer as he continued to suckle and nibble with his blunt teeth. His other hand worked my right breast, his forefinger and thumb rolling the hardened peak between them, tugging it gently every now and then, causing me to hiss in the perfect combination of pleasure and pain.

Swapping over, he repeated the process on the other breast, my nails digging into his back as I panted until I felt a dampness seeping onto my fingers. Godric howled in pleasure and pain above me as I broke the skin, drawing his ancient blood to the surface. With an audible click his beautiful fangs fell into place and he dragged them across my skin in a teasing gesture, the scraping action drawing blood to the surface. He suckled my skin again for a few moments before pulling back. Looking down I could see the red mark and I knew that by the time I woke in the morning I would be bearing a large purple bruise. I was momentarily disappointed that I wouldn't be able to mark him in such a way.

Shifting above me, he parted my legs wide as he caught my gaze, seeking permission one last time as he settled between them. Giving him a small nod of encouragement, his left hand let go of my breast and moved down my body, caressing my skin as it went. Finally he reached my throbbing core and for a moment he paused one final time, before continuing on.

His fingers came into contact with me and he stroked me lovingly, I couldn't contain the moan that slipped from my lips. He moved downwards at a leisurely pace until his face was inline with my core. He watched my face as his fingers breached me. I threw my head back in pleasure, groaning at the sensation as he gently added another finger, loosening me up so that I would be able to take all of him later. I could feel a tightening sensation start in my lower stomach and it only increased in intensity as his ministrations continued.

Removing his fingers I whimpered at the loss but soon his tongue was taking over. Licking in languorous strokes, his fingers found the little bundle of nerves at the apex of my legs and he flicked the exposed nub gently. A shudder ran through my body at the sudden sensation and I groaned out in appreciation. "More, please, more." I begged wantonly as his tongue took a more forceful approach. Nestling his face further between my legs, his nose came to rest against my skin and I felt his fangs scrapping the sensitive skin there. I wondered what it would be like to receive a bite in such an intimate area. He breathed unnecessarily, the feel of his cool breath on me only increased my arousal and he took everything I gave him.

"How much do you want me?" He breathed, his excursions taking on a more urgent pace as his tongue continued on. Crying out at the feeling, I wanted to clamp my legs around his head to keep him there forever. Sensing this need, Godric's hand tore away from my centre, much to my dismay, and instead held my legs open. I got the message pretty quickly.

"So, so much." I whispered in response to his question, unable to make my voice any louder. His mouth descended on me once more and he sucked the little nub into his mouth, scrapping his sharp fangs over it gently as I felt the build up inside of me increase.

His hands left my legs and travelled up my body and he grabbed my breasts roughly, my hands clutching the sheets, knuckles white as he fondled the rosy peaks, rubbing them vigorously before rolling them gently.

"Come for me." He demanded sharply as his mouth closed over me and with two hard sucks on the swollen pink flesh there I came undone. The coil inside of me snapped and I screamed out at the sensation. My inner walls clamping down as I was swept up in my release. Panting heavily, I looked down my body at the beautiful man between my thighs, a soft smile on his lips as he crawled back up my body and settled above me.

Stretching up I captured his lips with mine, tasting myself on him. If I hadn't of heard from someone's mind how incredibly erotic it was I may have been disgusted at the action. Reaching down between us as my breathing evened out, I took him into my petite hands, rubbing him gently. He groaned above me and for a moment I felt powerful, I could make a 2000-year-old vampire groan in anticipation, anticipation at the thought of having his way with me.

"So ready for me, my sweet. So. Ready." He gritted out, aligning himself with my entrance. Gently he pushed forward, the tip of him breaching my entrance and the sensation caused me to cry out. The weak bond allowed him to feel the slight pain caused by our coupling and he stilled immediately, leaning down to capture my lips in a toe-curling kiss to distract me. It worked wonderfully.

Easing himself in, my walls clamped down around him as he sheathed himself inside my velvet channel, the tip of him bumping against my cervix. We both cried out at the sensation, he fitted perfectly inside of me. "So tight. So warm. So perfect." He murmured, allowing me a moment to adjust before rocking his hips against mine. The sensations flooding my body were incredible. I couldn't believe I'd gone so long without this. I could feel him buried to the hilt inside of me, I could feel him bumping against my cervix and with every thrust I could feel him pulsing inside of me. His skin was warm from mine and the only thing missing from the moment was his heartbeat. It didn't matter to me though, in this moment I knew we both felt far more alive than we ever had since we'd parted ways on the front steps of the palace all those years ago, when he'd given me my first kiss.

Pulling his body closer to mine I relished in the feel of his weight above me and my hips soon found a rhythm that matched his. We were moving together like a well-oiled piece of machinery and I could feel the tightening sensation inside of me building up again. "Can't believe…we didn't do…together…this…when human." He groaned out, his sentence structure completely wrong for the first time in his life, I could sense his control slipping and if this had of been any other situation I would have laughed.

Wrapping my legs around him, my heels dug into his perfect ass as I pulled him up with every thrust. "Baby, please." I begged, not caring how wanton I sounded. I needed him more than anything else and I would never get enough of him, of his voice, of his thoughts, of his smile. Grabbing my legs he unhooked them from around him, parted them wider and pinning them in place as he picked up speed, pounding into me. Shouting out at the sensation, my hands found their way into his hair and tugged at his scalp. "So close, so fucking close." He declared and I could do nothing but moan in agreement.

My inner walls started to flutter around him and I knew my climax was only a few seconds away. Wanting to be joined to him not only be our sexes but by his fangs too, I tipped my head sideways exposing my neck to him. He licked my jugular to make it stand to attention before he struck, his fangs sinking into my skin as my orgasm hit me. Shouting out his name, my inner walls clamped down around him, milking him as he pulled back from the wound to roar out in completion, his cool seed streaming from him and deep into my womb.

My whole body was shaking, rippling with aftershocks as he lazily sealed over the puncture marks. He nicked his tongue with his fangs before brushing blood across the area to remove any scarring. His body was pressed down onto mine and I found myself stroking his back soothingly, welcoming his weight as I tried to calm the animal inside of him, as I brought both my breathing and my heart rate back to a steady rate. His fangs slid neatly back into place as he relaxed against me.

We lay together in post-coital bliss and as I came back to reality I realised my shields were all but shattered and Godric's erratic thoughts were flowing into my mind freely, bombarding my brain. _I can't believe she gave me such a gift. Can't remember doing anything to warrant such beauty and perfection but I thank the Gods regardless. Looks incredible as she comes undone underneath me, could make love to her every night for the rest of my existence, still wouldn't be enough. Need more of her. Want more of her. Hope she isn't too sore. Hope she isn't hurt either; can't feel any pain from the bond. Think she can help me atone for all of my sins? Perhaps she's my chance at redemption. Won't fail her again, won't leave her. Tell her every day how much she means to me, how special she is._

"Godric?" I breathed, breaking the silence.

"Yes, my sweet?"

"I love you."

He raised his head, his pale blue eyes finding my bright blue ones and he held my gaze for a minute. "Don't say that unless you mean it, please." He begged, I could see the carefully constructed façade crumble. He'd spent the past 2000 years pretending not to care, fighting back his emotions in order to survive, not daring to show anyone the soft side he'd had as a human. I could see through it though, I'd always been able to see through him.

"I love you." I repeated firmly, not really expecting for him to say it back. Oddly enough I would have been hurt earlier on if I'd used those three words and he hadn't said them to me in return, but I didn't care now. It was important he knew how much he meant to me and how much I cared for him.

He was silent for a moment as he watched me, I'd managed to pull my shields back into place to allow him some private time inside his own mind. I could feel so many emotions flittering between our bond but none stuck around long enough for me to pinpoint, apart from the last one, I knew the last one well. "I love you too." He whispered in response, leaning down to brush his lips against mine. A smile broke out onto my face as I held him close to me, unashamedly allowing tears to roll down my cheeks.

"I've waited 2000 years to say those words to you." I confessed in explanation as he gently licked away my tears.

"You loved me even then, when I was nothing but a slave boy?" he murmured, a guarded expression on his features. I could understand why though, I'd been the heir to the Egyptian throne and he'd been a slave, if I were him I'd have been guarded too. Our love for another reminded me of so many stories that had been told over the years, where the two lovers were forbidden to be together, either by family or social norms.

"Yes. Remember when we stood together on the steps, when you gave me my first kiss and I told you to meet me the following night but you were turned so you never came to me?" I asked gently, raising a hand to trace the tattoo across his chest and neck. He nodded as he remembered the conversation. "I'd just passed my first law. It took me eight months to pass but it would have allowed me to pick a husband without any input from the High Court. I was going to pay your Master to let you go and then I was going to ask you to move into the palace with me in a hope that things would go well between us, then I intended to tell you how much I loved you before asking you to take the throne with me, as my King." I told him, only meeting his eyes once I'd confessed.

His eyes started to well up with unshed red tears as he looked into my eyes for what felt like forever. I was at a loss, I'd hoped my confession would make him happy, not sad. "You spent eight months fighting the High Court to pass a law so you could marry me? You wanted to share your empire with me instead of the numerous noblemen who wanted you?" he asked, a single red tear rolling down his cheek. Reaching up, I licked the droplet away, kissing his cheek gently. Clearly he was still upset about the role that had been forced upon him when he'd been human. The first time I'd looked at him, when I'd been ten, I'd known then he was a proud man. To be beaten into submission and forced to think of himself as nothing more than a lowly slave must have been terrible for him.

"Yes, I wanted to share everything with you, I still do. Everything that is mine is yours, be it my businesses, my blood or my bed." I told him, running a hand through his short brown locks in an encouraging gesture.

"What about your heart and your soul, can I have those too?" he asked shyly, all traces of the sexual prowess he'd shown earlier stripped away.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling at the innocence of his question, it sounded so strange coming from such a powerful and old being. "They were yours the moment I chose you as my companion when I was ten." I reassured him, arching up to press my body firmly to his, my heart hammering away against my ribcage, reverberating into his silent body.

His forehead came to rest against mine and he sighed in contentment, "Everything I have is yours as well, you know. You have my heart, even though it is cold and dead, and I would give you my soul also if it weren't for the fact it is so corrupt." He whispered with his eyes shut as his nose nuzzled against mine.

Lifting his head with one hand, I placed the other over his silent heart, his eyes snapped open to look into mine. "You're heart isn't cold, it might not be beating but that doesn't make it dead. There's love in you, a lot of it, and that makes your heart so warm, and alive." I reassured gently, kissing his cheek once more to capture another stray red droplet. "And if you believe your soul is corrupt then let me help redeem you." I whispered, using his own thoughts from earlier to assure him that I wasn't going anywhere.

He looked down at me in shock for a moment before looking worried. "Can you?..." he slowly tapped his temple with one of his slender fingers as if he were frightened to say the words.

"I try not to but you turned my shields, and my insides, to jell-o earlier." I answered honestly with a small laugh, knowing sooner or later I would have to come clean. I couldn't help but bite down on my lower lip, a slight hint of fear creeping through me. What if he didn't like that? What if angered him? It was perhaps wrong of me but I dropped my shields in order to gauge his mental reaction.

_Don't be worried, my sweet, you have nothing to fear. You cannot help it. Besides, I quite enjoy the idea of speaking to you in this manner, no one will know what I'm saying to you and it can be our little secret. _He thought and I couldn't help but grin at how understanding he was of the whole situation.

I was about to reply mentally, to see if he could hear me, but the sound of the light tight shutters clicking into place rang out. I yawned rather abruptly and my whole body stretched which caused me to mewl and for Godric to groan. He was still buried deep inside of me, the thought of which both excited and comforted me. I didn't want to be parted from him yet. "You must sleep, my darling. The past twenty-four hours have been busy for you and I don't want you to be tired during the day." Godric soothed, rolling off the top of me and onto his side, taking me with him as he pulled the duvet up and over our naked frames.

He went to pull himself out of me but I grasped a hold of his hands, stopping his actions. A light blush swept across my features as he raised an eyebrow questioningly at me. "Would you stay there until I fall asleep, please? I feel safe, and comforted, and whole." I explained quietly, feeling a little bit silly. He obviously felt my embarrassment as he let go, winding his arms around me before pulling me flush to his chest, his lips resting on my forehead.

"If I had my way, I would stay there forever." He mumbled against my forehead, kissing my skin before he held me tightly. Closing my eyes I could feel sleep starting to take over and drag me down. Moments before I slipped into slumber I heard Godric speak to me once more.

"I love you."


	16. I Wanna

**A/N Okay, what were your honest thoughts on the lemons in the last chapter? **

**More lemons, because I love you all ;)**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_I never thought that I was so blind, I can finally see the truth, it's me for you  
Tonight you can't imagine that I'm by your side cuz it's never gonna be the truth  
So far for you but can you hear me say?  
Don't throw me away, there's no way out, I gotta hold you somehow  
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna touch you, you wanna touch me too everyday  
But all I have is time, our love's the perfect crime  
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna touch you, you wanna touch me too every way,  
And when they set me free just put your hands on me  
Take everything that I know you'll break and I give my life away, to be, for you  
But can you hear me say don't throw me away  
There's no way out, I gotta hold you somehow  
~ I Wanna, All American Rejects_

I had once thought I would never approve of my Maker taking a lover, that they would always be unworthy of his affections. My opinion changed however the moment Ata took my Sookie's hand across the dinner table and reassured her that she was loved and cared for. It had been above and beyond her call of duty. If she showed such affection for someone who was in essence a total stranger than I could only imagine the amount of affection she held for my Maker.

The moment Ata shut the door behind her, leaving Sookie and I alone, I gave the room a once over. I didn't suspect Ata of being the sort to leave listening devices or cameras in rooms to spy on her guests, however I was weary of 'the boys' as she liked to call them. I was yet to meet them all and determine for myself how much of a threat they were. It also happened to be an old habit. I could feel my lover's building lust and it was fuelling my own but I wouldn't lay a hand on her until the room was clear. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to know that my relationship with the little telepath was completely serious as they could use her against me, or me against her. Either way I wouldn't endanger her life like that.

Stopping my search I finally took a step back to observe the room. The walls were a warm cream colour and the carpets matched, the ceiling was covered in wooden slats and a beautiful chandelier hung pride of place, the golden light it emitted covering the room in a warm glow. There were two windows in the room and cream curtains concealed the mechanism for the light tight shutters. I would get to sleep beside my lover! Between the two windows sat a king size bed, the perfect size for someone with my height and build. The bed frame was made of Scandinavian Pine; Ata's choice of wood was impeccable in my books. Each corner of the bed frame had been carved into square posts, ornate detail hand carved into the wood. Clearly someone had spent hours making this piece and I couldn't help but appreciate it more. The duvet was a golden colour to match the warm feeling of the room and numerous gold and red scatter cushions decorated the bed too. In the middle of the floor sat an antique rug, red in colour and in mint condition. Over the years Ata had clearly collected many beautiful pieces.

A carved marble fireplace sat to the left of the bed, a glass cover hiding the flames. Vampires and fire most certainly did not mix – I know from experience. On the mantle sat a few pot plants and small trinkets from around the world. On the left of the room, on either side of the fireplace, were two wooden doors made of the same pine as the bed. One door was open and led into a large bathroom while the other door was closed. I gave the door a gentle tug and it swung open, lights clicking on in the space to reveal a walk-in wardrobe.

"Will you stop being paranoid? I trust her." Sookie declared, moving across the room to her suitcase which sat neatly upon a luggage rack as I continued my exploration. She was clearly trying her best to suppress her rising lust too.

"I trust her too, Lover, it's the other vampires in her nest that I don't trust." I pointed out, moving over to my own suitcase which sat on another matching luggage rack beside Sookie's, in a desperate attempt to quench my own need for her. The sound of the zips rung out through the still air and soon Sookie was plucking her clothes out, dashing into the wardrobe and hanging them up before returning to repeat the process. Chuckling at her antics I watched as she took her underwear from the bag before moving to the wardrobe to put them away. As she passed me, however, I plucked a pair of red lacy boy shorts from the pile in her arms. Appraising them slowly I shot her my signature smirk.

"How did you know I adore lace, Lover?" I purred, waggling my eyebrows at her. A light blush swept across her features and she scampered from my sight, depositing her underwear in an empty drawer within the wardrobe. Lifting her girly underwear to my nose I inhaled the sweet scent. She hadn't worn them so they were clean but my keen sense of smell picked up her subtle feminine scent underneath the harsh smell of washing powder.

"I think I'll keep these." I declared, tucking the scrap of red fabric into the back pocket of my jeans, allowing some of the material to hang out so others would be able to see that Sookie was mine and perhaps even assume that she was currently panty-less.

"Eric, I need those. I plan on wearing them with the matching bra tomorrow." She informed me, not realizing what her words were doing to my 'gracious plenty' as she held out her hand. Did she really think I would give them to her?

"Oh now, Miss Stackhouse, you're giving me wonderfully wicked mental images. Perhaps I'll hold onto these a little longer so you'll be forced to spend tomorrow with no panties on, at least then I'll have easy access to you." I couldn't help but lick my lips at the thought. Rising to find Sookie going commando would be by far the best thing in the world. I could see it now, she would move towards me in one of her little virginal sundresses, she'd crawl across the large bed towards me and straddle my hips, her core resting against my straining member.

Suddenly I was blindsided by an extortionately large amount of lust, and I knew instantly that it wasn't all mine. Coupled with mine however it was difficult to control. Within seconds I had my Sookie pinned to the nearest wall, my heavy frame keeping her in place as she squirmed against me. "Eric, gerroff!" she scolded, still wiggling against me. There was no fear coursing through her veins, she'd learnt by now that I would never hurt her, however I could feel her confusion and her slight panic at being pinned in place, though both feelings only registered a little in my mind. I was too consumed by my lust.

Groaning at the sensation of her small body wriggling against mine as she attempted to free herself, I growled out a warning, tangling one of my hands in her natural blonde curls as the other went to her wide hips, keeping her firmly in place as I crushed my lips to hers in a searing kiss. She melted into my touch, the confusion and slight panic evaporating as I claimed her mouth with my own.

Breaking apart so she could breathe I moved to her neck, scattering kisses across the smooth skin I found there. Her breath ripped out in rags, her hands clinging to my shoulders as I continued my assault down her throat to her jugular notch where I laved the supple skin with licks and kisses.

A sweet moan fled from her lips at my ministrations and I used one of my knees to part her legs, resting it between her glorious thighs. Her hands moved from my shoulders to the buttons of my shirt eagerly and she fumbled with the buttons before letting out a strangled groan of frustration. Releasing her for a second I whipped my shirt off, my hands returning to her glorious body as I pushed her red dress up. Not only was the dress beautiful but it was also my favourite colour. Hooking my fingers over the scrap of fabric that currently attempted to conceal her core, I divested her of the pretty garment with a simple flourish of my wrist, the material falling to the floor.

"Hey! I liked those!" She formed a coherent sentence, smacking me gently on the arm.

Pulling away from her throat I looked up at her, my eyes reflected in hers were glazed over with lust and adoration for the little fairy who had enchanted me. "I'll buy you another pair, I'll buy you the whole fucking store so long as I get to rip them from your body every night and fuck you senseless." I breathed, moving up to her ear as she gasped. Capturing her earlobe with my blunt teeth I tugged it slightly, causing my lover to groan out in appreciation.

Making quick work of her dress I tugged the fabric over her head, not wanting to ruin it. Underwear was easy to replace but that dress was beautiful and of course had the sentimental attachment to it as it had being a gift from Niall. It was one thing for my lover to be mad at me for ruining a pair of $20 panties and another entirely for ruining a $2000 gown.

Casting the garment aside, I lent back to observe my beautiful woman. She was still panting, drawing air rapidly into her lungs, causing her breasts to heave. Her face was flushed a delicate shade of pink from our antics. The only other time she was ever more radiant than now was when she was coming undone beneath me.

Capturing her lips again in a heated kiss, her hands moved to my suit pants, her nimble fingers making light work of the zipper and button combination and she slowly extracted me from them. I was, as always, going commando. You never know when an opportunity might arise and I have always prided myself on being a perfectly prepared opportunist.

As my pants hit the floor I kicked them off, using my feet to remove my shoes so I wouldn't have to break away from my lovers lips. My hands worked over her small body, tracing every curve and contour.

Pulling back from her lips I returned to her neck, kissing my way down her throat, across her collarbones and to her breasts, which were concealed by her satin red bra. Grabbing the fabric with my teeth I savagely pulled the offending item from her body, letting it fall to the pile of material that was growing on the floor.

With her whole body now exposed I was free to roam, my lips, teeth and tongue laving across her luscious breasts, moving to one dusky pebble. Sucking the nodule into my mouth I smothered it with licks and nibbles. Sookie threw her head back, arching into me as she moaned out my name, her nails scraping along my shoulders and down my back as my right hand moved to her other breast, tugging and rolling the hardened pebble there.

Satisfied that I had spent enough time for now with her left breast I swapped over, taking the other pebble into my mouth with equal fervour. "Eric..." She panted, her hands having moved up to my head, her fingers running through my hair, tugging every now and then in her desperate need.

The sound of her breathing out my name, her words smothered in desire, fuelled my need for her. Releasing her breasts I grabbed her thighs roughly, clutching the tender flesh there. "Jump." I commanded and without a second thought she did so. Capturing her, I pressed her to the wall, moving her legs to my waist and she automatically locked them around me before I pressed myself against her.

The smell of her arousal was hypnotic, pushing me into frenzy as lust bounced between us in the bond, the extra lust from the bond I shared with my Maker poured into the mix. It seemed I wasn't the only one getting lucky tonight. Supporting Sookie with one hand, the other moved to her core where I tested her readiness. Usually I would spend some time working her up, pushing her to brink and then hauling her back, yet the urge to take her fast and hard was overwhelming.

Knowing she was ready to accommodate me, I aligned our hips and with one sharp thrust buried myself to the hilt inside of her tight passage. We both groaned out at the contact, I had been inside of her only several hours ago and yet it felt like an eternity. Giving her a moment to adjust to my size – I had been well endowed during my human years – I began to rock my hips against hers, pulling myself nearly all the way out before slamming back home, bumping her cervix on the up-thrust and brushing against her g-spot as I pulled back.

Her slick channel clamped down on me, squeezing and pulsing around me as I continued to relentlessly pound into her. I had no idea what the coming nights would hold but I wanted to savour every moment of them just incase. Still supporting Sookie's small weight with my hands, my lips reconnected to hers, nibbling on her lower lip as my tongue pried her mouth open, not waiting to ask for permission. She was mine after all.

Her lips parted for me and my fangs slid down, she groaned into my mouth and my tongue rolled into her, tasting every crevice and relishing in the feel of her own tongue causing friction against mine. She smelt and tasted like fae and it was an intoxicating concoction. I had always been proud of my control; I had mastered it perfectly and yet with my little fairy it always broke, always shattered. She'd taken me, a strong and feared Viking vampire in the public eye and turned me into an emotional and caring man in private. My lost humanity was starting to return to me and while I didn't necessarily welcome the change I wasn't entirely put off by the idea either. I had survived 1000 years by using my head, by burying my emotions, and then this little blonde bombshell waltzed into my bar and thought herself at Disney. She turned my twisted world upside down and brought light back into my darkness.

I could feel her channel as it started to flutter around me and I knew then that she was moments away from her peak. Her hands moved to the back of my head, her fingers red raw from scraping at my skin and dragging me closer, and she pulled my head down to her right breast. Her own head had tipped back in ecstasy, her eyes shut as she focused on the sensations coursing through her lithe body. "Bite me Eric, oh god, please!" she begged, practically hyperventilating with her need.

Not needing to be told twice I sunk my fangs into her breast, right above her dusky pebble, sucking on both the wound and her sensitive flesh as her walls clamped down around me one final time, her climax rolling through her body, sweetening her already potent blood. "Eric!" she screamed my name, a triumphant smile plastering itself to my features before I slammed into her once, twice, finally feeling my own climax claim me. Letting go of her wound I called out her name in return, depositing my cool semen into her warm body.

She slumped against the wall and I held her up. My stamina was far superior to hers but that was to be expected. Still buried inside of her I licked at the pinprick wounds on her breast, my saliva healing the marks before I nicked my tongue on my fangs, lazily coating the area with my blood to heal her completely.

Her chest was still heaving, a thin sheen of sweat covering her slender body as she tried to pull her breathing and heart rate back to a suitable pattern. She was truly beautiful all the time, but even more so when she was floating in post coital bliss.

Pulling her from the wall I walked us over to the bed, slowly laying her down on the golden duvet, her head resting against the numerous scatter cushions. I straddled her waist, still attached to her, and looked down at her beautiful body. Her eyes were shut, a dreamy smile on her wonderfully defiant lips. She was a work of art, and she was all mine.

My body reacted instinctively to the feel of her bare warm flesh and I stirred inside of her, causing her to giggle. The sensation that swept through me as she laughed was incredible! I wanted her to do it again so I lent forward, tickling her ribcage which earned me more laughter. The feel of her inner muscles contracting around my member was delicious and I couldn't help but moan at the exquisite torture.

Her eyelids snapped open, revealing her blue eyes which shone with both love and mirth, the same emotions I could feel pulsing through our bond. My bond with Godric was wide open on his side, a strange occurrence given that for the last century he had all but closed it off completely and it had quite clearly been his lust I had felt earlier that had pushed me into making such an impulsive move. It had been worth it though, to take my Sookie up against the wall.

Now I could feel his love coming through, though Godric's love was not aimed at me but for the kinswoman of my beloved, whom I hoped lay underneath him at that very moment. My own love for Sookie flowed into my bond with her and she returned it eagerly. Reaching up, she cradled my face with her petite hands, rubbing her thumbs over my cheekbones and down to my jaw line.

"Make love to me again, Eric, before the dawn takes you from me. Go gently, and slowly." She demanded in a whisper, her lips ghosting over my cheek before finding my own lips.

I happily obliged, making love to the one woman in the world who could tame me, who could change my view on the world and make me a better vampire. The sound of the light tight shutters sliding into place just before dawn drew us to a stop and I rolled off of her after our completion, bringing her with me and tucking her into my side. Holding her close, I caressed her lower back, her arm slung over my chest and her legs tangled with mine. Her eyes were closed in peaceful bliss and her heart rate had slowed to a steady beat as she rested against my chest.

"I love you, Eric." She breathed, pressing a feather-light kiss to my chest.

"And I love you too, my Sookie." I responded quietly, just before the sun rose and pulled me under into my daytime slumber.


	17. Breakaway

**A/N - ENJOY GUYS. R&R. SHARE THE LOVE. KEEP THE VIKING HAPPY. ETC. ETC.**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Grew up in a small town and when the rain would fall down  
I'd just stare out my window dreaming of what could be and if I'd end up happy.  
I would pray, trying hard to reach out but when I tried to speak out felt like no one could hear me,  
Wanted to belong here but something felt so wrong here.  
__So I prayed I could break away. I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky and I'll make a wish,  
Take a chance, make a change and breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun but I won't forget all the ones that I love,  
I'll take a risk, take a chance, make a change and breakaway.  
Wanna feel the warm breeze, sleep under a palm tree, feel the rush of the ocean,  
Get onboard a fast train, travel on a jet plane far away and breakaway  
~ Breakaway, Kelly Clarkson_

I drifted out of my sleep; the waves of slumber slowing releasing me back to the shore, ready to face another day. As they finally let go of me I opened my eyes. The room was still pitch black and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Once they had, however, I found myself facing my beautiful vampire. All traces of emotion were gone from his face and he looked peaceful, his blonde bangs ruffled slightly from our lovemaking. In that moment he could have passed as a human man of thirty, if it weren't for his lack of pulse and breath of course. I always use to find it disturbing when Bill would 'sleep' beside me, he always looked and feel like a corpse, yet Eric looked and felt more human. That alone told me that Eric was the better vampire for me.

Making an attempt to get out of the bed I found myself struggling against Eric's vice-like hold. While it was rather endearing for him to hold me and for me to fall asleep in his arms it made for a mini battle in the mornings, and I was in dire need of the bathroom to tend to my human needs. I wiggled against my vampiric lover and although he was dead for the day his body still reacted to my movement. Even in his sleep Eric was horny. That thought alone made me laugh loudly.

Leaving the bed, I moved to the large bathroom. Even though Ata had stated her hatred for marble her home contained plenty of it but there was no denying how beautiful the stone was. Once my ablutions had been taken care of I moved to the wardrobe, pulling on the pair of red lacy boy shorts and the matching bra that Eric and I had spoken about in the early hours of the morning before sliding a light blue sundress on. Pulling a brush through my hair I tried to smooth out the tangles, the last thing I wanted was for it to be obvious that I'd been thoroughly fucked last night.

Once I was satisfied with my appearance I cautiously exited the room, pleased to note that the hallway the bedrooms led onto had no windows to it. Shutting the door behind firmly behind me I wandered down the corridor before finding the door back into the main living space. I slipped through it and found myself in the large kitchen-diner, bright sunlight streaming in through the huge bay windows and the smell of bacon and waffles in the air. A curvy middle-aged woman was bustling around, cooking up a storm, and Ata was sat on a barstool at the granite countertop with the newspaper spread out before her.

Hearing my entry she looked up and grinned, pushing her stool back and rising to her feet. Crossing to me she pulled me into an embrace before holding me at arms length to look at me. "Did you sleep well?" she inquired, letting her hands fall from my arms. Nodding my head, Ata made her way back to the barstool she had once occupied and I took the one opposite her.

"How about you, did you sleep well?" I asked in return, my good Southern manners kicking in. Ata's face suddenly flushed bright pink and a shy smile crossed her lips.

"Yes, thank you." She answered in a quiet tone and I didn't even have to dip into her mind to know what her blush was about.

"You consummated your love for one another last night?" I probed a little further, using a word from my word-a-day calendar, a cheeky smile on my lips at the thought of Godric and Ata finally together after so long.

Her cheeks went from pink to red and her grin told me everything. "Yes, my 2000 years of abstaining was well worth it." She told me and I couldn't help but let my jaw drop. She'd gone without sex for 2000 years! I'd been desperate for the body of a man above me after only 25 years! Shaking my head to clear the thoughts from my mind, the plump middle-aged woman placed a large plate of waffles and bacon down in front of me, an affectionate smile on her lips.

"Sookie this is Flo, my cook, cleaner and close friend. Flo, this is my cousin, Sookie." Ata introduced us, folding her paper back up and placing it aside.

"Good morning Ma'am." I greeted the woman politely and Flo's face lit up.

"What wonderful manners! My goodness I'm in heaven! But please, call me Flo. If you need anything at all during your stay here then feel free to ask me and I will do all I can to help you out." She told me, sincerity lacing her words; the sincerity matched her positive thoughts.

_She's part of my nest, her family has been working for Ari and I for three generations, anything you say in front of her regarding vampires and other Supes, including our heritage, is fine as she's incredibly loyal. _I heard Ata's voice in my head and she gave no outward signs of her silent words.

Flo returned to her dishes and I nodded towards Ata in acknowledgement of her words. Picking up my knife and fork I tucked into the wonderful smelling breakfast before me. "What's on the agenda for today?" I asked curiously, popping a piece of waffle into my mouth as Flo placed two glasses of orange juice down on the table before she disappeared off to continue with her daily tasks.

Swallowing her mouthful, Ata took a sip of orange juice before answering. "I was thinking that after breakfast we could go down to the Garden of the Gods and lounge by the pool to top up your tan for a while and allow our breakfast to settle before we try working with your powers." She suggested and the prospect of lounging in the sunshine had me nodding my head furiously.

Her laughter rang out at my excitement and her smile was nothing short of warm. "We just expanded the Garden to five acres, we have eight pools and an eighteen foot water fountain. We'll go to the Apollo Pool; it's best suited for sun worshipping. It's positioned at the southwest corner of the oasis for maximum sun exposure and my favourite part is the swim up bar, the mixologist we have there is incredible!" she beamed before tucking into her breakfast once more. Eight pools! I could only imagine the number of sun loungers available!

"832 in total." Ata spoke, laughing gently. Obviously my thoughts had been rather loud.

"Before we start training however, I was wondering if you could tell me what that'll involve? You also introduced me as your cousin, so I was also wondering if you could explain our family tree to me as well, please?" I asked, wanting to know as much as possible before I made any decisions.

"I would expect nothing less!" She replied, popping the last piece of waffle on her plate into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before pushing the empty plate to the side. I followed suit, having wolfed down my meal. Making love to Eric always made me hungry when I woke the following morning.

"Okay, you know that Niall is our great-grandfather? Well he had two sons and one daughter, his sons were called Fintan and Dermont and his daughter was called Aoife. Fintan is your grandfather and Dermont is mine. Aoife is the mother to our other cousins – Claude, Claudette and Claudine." She explained to me and I suddenly felt my family circle grow. It was only a few days ago that I had believed Jason was my only remaining family member.

"Niall married Einin, she was human and he loved her so much. Fintan and Dermont are his sons from that marriage. When Einin passed away Niall remarried and Aoife was the product of that marriage. No one has heard from Aoife in years so we don't have a clue what has happened to her. Fintan spent years wandered the earth and then fell in love with your grandmother, and your father was conceived followed shortly after by your Auntie Linda. Dermont fell in love with my grandmother, Cleopatra V Tryphaena and my mother was the product of their coupling." She continued.

"And you're a third Fae and I'm an eighth. How does that work?" I asked.

Shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders, Ata took another sip of her orange juice as I did. "No clue, maybe my grandmother was already part fae. In my days people were far more lax about supernatural beings. One of our goddess, Sekhmet, has characteristics similar to that of vampires, even down to the blood drinking part. With the passing of time a group of Egyptians actually developed a cult which consisted of devotees to Sekhmet. The cult started to gain prominence and during the 12th dynasty, that's 1991BC to 1803BC**,** the Pharaoh actually shifted the capital of Egypt to a location known to be the centre for this cult. This was the city of Ijtawy. In Ancient Egypt the governing powers, royal bloodlines and religion were all strongly linked together.

The same goddess was also known to be a soldier deity. Consequently she was associated with attributes like justice and had the responsibility to keep order. Almost all her visual depictions show her dressed in the colour red, which symbolises her connection with blood. Various other powers were attributed to this goddess. These included the ability to bring disease as well as its cure. In fact mention of Sekhmet can also be found in historical records made by ancient physicians.

After every battle, the cult of devotees to Sekhmet would celebrate an elaborate festival to appease Her. Annual festivals were conducted at the beginning of each year where participants would intoxicate themselves along with which dancing and music were a common part of these festivals. It was believed that through these actions they could appease the goddess." She explained and I sat forward on my stool, captivated by the history lesson. I had a high-school diploma but college had always been out of the question. I'd been unable to control my shields back then and the mass of people would have made it difficult to concentrate, not to mention the expense of college.

"Will you tell me about your past and your people some time, please? I never really got to enjoy history classes due to everyone's thoughts and you've seen it all, I'd love to learn more." I inquired, wanting to know as much about my kinswoman as possible. Her smile and eager nod filled me with joy; the small fraction of her past that Godric had told me about on the flight to Vegas had peaked my interest.

"You said that the fae live for around 2500 years and indefinitely if they find their mate, is Godric your mate? And what will happen to me regarding all of that?" I asked, my voice dropping an octave, unsure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"Yes, Godric is most definitely my mate and now I get to spend eternity with him. How else can you explain the fact that our love has survived 2000 years of separation? I'm actually glad I've found him or else I'd die in another four hundred years." She chuckled and I couldn't keep the shock off of my features. How could she laugh over something so serious?

"What if you hadn't of found him and you were turned, would you survive over the four hundred years then?" I tipped my head sideways in contemplation, surely one of the nice vampires who had greeted us yesterday - Ari or Khai - would turn Ata over to their side if she asked.

"No. I would meet the sun. Fae can be turned, but only if they come from the other three houses. Sky fae need the sunshine to fuel our power so we could never live in the darkness, not only that but also as a vampire, finding our mate would be exceptionally difficult. We would only have the night to search and even then with all the prejudice it would be difficult to convince someone wee were meant to be. Throw in the fact that we'd probably want to drain them dry and it's just not practical, it's not the way nature intended our kind to be. As for what will happen to you, do you think Eric is your mate?"

The thought of her meeting the sun should she become a vampire pulled my thoughts to the awful week of necromancy, when the witch Antonia tried to pull vampires from their day rest and outside. I remembered silvering Eric in the cubby, staying with him for the day, holding him down when the spell came along and then feeding him my blood so he could heal in the evening. The memory of the night we started the blood bond was my favourite and I couldn't help but smile. Snapping back to Ata's question my response was instant. "Yes."

"And why is that?" she pushed

"When I first saw him, he was sat in his ridiculous throne in his bar Fangtasia and he was being all brooding and mysterious. The moment I spotted him it was like a tugging sensation in my chest, I felt compelled to go to him. He met my eyes across the room and he summoned Bill, my boyfriend at the time, and I. We went up to see him and I asked him a few questions about some murders that had taken place in order to clear my brother's name but he had no useful information for me. I went to leave but he told me to sit and then asked Bill if he was 'quite attached' to me all while watching me. I heard there was gonna be a raid and I told Eric and Bill we had to leave, Eric asked me if I was an undercover cop and I told him that a man in a hat was and that a vampire was feeding on a human in the bathrooms. We left out the back entrance and he told me he enjoyed meeting me and that I 'will come again.' Suffice to say he found every damn way to wiggle into my night-to-night life. I will admit, now that he's asleep and can't hear me, that I actually enjoyed seeing him popping up in random places and at inappropriate times. It made my nights a little brighter. But he bought my house when I spent a year in Faery, now any damn vampire can get into my house." I sighed, shaking my head as I remembered all of the ways he'd tried to get into contact with me over the years I'd known him, all to get me to 'yield' to him. His patience and perseverance had paid off in the end though as I had yielded to him.

Ata's bark of laughter drew my attention out of my own thoughts. "I get a feeling he is rather high-handed?"

"You have no idea." I muttered, draining my glass of orange juice and putting it to one side with my plate. Ata was still cradling her half full glass.

"But you were drawn to him the first time you were in his presence, and he was clearly drawn to you if he decided to pursue you. I assume when he bought your house he tended to it, and that he bought it in the first place so you wouldn't lose it. It was his way of showing how much he cares for you. Vampires don't think like humans, Sook. With his age and his vampire past, which I managed to pull from his thoughts last night, it would have been difficult for him to associate with feelings of love and affection so he bought your house and tended to it so that you would return to a clean home. It was his way to show you that he wants your affections. He took your home, which I'm sure with your Southern upbringing you're most proud of, and looked after it while you weren't there to do so because he knew how much it meant to you. I get the feeling that someone with his age and status wouldn't bother himself with just anyone's home, which leads me to believe that he is indeed your mate." She informed me and I couldn't keep the grin from my features. Living indefinitely with Eric and still getting to keep the sunshine and my heartbeat had my giddy.

"I saw the way he was with you last night, Sook. The way he looked at you and how he thought about you with such sincere affection." She reached across the table and took one of my hands in a similar gesture to the one from last night. "He loves you so much, that much is evident. It scares the crap outta him that he cares so much for you but he wouldn't have it any other way. He wants to shower you in love and affection, dress you in the best clothes, drape diamonds all over you and buy you whatever takes your fancy." I opened my mouth to protest but Ata cut me off with her free hand, silencing me before she carried on speaking.

"He doesn't do it to insult you, cousin, he knows you're more than capable of making your own money but he wants to share his wealth with you, wants to make you happy by buying you the best of everything. In a way it's a little bit selfish too, you're his mate and therefore a reflection of him. If you're seen in Walmart clothing – not that there's anything wrong with that – then it looks to other vampires like he's not taking care of you properly, they'll question his loyalty and affection towards you and may even try to take you from him. He likes seeing you in nice things and thinks you deserve that after the way others treated you as you were growing up."

I mulled over her words, I would always find it awkward to take money and luxuries from Eric and not be able to give anything materialistically in return and lord knows I've pulled a face numerous times when he's bought me things. I wouldn't allow myself to be a kept woman, but perhaps I could go to college now I had my shields or I could take an online course, get myself a degree and then have a job a little more prestigious than that of a waitress. I could fulfil my dream of being a real estate agent! "Perhaps I could start accepting a couple of his gifts without protest." I mused aloud, rolling the idea around in my head. Part of me was proud with the decision to stop being so stubborn about everything but another slightly smaller part was screaming 'HOE!' at the concept of taking gifts from Eric. Battling with my conscience for a moment I decided that there was no harm in accepting a few small gifts – nothing too extreme though!

"Good. I think he would like that, and it's not like you aren't giving him anything in return. You're bringing out the humanity in him, making him a better person, that's gotta be worth something." She pointed out.

"He's changed my whole world, Ata. I feel like I can do so many things now with him by my side. Bon Temp is lovely and I adore some of the people there but it's not enough, I have this craving to travel and see the world, do everything I thought I never would get to. I mean, I never thought I would fall in love with someone, let alone someone like Eric! I know we can never have babies, which is something I've wanted since I was a little girl, but now the thought of bringing a child into all of the supernatural shit I find myself in isn't very appealing. Besides, one Northman is enough to deal with!" I chuckled, the thought of raising a child just like Eric was comical, I could see them now, both blonde and defiant with witty comebacks to everything.

"I'm glad he's had a positive impact on your life, Sook. I know it's not my place to pry but the moment I met you I did snoop, call it second nature or protecting myself or whatever you want, and I saw how everyone treated you growing up. I'm glad that you can find some happiness and sense of belonging with the Viking, although I still find it strange that in some way that he's kind of a son to me, given that Godric is like a father to him. The thought of him calling me mom though is comical. Heartwarming, but comical." She laughed, taking her hand back from mine and draining the last of her orange juice before collecting all of our dishes, dumping them in the sink to be cleaned later. Ata's shields were down so I poked around a little, she was wishing for Eric to refer to her as his mother, as he referred to Godric as his father. She was thinking that, at least then in some sense, she would be allowed to have a child with her Godric.

"Go and pop on your bikini on sweetie, I'll meet you back here in ten minutes." Ata called over her shoulder as she headed off in the opposite direction.


	18. Suddenly I See

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_I feel like walking the world, like walking the world, you can hear she's a beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl,  
She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white,  
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember what you heard.  
She likes to leave you hanging on her word,  
Suddenly I see this is what I wanna be, suddenly I see why the hell it means so much to me,  
And she's taller than most and she's looking at me, I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine  
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower, a big strong tower.  
She got the power to be, the power to give, the power to see  
~ Suddenly I See, KT Tunstall_

As Ata disappeared off, I slid from my barstool and scampered back to the bedroom I was sharing with my handsome vampire. Opening the door slightly I slid in, flicking on the light on as I entered. Moving to the wardrobe I riffled through the small selection of clothing I'd bought with me, pleased that I'd remembered my bikini. Grabbing the blue checkered fabric I ventured into the bathroom and stripped down, donning the outfit before returning to the wardrobe to hang my sundress back up. I'd only had it on for about half an hour so I could wear it again later. Looking around me I realised I didn't have a tote bag or sunglass, or even a beach towel.

Scowling in annoyance I returned to the bedroom and my eyes landed on the naked vampire asleep in the bed. Feeling mischievous I sashayed over to him, leaning down to scatter kisses all over his face and down his throat. Pulling back I admired his perfect physique before dragging the sheet up to conceal his body. I knew he wouldn't get cold but the thought of someone accidentally entering the room and seeing him in the buff caused an extreme case of jealousy to pump through my veins. He was mine and only I could have the pleasure of seeing his sculpted six-pack, beautiful butt and gracious plenty.

Flicking the lights off as I exited the room, I returned to the kitchen. Ata was of course still getting ready and I was in need of a few extra items so I followed the path she'd gone off in, spotting a room with a door that was slightly ajar. Hearing shuffling inside I knocked lightly. "Come in." her voice laced with an Egyptian lilt beckoned.

Entering the room cautiously I was greeted with the sight of Ata placing her beach towel into a woven tote bag and the bare back of Godric, as he lay on his stomach in his daytime slumber, his face angled towards the door I had just entered through. "Where's your beach bag?" Ata asked me with a light frown, noting my lack of accoutrements.

Dragging my eyes from Godric's sleeping form I looked to Ata with shyness, "I don't have one. I forgot to bring it along, I also forgot flip-flops and sunglasses. I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble, if I could borrow some please?" I asked, nibbling on my lower lip.

"Ah cousin, what's mine is yours! Of course you can!" she grinned, moving around from the other side of the bed. As soon as she was in full view I found myself admiring her outfit. She'd picked out a red all-in-one, the top was a halter neck that added to her already ample chest and the matching bottoms were covered by a cute little frilly skirt. Her lips were painted a matching shade of red and her pale skin tone allowed her to pull off the ensemble well.

"Oh I'm in love with your checkers! I have the perfect accessories to go with it!" she exclaimed, observing my bikini before she dashed off into what I assumed was her own walk-in wardrobe. In my opinion my bikini wasn't as impressive as her all-in-one but the fact that she was complimenting it made me smile.

I had grown up with people calling me average looking, commenting on my breasts frequently in a crude manner and it was something that had stuck with me as I'd grown up, making me super aware of my appearance. Now I was being faced with a blonde supermodel who was older, stronger and wiser than me and yet she was showing me a huge amount of non-judgemental kindness, something no one but Gran had ever done. I pitied those who had tormented me and teased me during my childhood. I had no idea what Ata had endured as a child with her telepathy, yet I hoped to hear her story later. I was already wishing to be more like her though - exceptionally strong and intelligent yet wonderfully soft and caring at the same time.

My gaze returned to the sleeping form of Godric, the tattoo's on his back clearly visible, the sheets stopping at the base of his spine in order to retain some of his modesty. He looked so young in his day rest, all traces of his 2000 years of experience and knowledge wiped away. He looked like the seventeen-year-old human boy he'd been when he'd been turned.

I hadn't heard Ata re-enter the room yet her soft voice didn't startle me. "I've missed seeing him sleep, he looks so peaceful and relaxed now. He use to always be on edge when he'd sneak into the palace to sleep beside me. I use to have to stay up all night to keep an eye out for the guards for him to get any sleep at all." She explained softly, holding out another woven tote bag, this one however had a blue checkered scarf tied around the handle.

"What do his tattoo's represent?" I asked absentmindedly, taking the bag from her as she placed a floppy hat onto my head, handing me a pair of large black sunglasses. My eyes caught sight of the giant double-locking C's on the side and I held back a choke of surprise. She was handing me a pair of expensive designer sunglasses as if it was the most natural thing to do in the whole world.

"The raised red disk is the brand he was given when he was sold into slavery, it identifies who his Master was. I hate seeing it mar his smooth skin. The sea serpent, well as snakes shed their skin through moulting they are symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing. His old Master, his Maker, gave him that tattoo one night before anything romantic had occurred between he and I. I guess his Master had already planned on turning him even then." She sighed. "I have no idea what the writing on his right arm says but I do know that the zigzags on his left arm are his old tribes symbol for water. The tattoo around his chest and neck represents protection, it was as if someone knew what was going to happen to him." She explained as best as she could, clearly not knowing absolutely everything about the marks.

"Did he have them all before you met him?"

"No, his back was free of any ink. It was the tattoo's on his arms that attracted me to him at first, I thought it was cool and I wanted one too." She laughed. "Then when we reached fourteen and he started removing his shirt I finally got to see the ink across his chest and neck, that one has been my favourite ever since." She continued, moving to a chest of drawers from which she produced a blue sarong. Moving back to me she flung the material around my waist, tying it loosely into place. Scooping up her bag from the empty space on the bed she tied a white sarong around her own waist before she grabbed her own pair of Chanel sunglasses and a bottle of sunscreen.

"We'll walk down barefoot, just put your feet down like ready money, I don't want you slipping over and hurting yourself on the insanely shiny marble here!" She grinned, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to Godric's lips before following me out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

We made our way through the penthouse, entering the lift in silence and reaching the ground floor where four burly men greeted us with respectful nods at us. Stepping out I squealed as the cold marble made contact with the soles of my feet and Ata's chuckle broke the silence. "The boys watch over me at night and we hire Were guards during the day. I have no enemies here but given our heritage and abilities we're coveted considerably." Ata explained the four men, sashaying through the lobby as if she owned the place. Ah, wait, she did. Following by her side we soon ventured through a large marble arch.

The moment we stood outside in the glorious sunshine I stopped, letting the Nevada heat beat down on me as I observed the beautiful pool. Ata had called this the Apollo Pool. On the far side of the pool five large white columns supported a curved white beam, ornately decorated with Roman symbols. Lush green plants climbed up the columns and medium sized trees and bushes concealed the other amenities behind the columns. In-between each column sat a white gazebo that contained two sun loungers and a mini fridge, perfect for those seeking shelter from the sunshine. Numerous sun loungers lay out around the rectangular pool, the edges of which were curved to soften the harsh corners. The pool was populated with quite a few people however they all moved aside as Ata strode through them towards the best sun loungers – the ones covered in sunshine. I'd never liked following someone more important than myself, but right now I felt privileged to be part of her entourage if it meant I would be able to get the best seat for soaking up the sun.

We finally stopped by two loungers and Ata whipped out a white beach towel, laying it on the chair before sitting herself down and stretching out. Wincing as her muscles complained. "Bit exuberant last night?" I teased, using another word from my word-a-day calendar as I smoothed out my own beach towel out on my lounger. I too went to stretch and complained as my muscles twanged.

"Seems I wasn't the only one who enjoyed a bit of rough and tumble last night." Ata shot back to me with a waggle of her eyebrows, laughter streaming from both of our lips seconds later. Her guards had hidden themselves among the other swimmers and in the tree lines, observing both of us from a distance to give us some sense of privacy. It unnerved me a little to have people watching over me but I could understand and respect why someone as old as Ata, with such a higher level of fae blood in her system and such a profitable business would need around the clock protection. Removing the beautiful sarong I folded it neatly and placed it back into the tote bag so as not to crease it. I was just starting to doze when I heard Ata shuffle a little and I looked in her direction, catching sight of her slathering some sunscreen on. "A tan suits you, cousin, but it looks terrible on me." She explained, chucking the cream back into her bag once she'd been covered from head to toe.

I don't remember how long I had been asleep for but I woke up to Ata gently shaking me. "Turn over, lets even out your tan." She ordered me gently and I complied, turning over onto my front as Ata untied the back of my bikini top to remove any possible tan lines. I soon slipped back into a dreamless slumber.

I woke again to the feel of Ata gently shaking my arm, "Come on Sook, it's 2pm, time for us to start your training." She cooed and I groaned at the prospect of having to leave the sunshine behind. Ata tied the back of my bikini together and we both rose at the same time, gathering our belongings and making our way back into the hotel and up to the penthouse, the Were guards close behind us.

"If you change into some comfortable jogging bottoms, soft shoes and a t-shirt then meet me in the living room we'll get started." Ata informed me as she disappeared back of to the room she shared with Godric.

Placing my bag back in the bedroom I shared with Eric, I changed quickly and moved through the penthouse to the living room where I met Ata. She'd donned a pair of skintight leggings and a black t-shirt promoting the hotel, on her feet she wore battered trainers. Even in scruffy clothes she still looked incredible. Ata stood and offered her hand out to me, a wolfish grin on her features.

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously as I was led to a bookcase. Ata pulled a book out and the whole case shifted, revealing a spiral staircase. "You have a secret room?" I gaped.

"Yes, it's my training room. It's hidden because the last thing I need is a human seeing me practice with my powers. My panic room is also up here." She explained to me as we ascended the staircase. We entered a large empty studio, the floors were made of wood and the far wall was pure glass, overlooking the whole of Vegas. The wall where the door was situated was covered in floor to ceiling mirrors.

"I would have never thought that this would be up here!" I exclaimed, taking in my surroundings. Ata grinned and watched me happily.

"Now Sook, we need to determine what powers you have. You won't be able to suppress your scent or the toxicity of your blood, as you don't have a huge amount of fae blood in you though your spark is incredibly strong. However, going from your memories, which once again I'm sorry I peaked at yesterday, you have already displayed signs of photokinesis and can of course hear humans and Were's. So, lets focus on your photokinesis for today and experiment a little with infiltrating dreams and then explore other traits over the coming few days. Sound okay?" she inquired to which I nodded, excitement bubbling within me at the thought of getting to try out my powers.

"Okay, we'll start with dream infiltration. This means you can manipulate their dreams to suit your purpose, and we happen to have a willing subject who's already asleep." She grinned, obviously referencing Eric.

I frowned however; there was a problem with using him. "Vampires don't dream though." I pointed out.

"Ah you're right, they don't. However if we infiltrate their minds we can force them to. Of course we won't know for a while if it works or not but we can try anyway. So, come up with something you want your vampire to know or that you want to know about your vampire and focus on that, turn it into a question in your mind." Ata told me and I nodded, shutting my eyes and picking out Eric's human life. It was the one thing I wanted to know about more than anything, so in my mind I was asking what it was he'd been after in Russell's mansion, why he'd shouted at me and told me I meant nothing to him. Obviously I meant something to him but at the time it had upset me greatly.

"Okay, take my hands and open your mind so I can monitor what's going on between the two of you and then think of him and push that question towards him." She explained as she took my hands in hers. I opened my mind up to her and felt her calming presence there. Taking my question I pushed it towards Eric in my mind and felt nothing in return for several moments. I was about to give up hope when I suddenly felt a stirring within my mind, soon followed by memories flooding in. It was like a movie was being played within my head.

I could see Eric stood with Talbot in one of the rooms of Russell's mansion, he was looking over a cabinet of ancient artefacts and his gaze fell on an ornate crown within said cabinet. 'Viking' he'd corrected Talbot and then the memories of his human life came into play.

He was walking into a large wooden room, carrying what I assumed to be his baby sister in his arms. His mother and father sat at a long table looking fondly at one another and I could see now that Eric was the spitting image of them both. He had his father's build and his mother's hair and eye colour. Both his parents wore crowns and it was the one on his father's head that matched the one from Russell's mansion. His mother spoke to him and rose from her seat, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. Unfortunately for me I was yet to learn his native tongue.

Eric was dressed in a brown tunic, an animal skin cloak draped over his shoulders. His hair fell to his shoulders like it had the first night I'd met him and his signature smirk was still in place. A redheaded servant girl entered the room and started to make eyes at him, which he returned eagerly. I felt a swell of jealously and then remembered that this was before my time and she was dead now, so I had no right to feel jealous.

He was sat at the table, picking at his food as his father lent forward to talk to him in the ancient language. The redhead walked past the table once again and Eric eyed her with appreciation once more. She returned the gesture of course, who wouldn't? MY Viking was a piece of art. He and his father started to engage in a heated debate and Eric rose from the table, trying to end the conversation but his father was persistent and rose too, following Eric and continuing to speak with him. I could see where Eric's persistent side came from.

He left the room and was instantly with the redheaded girl in a back room. He had her sat on a small table and she was pushing the animal skin cloak off of his shoulders, his lips were on her neck scattering kisses and he was pulling her tunic down, kissing her collar bones and the top of her breasts. The moment has hand slipped between her thighs however was when extreme jealousy tinged anger flooded my system. All of a sudden I was overcome with a sense of calm and order, Ata's hand tightening on mine. I could feel her pushing those feelings to me. That was new; I thought only vampires could do that.

I didn't have time to dwell on that fact though as the movie in my mind continued on. The sound of shouting pulled Eric away from the woman he was busy getting frisky with and he rushed back into the main room he'd started out in, his hair ruffled from his antics. A wolf was leaping up at his father, snapping its jaws in his face. I watched horrified as Eric looked around, taking in all the dead bodies until his gaze fell on his mother and baby sister, both of whom were dead. I held back tears as he moved swiftly to her side, checking her none-existent pulse before grabbing a sword and joining his father in the fight.

I watched as my vampire, as a human, slammed a sword into a wolf and it shifted back into a human. Even as a human he'd been a flawless warrior. His eyes locked onto the brand on the mans neck and I instantly recognised it. Operation Werewolf. My breath caught in my throat. Eric looked up in time to spot a wolf holding his fathers crown in its jaws. The wolf trotted to the door and gave the crown to a man in a cloak. I watched as Eric pulled his sword free of the man he had just stabbed, moving to the door in anger as he observed the man in the cloak. The man turned on the spot and disappeared off into the snow. It didn't take a genius to work out who the man was given the future location of the crown.

The lost and bewildered look on my Eric's face as he fell to his knees by his dying father made me want to bolt back to our bedroom and hold him close. He spoke to his father once again in the language that was unknown to me, his hands covered in his father's blood as he held his head up. I watched as his father lost his battle to stay alive and couldn't hold back the tears as Eric gently put his father's head down, his face an expression of shock, loss and despair.

He was back in Russell's mansion again, holding his fathers crown in his hands, Talbot's eyebrow quirked in curiosity over Eric's moment of silence.

The memory ended there and my eyes snapped open, the tears following down my cheeks in streams as a sob racked through me. My beautiful vampire had his family murdered by Russell; they'd stolen his crown. He'd been after vengeance for the past 1000 years, which explained his unrelenting need to kill the 3000-year-old psychopath.

Ata's arms wrapped around me and she pulled me into her warm embrace, pushing more comfort towards me as she held me. I allowed myself to cry in pain for my Viking's sake for a few minutes before pulling back slightly, wiping my eyes and cheeks with the backs of my hands.

"Russell killed his family and took his crown. That's what he was after in the mansion, that's why he yelled at me. He didn't want me to ruin his plans." I whispered, shaking a little at the revelation.

"I know, I saw it too sweetie." She soothed me. She gave me a few minutes to compose myself. "

"How were you able to make me feel calm? Is that a fae trait?" I asked curiously.

"No, the fae have the ability to increase or decrease the emotions a person is feeling but they are unable to push fresh emotions to others, unless of course it's to a vampire they're bonded with. I think I'm able to push emotions to people because of the number of vampires I live with. I've had so much of their blood over the years that I have a few of their traits." She explained with a smile. It was definitely an interesting trait to have.

Suddenly my panic set in. "Wait! Will Eric know I went and had a look?" I asked quickly, worried that he would be angry with me if he found out.

Ata pursed her lips for a moment, clearly mulling it over. "If he hasn't dreamt in over 1000 years and suddenly he does then he might suspect some foul play, if he learns about your training today he may put two and two together. I don't know. I don't think he'd be angry with you finding out if you explained why to him. You weren't expecting that to be the response to your question, your tears tell me that." She reassured me, giving my arm a gentle rub.

"I think that's enough with dream infiltration for today though. We'll move onto your photokinesis now, it's a lot less emotionally taxing." She told me with a warm smile.

"Have you ever infiltrated Godric's dreams?" I asked quietly, wanting to know if the experience had been the same for her.

"Yes. After I faked my death I tried every night. I wasn't sure if I was getting his memories or mine though given that all of the human memories he has tend to be with me, not with his human family or the tribe he belonged to." She stated ruefully.

Abandoning the conversation, Ata moved to a small boom box in the corner of the space. 'Too Close' by Alex Clare started to blast out through the large speakers in each corner of the studio and I forced a smile. At least we were moving on from that horrific ordeal.

"Let's get going then!" she grinned, clapping her hands together in excitement.


	19. One Step At A Time

**A/N this story has a wordpress page and includes lots of lovely photos to go with it for ya! ^_^**

**www dot midnightopheliac dot wordpress dot com**

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**ATA'S POV**

_Now you're feeling more and more frustrated and you're getting all kind of impatient waiting_  
_We live and we learn to take one step at a time, there's no need to rush_  
_It's like learning to fly or falling in love, it's gonna happen when it's supposed to happen_  
_And we find the reasons why we step at a time, you believe and you doubt_  
_You're confused, you got it all figured out,_  
_Everything that you always wished for could be yours, should be yours, would be yours_  
_If they only knew_  
_~ One Step At A Time, Jordin Sparks_

Witnessing the slaughter of Eric's family had been horrible, I could see now why he was adamant on ending Edgington. I'd spent some time with Edgington several centuries ago and he hadn't been a bad man back then, however he hadn't been particularly good either. It helped that I'd been able to hide my scent as he'd regarded me as simply nothing more than Ari's pretty human companion, and I had been more than okay with that.

I hadn't expected for my cousin to ask a question that would harbour such a response, obviously there was more going on inside Eric's head than I'd suspected. I knew what it was like to see your family murdered and dying around you, unable to help them. I'd witnessed my father's assassination in 44BC, my mother's suicide in 34BC and then, eleven days later, my brother Caesarion had been murdered by our adoptive brother, Octavianus. Throw in Godric's 'death' and I found myself easily able to sympathise with the mighty Nordic warrior. I had taken revenge for my father's death, helping my mother to organise people to kill off Decimus Brutus and Servilius Casca, the two men who had started the attack on my father. In 8AD, having donned a disguise, I had paid two men to poison Octavianus's fresh figs. His death had been far too swift for my liking but he had deserved it. I was grateful that my people had not been ones to document everything, it would have been a terrible mistake for others to know of the brutality that had surrounded the royal families of the ancient world.

I was surprised that Sookie had asked me about my experience with dream infiltration, I guess Godric had been a baby vamp still and that had been why it hadn't worked, or maybe it had and I had purposefully wanted to see our life together. I had only just learnt how to use some of my powers, so I could assume that I hadn't phrased my question correctly. Perhaps he would allow me to try again now that he was older and wiser and I had more practice with my gifts? I answered her question honestly though, if we were going to get along then we had to be honest with one another.

Abandoning the fragile conversation, I moved to a small boom box in the corner of the space. 'Too Close' by Alex Clare started to play out through the large speakers in each corner of the studio as I hit one of the buttons. My dank mood lifted instantly and I could see that my cousin was in need of some cheering up.

"Let's get going then!" I grinned, clapping my hands together in excitement.

Sook looked terribly nervous and I couldn't blame her for it, I'd been petrified the first time I'd had to use my magic. Moving back to her I took her hands and sat down on the floor, pulling her with me. Crossing my legs, I sat her opposite me and started to talk her through what was going to happen today.

"Okay Sook, fairies can generate and control large beams of light with their minds, they can use this ability to attack an enemy, heal another, topple large objects or help with someone's emotions. The ability has been described as "nature itself" and works on humans, the two natured and vampires. It also has been shown to break and reverse magic spells, and I know you can testify to that as you cured Eric. The light varies in colour depending on how you're using it. It's gold if you wish to attack and harm, white if you wish to topple large objects, green if you wish to heal another and red if you wish to help with another's emotions. I think we'll start with the emotions first seeing as how it's the easiest of the four to do." I stated, watching Sookie to make sure she was following me. She nodded her head for me to continue.

"Okay, you can use this type of light to increase or decrease the emotions someone is feeling. It's useful, for example, if you find yourself needing information from someone who's emotionally distraught. You can take the emotions influencing them away from them so that they can think clearly. The beautiful thing about this is that the emotions don't backfire on you, they just simply disappear. You can retain those emotions as you question them, if you wish, and give them back to the person in question after you have what you want, but I often find it the kinder thing to do is to just get rid of the negative emotions all together. Are you following this?" I asked.

For a moment Sookie was silent and I could almost feel the cogs in her head whizzing round. Finally she nodded in confirmation and I grinned, continuing on with my explanation. "Okay, it can also be used to intensify emotions, such as the love you feel for your Viking. Usually this use of the light is reserved to more private places, such as the bedroom where apparently it can make sex even better. Don't quote me on that though!" I laughed and Sookie's laughter joined mine almost immediately. Her thought at that moment drifted into my mind, _I don't think it's possible for sex to actually get any better_. It only cemented my need to exchange notes with her later

Once our laughter subsided I continued. "Say for example your vampire is happy and you want to prolong his happiness, you can turn up the emotion using your light."

"Isn't this basically manipulation? I don't like the thought of that." Sookie broke into my speech and I was quick to respond, my thoughts on the topic flowing freely.

"Yes and no. Yes because it might not be something they want and no because you're in fact helping them. You're easing their suffering. There have been cases that I've heard of where fairies use this gift in a dark manner, feeding peoples negative emotions until the person becomes overwhelmed and kills him or herself. Used responsibly however this is honestly a great gift. I've used it a few times on Ari and Oeri and they've always been grateful for it." I stated, offering out my hands to my cousin.

"Take my hands and we'll start. The first thing you have to do is feel the other person's emotions, due to your ability to venture into peoples minds that will be easy and your bond with your vampire will make working with him easy too." I informed her as she placed her hand in mine. "I'm going to think of something that makes me happy and I want you to focus on MY feeling of happiness, don't let your own emotions get in the way. I then want you to think of a volume dial and turn it up slowly." I instructed.

"Okay." Sookie nodded and closed her eyes in order to concentrate. I watched as a small red light came from her hands and I too shut my eyes so that she wouldn't feel awkward about me staring at her. Her mind opened up and I allowed it into mine, knowing that she would be able to access other peoples minds easily too. Flitting between hundreds of different moments over the millenniums that had made me happy, I finally settled for one where my happiness wasn't over bubbling, allowing Sookie to control it and allowing me to sense how she was getting along. I'd chosen the memory of the glass blower in Italy when he'd started to teach me Italian. He'd taken me under his wing and treated me like his own daughter and that had indeed made me rather happy.

We sat in silence for a few minutes and I felt nothing but the tingling sensation in my hands from her magic tickling mine. I was about to open my eye and speak to her in order to offer her encouragement when I began to feel my level of happiness start to rise slowly. Keeping quiet so as not to startle my kinswoman and her concentration, I smiled to myself as I felt her take my happiness up another notch. She continued this for another couple of minutes before I finally broke off, knowing that if she continued too much I would be overcome with my emotions. I slowly started to lift my shields, scooting her out of my mind a little at a time until finally my shields were fully up and Sookie was no longer within my head.

Snapping my eyes open, I caught Sookie opening her eyes at the same time with a gleeful grin on her features. "I did it! I actually did it!" she squealed happily and I couldn't help but smile fondly at her. "Why did you push me out of your mind though?" she suddenly asked, a light frown on her features.

"There is only so much emotion, good or bad, that a person can take. Later on during your training we'll discuss how you can tell how much emotion someone is feeling and what the limit is for each person. The last thing you need is someone having a meltdown. As for easing your mind out slowly, that's the most important part and I'll teach you that at a later date too. If you withdraw suddenly it leaves a great big emotional hole in the other person and could do more damage than good. I suggest you don't experiment with this with anyone other than me, including your Viking. He's been taught how to block out his emotions over the years and a sudden influx of them could seriously knock him off of his game." I warned, knowing that something happening to Eric was Sookie's worst fear. Call me cruel for playing on her emotions but I needed her to understand the severity of this gift if misused.

Nodding her head in understand, she still wore her grin as she spoke once more. "What now?"

"Now I want you to take away my negative emotions. This is a lot harder as you have to carefully extract the current emotion from me. I want you to picture a hand in your mind plucking the emotion out of my mind. If you were going to relieve someone of the emotion for good then you would imagine the hand dropping the emotion into a bin, however I wish to keep the emotion attached afterwards so then you would drop the emotion back into my mind. I'm going to pick a memory that you might find emotionally taxing, please don't panic or worry, you need to keep your own emotions in check okay?" I asked again, knowing this side of the red light was a lot harder and potentially more dangerous.

Sookie wavered for a moment, nibbling her bottom lip in contemplation. I had to tell her about the fact the memory wouldn't be pleasant, as she would most likely witness it. Finally I held my hands out as before and she placed hers on top of them, finally dropping my shields to allow her access as I shut my eyes. The memory came barreling back to me.

I was stood in my chambers back in the palace, dressed from head to toe in a pure white traditional Egyptian dress, my mothers crown resting upon my blonde head of hair. During my days one moving in with the other usually completed a marriage between two people, but the royalty liked to make a big show and dance about it. My house help, including my Vizier, had been standing with me and as I looked down at my appearance I found myself feeling physically sick. The guilt inside of me at the prospect of betraying my childhood sweetheart had been too much to bear. I'd told my Vizier that I didn't want to marry someone I didn't love and that I never would. I told him that Osiris had taken the one person I loved from me and that I wanted to be with him. My longing and sadness over the loss I had been feeling at the time regarding my beloved overpowered me as the memory continued to play. I could feel the raw emotion of my sadness as I recalled making the choice to leave behind my empire and fake my own death in order to escape not only my marriage, but also questions regarding my lack of ageing. I was giving up my home, my throne, my empire.

Almost as soon as the sadness started to consume me it was gone. Vanished. Instead I felt proud of Sookie though made sure to keep my memory there so that she would be able to easily replace the feelings. Slowly I felt the sadness start to creep up on me again and I screwed my eyes shut until finally my sadness returned completely. Calling forth my 2000 years of perfect mental control, I slowly started to ease Sookie out of my mind, the waves of sadness pushing against my shields, demanding to be let out. It took me a little longer than usual to get Sookie out but she was patient with me and finally I opened my eyes to look at her.

Her hands were still in mine and she gave them a gentle squeeze of reassurance, the tidal waves of sadness starting to roll backwards, as if the tide were going out and finally I shut out the emotion completely. "You truly did give up everything for him, your love for him is beautiful." She commented quietly, sincerity lacing her words. "I hope the love I share with Eric will stand the test of time too."

"It will do, cousin. You are meant to be with one another, you're his mate and he's yours. I fear that everything that has transpired between you will be nothing like what's coming our way, but I know the Viking adores you. I can hear it in his mind. Embrace it; there is nothing more wonderful than knowing an ancient, powerful and beautiful creature wants you." I assured her, understanding her need for security with the matter. Compton had shattered her trust and Eric was trying his hardest to rebuild it. It was simply wonderful to behold.

"You did really well though, Sook. I felt relief the moment you plucked the emotion from me and then it crept back in slowly as you popped it back. You're good at this, but I still don't want you trying it out on others okay?" I reiterated, not wanting any harm to come to anyone. I had an abundance of memories with varying degrees of emotional attachment that she could play with.

"I promise you." She vowed. "Which one is next?" she asked excitedly and I could tell even without being in her mind that she was bouncing around with anticipation. No one had trained her to use any of her gifts yet and I found that rather saddening. She had picked up the emotional part of her gift so well. Sparing a glance to the clock I noticed it was 3:45pm.

"Well we have three quarters of an hour until our vampires join us so I suggest we grab some food and then continue this afterwards, we're going to need the Viking for the next part. How do you feel energy wise?" I asked, not wanting to run her down too much this evening.

"I feel a little tired and a little hungry if I'm honest but other than that I feel dandy." She responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

Taking her hand once again I gauged her tiredness and found to my relief that she wasn't completely worn out. A little bit of food and she would feel better. Rising from my feet I turned off the stereo and offered a hand down to her. She graciously took it and pulled herself up. "What do I say to Eric when he wakes up? About the whole dream thing?" she asked me as we descended the staircase back into the main area of the penthouse.

Pursing my lips together in contemplation I ran numerous scenarios through my head before finally settling on one. "Don't say anything at first, if he mentions it within the first hour then be honest with him, if he doesn't mention it then I suggest you bring it up. As it was a rather personal dream I'm sure he would want you to tell him that you witnessed it. You cannot tell him I saw it though. I would never dream of taking him on because of his attachment to both you and Godric but he might despise the fact that I was privy to something so personal when he hardly knows me and it could cause unwanted friction between the four of us and he may lash out." I replied, airing on the edge of caution. I didn't want to fall out with the blonde vampire, I wanted him to like me, but I was well aware of how secretive vampires were in regards to their human and personal lives.

Reaching the kitchen, Flo was no where to be seen so I made my way to the fridge, producing a plate of salmon and some crème fraîche before moving to the cupboard and grabbing some crackers. Picking up two plates I carefully smeared the crème fraîche onto the crackers before delicately placing a piece of fish on the top. Sookie slid onto one of the barstool opposite me. "You may find that the more time you spend around vampires, the less you eat. It's important that you eat to keep up your energy levels so that you'll be able to use your powers at a moments notice." I pointed out, finishing up Sookie's plate of food and sliding it across the granite surface to her with a napkin. She accepted it happily and started to tuck in, making little moans of approval as the taste flooded into her mouth. I poured us both a glass of ice tea and placed them down on the surface.

"Good?" I asked with a grin as I finished crafting my own food. Nodding her head eagerly, Sookie wolfed another cracker. I would have to tell the Viking that she was a fan of the dish so that he could make sure she had some more when they went back home. Sliding onto the stool next to her we ate in companionable silence for a couple of minutes.

"Did you tell Godric last night that you could hear him?" Sookie broke the silence, popping another piece of cracker into her mouth.

Nodding, I finished my mouthful. "Yeah, it didn't happen how I had hoped it would. He was thinking about how I could 'redeem' his 'corrupt' soul and I kinda let the cat out of the bag when I told him that if he thinks his soul is corrupt then I'd happily redeem him. It was too obvious to pin it onto coincidence so I came clean." I confessed, even making air quotes to properly convey Godric's words. Remembering the night before only made me wish for my vampire to rise sooner. I missed him terribly. 2000 years of separation had caused me to become a little clingy. I cringed internally at the memory of begging him to keep himself inside of me as I fell asleep, never had I been so insecure in my life. I was a Pharaoh for goodness sake! The daughter of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar!

"I don't want to push, but have you been able to figure out why I can't hear them?" Sookie quizzed, wiping her hands on her napkin as she pushed her empty plate away from her. Taking her glass of ice tea she took a long gulp, returning it to the surface a moment later.

"I looked over a few ancient textbooks I have this morning, while you were still sleeping, and I get the feeling that Niall protected your mind from their thoughts on purpose. I was born and raised surrounded by them even though I didn't know it, which is why Niall never bothered to hide my ability from me, but when you were born vampires were still a myth and they hadn't 'come out the coffin' yet, you had no contact with them so there was no need for you to be able to hear them. What was interesting was the fact that you can break it yourself however it requires a ritual, which I can have Oeri perform for you as he's my doctor and shaman and was well known for his talents during my human years, but it also requires your will. You have to **want** to hear their thoughts and have a valid reason for it. I believe you only need to want to hear **one** vampire and all the others just open up to you. I'm guessing you'd want to hear the Viking?" I relayed the information I had uncovered this morning, sensing now was a good time to tell her anyway. She would need to discuss this with Eric.

"I'm curious as to why Niall blocked their thoughts from me. I get snippets every now and then but I don't get context or anything. It's highly frustrating." She scowled. "But yes, I would want to hear Eric's thoughts."

Laughing gently at her scowl, I finished off my plate before pushing it aside too. "I think he did it to protect you, cousin. If you could hear vampire's thoughts they would covet you more or be more intimated by you. Before you had the Viking you were vulnerable to a vampire attack and they wouldn't think twice if they knew you could hear them. I know you can handle yourself but you forget that they're far more powerful than you and you're fragile." I pointed out, not wanting her to start with her speech about independence. It was one thing to be independent yet acting like like you didn't need help from others if it endangered your life or the lives of those around you was simply stupid and selfish.

For a moment I thought she was going to argue with me yet I was pleasantly surprised when she didn't. Instead she sighed and nodded her head in resignation. "You're right. Can I ask you something though? Why do you always refer to Eric as 'the Viking' and never by his name?" she inquired, tipping her head sideways like I had done numerous times the night before.

Smiling at her observational skills, I answered her question truthfully. "It's my show of respect if you will, referring to him as Mr. Northman in your presence would be strange given the formality of it and simply calling him Eric would denote some form of friendship and I get the feeling he's not one to forge friendships easily and that I'm going to have to earn it. That's okay with me though. By referring to him as 'the Viking' I'm being polite and acknowledging the fact that he's old and that with his age comes power." I explained with a shrug of my shoulders. I assumed Eric didn't wish for me to call him by his first name, he hadn't asked me too yet. Sookie was family so we were automatically allowed to call one another whatever we wished, even if her good Southern manners had told her to call me Miss Caesar originally. As for Godric, we had so many pet names for one another during our human days, and now that we were back with one another, that I hardly ever used his real name unless we were in formal company or, as proven last night, when overtaken with a strong emotion.

Sliding from her stool, Sookie took our plates to the sink and placed them in before flinching and groaning in slight pain. "What's up?" I quizzed with a scowl, remembering where the painkillers were in case she needed them.

Making her way back to the stool she slipped back on before giving me a sheepish smile. "Muscles are still sore from last night." She explained with a light blush.

I couldn't help but laugh, her constant blushing was so entertaining! "He lives up to his reputation I assume?" I smirked, quirking an eyebrow at my cousin.

Suddenly her face turned into shock and surprise, then one of caution. "How do you know about his reputation?"

"I own a casino full of vampires who gossip, your presence last night didn't go unnoticed. Ari and Khai managed to gleam as much information about him, and what Godric has done for past 2000 years, out of them and left it for me in a little folder on the counter this morning. I looked over it before I heard you coming this way" I responded nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders.

She paused for thought for a moment, absorbing the news that I had effectively spied on them. "In that case, yes, he does." She replied with a shy smile, her blush darkening. I couldn't help but laugh at her innocence. The longer she spent around the vampires the quicker that would vanish. They had a far more lax approach to sex and nudity and I prayed that Sookie would accept that soon.

"What about you, are your muscles still complaining?" she asked, trying to be casual with her question though I could see through her façade. That was the beauty of the fae, we could see right through one another. It made identifying liars and such easier.

"Terribly so, but I'm trying not to numb it with painkillers. I won't allow anything to dull the ache of finally clearing away over 2000 years of abstaining. I'm telling you, those first few centuries were terrible. My urges were all over the place, but I knew I would feel guilty if I ever took another to my bed. I could never betray him like that, even though I thought he was dead." I paused a moment. "Truly dead." I corrected with a shake of my head and a small laugh.

"I was unpacking our stuff last night and Eric was teasing me about my underwear and all of a sudden he had me pinned to the wall and was all over me. His eyes were dilated and everything, and I was practically drowning in the lust in our bond. I haven't a clue where it came from." She mused aloud and I instantly felt guilty.

Grimacing slightly, I licked my lips to wet them. "That's my fault, sorry. We were a little rough with one another, seems neither of us could get enough of the other. I guess he had his bond with the Viking all he way open, and the poor guy felt his lust and took it out on you."

"It's fine, I think I got to experience at least 800 years of his 1000 years of experience." She laughed. "And if that was anything to go by I don't think I want to know what it was like to be on the receiving end of 2000 years of experience!" she grinned, a light blush blossoming upon her cheeks as she no doubt remembered her adventures the previous night.

"Fabulous! I may have been a nun before last night but without a shadow of a doubt I can say that last night truly beats every coupling I've had to witness and feel when poking around in peoples head, and I've been in a lot of peoples heads!" I chuckled as a mischievous idea came into to mind. "I tell you, he did this wonderful thing with his tongue where h-"

"WOAH! Too much information! Stop there!" Sookie suddenly demanded, a shocked expression on her features and her hands held up in a position of surrender as her blush deepened to bright red.

I couldn't contain my laughter, it was just too much! "You're face was priceless! You're so easy to embarrass!"

"Personally I don't think you should stop there, my darling. Tell me more about my wonderful tongue and everything it did to you last night." The soft-spoken voice drifted through the kitchen.

My laughter stopped instantly, replaced instead by a huge grin as I turned my head to the door. I wasn't at all embarrassed about the conversation, after 2000 years all my inhibitions had been taken from me. If anything, his words were only bringing back the memories from the night before and I was finding it difficult to control my rising lust. My vampire was stood leaning against the doorframe, looking as beautiful as always, a smirk on his features as he waited for me to answer him. Eric was stood behind him looking suitably entertained at the conversation he and his Maker had walked in on.


	20. Storm Warning

**A/N Things get a little political in the next chapter and our favourite blonde lady vamp gets into contact within the next couple of chapters!**

**Sookie may seem a little OOC in this and cry a bit (not that that's much change from TB..thanks Alan Ball and Co. -_-) I was watching a few episodes of both Season 3 and 4 today and I realised that after everything that's happened to her she hasn't really had a chance for a mini breakdown and to let it out of her system. I also want to create super strong foundations for her relationship with Eric so bear with me!**

**I also think the song for this chapter is perfect for E's thoughts on S...opinions? :)**

**www dot midnightopheliac dot wordpress dot com**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_She rolled in from the west in a summer sundress, hotter than the heat in July_  
_With her wind blown hair it just wasn't fair the way she was blowin' my mind_  
_Have you ever noticed every hurricane gets its name from a girl like this_  
_She's a cat five kind, keeps you up at night hangin' on to the edge of a kiss_  
_She's a beautiful mess, the kind you love to love but what happens next,_  
_I got a feeling when the sun comes up I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_  
_I'm gonna wish I had a sign, I'm gonna wish I had a little heads up, little lee-way, little more time_  
_Some kind of radar system, locked in on love,_  
_I got a feeling by the time the night finds the morning, I'm gonna wish I had a storm warning_  
_~ Storm Warning, Hunter Hayes_

I had gone to my day rest in blissful peace after having made love throughly to my beautiful twice-bonded. The light-tight shutters had enabled me to fall asleep next to my little fae and I had expected her to be at my side when I rose for the night. Of course she threw me off centre by not being present. My day rest had been disturbed for the first time in my 1000 years as a vampire, I had dreamt, and vampires never dream. It wasn't the sweet dream I had hoped for though, one where my lover would allow me to claim her and make love to her. No, this dream had been raw and painful, a memory of my former life and even in my day rest I had struggled with the emotions. At some point, while I was forced to watch the death of my family, I felt a surge of my lovers emotions; a spike of anger and a wave of jealousy. How curious. Thankfully the memory had been relatively short and had slipped away some time ago, allowing me to enjoy the rest of my day rest in peace.

The moment the sun dipped below the horizon my eyes snapped open, my bond with Godric flourishing into life as he too woke. Bringing my thumb and forefinger up to my face, I pinched the bridge of my nose in a desperate attempt to try to shake the feelings from earlier. Sensing my distress, it came as no surprise that Godric entered my room moments later, clad in a pair of soft white cotton jogging pants and a soft white t-shirt with the top three buttons undone to showcase his tattoo. I figured he did it purely to appease Ata if her comments when she first met during their human years him were anything to go by.

He looked at me with concern for a moment before sitting at the end of the bed. "I felt your distress in your day rest, will you please share with me what that was about?" he inquired gently, allowing me an out if I didn't wish to share.

Usually I was in such good control of my emotions, but that had been the single worst moment of my life – both alive and undead. "I dreamt for the first time in over a thousand years, the murder of my family. It was so clear and I could do nothing to stop it, it was like a movie without the stop button, Godric." I explained, finally letting my hand fall and my eyes lock onto my Maker's. He knew I wasn't after sympathy so instead he pushed his love for me through our bond and stood, gently rubbing my shoulder in a manner a father would a scared child.

"Our dreams cannot hurt us. You left that life long ago and I cannot take the emotional pain from you, if it were possible you know that I would. Come, my son. Our mates await us. I can feel Ata's guilt and amusement through my weak bond with her. What do you feel from Miss Stackhouse?" he asked me as a diversion, once again formally addressing my twice bonded.

"I feel Sookie's amusement too, and slight embarrassment." I responded with a small smile. Rising from the bed I didn't care that I was naked, Godric had see me unclothed hundreds of times during our years together. Moving to the walk in wardrobe I pulled on some clean underwear and a pair of black jogging bottoms with a dark wife-beater. I had no idea what the plans for the evening were and I could always change later.

I could sense my lover within the penthouse and she was not far away. Godric walked before me, following his own tie to Ata and as we approached the door to the kitchen area, their conversation started to drift into our ears.

"That's my fault, sorry. We were a little rough with one another, seems neither of us could get enough of the other. I guess he had his bond with the Viking all he way open, and the poor guy felt his lust and took it out on you." Ata was apologising to my Sookie. That explains why I practically ravaged Sookie last night! Looking down at Godric, due to height and not disrespect, I quirked an eyebrow in his direction. A sheepish smile graced his boyish features as he looked up at me before he shrugged his shoulders in a 'so what?' gesture.

"It's fine, I think I got to experience of at least eight-hundred years of his one-thousand years of experience." Sookie laughed. "And if that was anything to go by I don't think I want to know what it was like to be on the receiving end of 2000 years of experience!" I couldn't help but smirk; I was of course known for my sexual prowess. Perhaps it was time to show my lover what a full 1000 years of experience would be like? My mind wandered away from me for a few minutes as I fantasised about everything I could do with my lover. I knew that some things would be a little too much for her but I hoped she was up for experimenting a little. I would never push her too far though.

"Fabulous! I may have been a nun before last night but without a shadow of a doubt I can say that last night truly beats every coupling I've had to witness and feel when poking around in peoples heads, and I've been in a lot of peoples heads!" We continued to listen, hearing Ata chuckle after her speech. I could see that my Maker had puffed his chest out slightly with pride and I had to withhold my own laughter, though I allowed him to feel my amusement at the situation.

"I tell you, he did this wonderful thing with his tongue where h-" that curveball had both of us reeling. Surely she wasn't one to kiss and tell! Of course Godric clearly seemed pleased that she'd enjoyed his ministrations and I couldn't help but wonder how much my Maker had advanced in that department. He had only ever fucked a few women during the centuries I had spent with him and that had only come about due to bloodlust. I suppose he could have read up about it, I myself owned quite a collection of erotic literature and 'manuals', at least whatever talents he had acquired he'd put to good use.

"WOAH! Too much information! Stop there!" Sookie suddenly demanded, I could feel the embarrassment and shock through the bond and it was almost too much to bear. Ah at least Ata was able to wind up my lover during the day when I could not!

My Maker's mate started laughing loudly and freely, "You're face was priceless! You're so easy to embarrass!"

Sensing it was time to enter, Godric motioned for me to follow his lead and he casually pushed the kitchen door open, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed across his chest, a hint of a smirk on his lips. "Personally I don't think you should stop there, my darling. Tell me more about my wonderful tongue and everything it did to you last night." He asked of his mate. I stood behind him, thoroughly entertained with the scene. I took in Ata's large grin as she slid from the barstool and practically bounced up to Godric, planting a sweet kiss to his lips. Turning I then observed my Sookie's smile, but I felt a tinge of nervousness through the bond and was that, fear? Yes, it was. Why on earth would she be fearful?

"How was your day rest?" she asked with a flutter of her eyelashes. The memories from earlier flooded my mind and I took a moment to compose myself before flashing her one of my dazzling smile. "Absolutely wonderful, how was your day?" I asked in response, crossing the room to her and pulling her off the stool and into my embrace. Her arms wrapped themselves around my neck and she gave me a chaste kiss.

"It was great, Ata and I started working on some of my abilities. She has this amazing studio upstairs and it's all hidden away where she can practice undisturbed. She taught me all about my light and dre-…urm…other stuff." She quickly repaired her words, slapping on her 'Crazy Sookie' smile. Something smelt fishy.

"You smell like the perfect combination of fairy and sunshine, my sweet. Did you spend time outside today?" Godric asked Ata, leaning in to sniff her skin. Copying his actions, I sniffed Sookie's neck and was hit with the heady scent of her potent blood and sunshine. Clearly being in each others company increased their supernatural scent, something both Godric and I would have to be wary of.

"I did, we both did actually, specially for the pair of you." Ata told Godric with a sweet smile, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before moving out of his arms and towards Sookie and I. She stopped by my side, looking at my twice bonded with utter affection. "Sookie did so well today, she picked up everything so quickly. I was quite surprised that she picked everything up with such ease, given the small fraction of fae blood in her." Ata commented. My Sookie had looked up at me, my eyes locked hers and I gave her a smile, pushing my pride for her through the bond. She accepted it gratefully and sent me back a wave of love.

Spotting an opportunity, I voiced the one thing had been bothering me since I had woken up. "Seems it's a day of surprises, I dreamt for the first time in over 1000 years." I mused aloud.

Almost instantly Sookie's heartbeat skyrocketed and she visibly paled a little, Ata's own heartbeat increased a little too. I could sense that they had something to do with it. The two seemed to be having a silent conversation, their eyes locked to one another as they obviously worked out whatever it is they're going to say. "I bet that was a nice change." Ata finally broke the momentary silence, flashing me a smile that probably made every male in the casino spend more money and throw marriage proposals at her. I was immune to it though; my Sookie's smile was my favourite.

"It would have been, but my dream wasn't too pleasant." I commented with a shrug, acting as if it didn't bother me. I heard Ata gulp and Sookie's hands, which were resting on the back of my neck, had a thin layer of perspiration on them.

"Oh, that's a shame." Sookie murmured, her eyes darting between Ata and I.

"What were the 'other things' Ata taught you, there was something about dre- but then you cut off?" I pushed, knowing I would need a firm hand with this.

"It's my fault, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad, I didn't know what would happen." Sookie finally cracked, tears welling up in her eyes. I heard Ata sigh lowly in frustration. While I didn't appreciate her trying to keep my bonded from telling me things I understood the frustration. Sookie would need to toughen up and learn not to crack so quickly. Edgington could take her at any moment and she would need to be mentally strong enough not to give in and spill everything.

At the realisation however that Sookie had witnessed that memory, my jaw clenched and my eyes rounded onto Ata who stood tall, chin out in a defiant stance. My anger was almost threatening to bubble over. How dare she dictate what my lover should do to me when I am vulnerable in my day rest! "You dared to suggest she pry on my mind in my sleep?" I hissed at the older female.

In the time it had taken me to turn my eyes to her, Godric had slinked up behind her to stand protectively over her, poised to strike. The thought that my Maker would harm me if I were to hurt Ata cut deep, but I reminded myself that it would be seen as a blood offence given that they have started the bonding process and for that Godric could do as he pleased with me, regardless of my connection to him. Weighing up my options I settled for a scathing glare, one that I had used many times over the centuries which had turned powerful vampires into frightened puddles. Yet the woman before me still stood tall, not at all bothered by my gaze.

"We were working on dream infiltration and you happened to be the only sleeping being that Sookie trusted enough to experiment with. I apologise that we didn't ask first but lets face it, all four of us were rather busy last night." She pointed out and although I hated to admit it, she was right. Glancing at my bonded she remained in my arms though I could feel a tinge of her fear, a tear had slipped down her cheek and not one to waste an opportunity I scooped it up and popped it into my mouth. It tasted utterly wonderful.

"She asked you a question and your dream gave her a response, though I truly don't think it was the response she was after. Don't take it out on her, I obviously didn't tell her how to phrase the question correctly, Viking. She was doing as instructed. If you have an issue with anything then you can take it out on me." The eldest fairy continued.

Turning to my lover I looked down at her for a moment. "What was the question you asked?" I demanded, resenting that my privacy had been shattered. I would need to know what she'd requested before I could lay blame at the other fairies feet and make her pay for it. At this moment I cared none for whatever punishment Godric would dish out. I had no qualms in sharing information with my lover about my past, she could know it all if she wanted, but hearing it from me and seeing it in my mind were two different things entirely. Also, by telling her verbally, I could miss out the worst segments.

"I wanted…" she whispered, her voice scratchy before she cleared her throat. "I wanted to know what it was you were after in Russell's mansion, why you shouted at me and told me I meant nothing to you." She answered me.

It was it everything stopped as that memory hit me like a freight train. She'd been sat in Russell's study and I'd had her pinned in place in her chair, I'd been right up in her face spitting at her that she meant nothing to me. I'd never apologised nor explained, maybe that was why she'd rebuffed me so much the moment she'd returned from Faery. I'd told her she meant nothing to me; chained her up like an animal in the basement of Fangtasia, fang raped her along with Edgington and then told her about Bill's betrayal. I'd bought her house and crept up on her when she'd been changing and I'd built myself a cubby there without telling her. Not to mention everything prior to the Russell incident – I'd tricked her into taking my blood and that had obviously angered her, yet she had still saved Godric from the roof, and I'd sent her into the Fellowship church knowing it was a trap. I'd hurt her so many times and yet she had taken me in and looked after me when I'd lost my memory, she'd gone up on that roof to save my Maker because I couldn't, she'd told me to stay and fight rather than run away with her that one night we were in bed together, she'd helped me out whenever I had wanted her to and I had never thanked her for it. It was no wonder she preferred the puppy dog version of myself, at least he'd had manners and complimented her frequently. It was only natural for her to question my devotion for her now I was back to my normal self. Ack! What've I done?

During our little exchange Ata and Godric had slipped out of the room together, and my Maker had shut down his half of the bond, obviously not wanting to influence my emotions. I was grateful to them both for leaving me in peace. I would deal with Ata later. Not knowing what to say in response I watched my lover for a moment, observing her shaky frame, the tears rolling down her cheeks and her wobbling lower lip.

"Please don't cry." I finally asked gently, moving to capture her tears but she flinched. She flinched. Anguished at her action I felt lost at what to do. It wasn't an emotion I was use to and one I didn't particularly like. I could buy her diamonds to make it up to her, perhaps a new car, or she might like some new sundresses. _She doesn't care for material possessions_ I reminded myself, sighing internally What the hell am I suppose to do? I mused to myself, attempting to touch her again. This time she didn't flinch away and I managed to place my palm against her cheek, brushing my thumb against her cheekbone as I looked down into her baby blue eyes.

_If I may make a suggestion, dress up and take her for dinner this evening. Have dinner at the Paris Las Vegas in the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, the food and service are both incredible and they're vampire friendly. I know the man who owns the hotel, give the staff my name and they'll give you my usual table, which has beautiful views overlooking the entire strip. _The voice broke through my train of thought and if it weren't for the Egyptian lilt I would not have guessed whom it was.

_You're in my head._ I commented, maintaining my cool. The last thing I needed was to lose it again. The thought that Ata could enter my mind whenever she chose to riled me slightly but at the same time her suggestion sounded rather good.

_I was going to tell you this evening about the fact I can hear you, and then I was going to continue my training with Sookie, but of course this clusterfuck occurred. Besides, your mind is as open as a whore's legs. Sookie loves you, Viking. I held her as she cried for you earlier, she felt your pain at the memory and I could tell that she wanted to carry it with you. She was so frightened afterwards when she asked me if you'd be mad at her. You forget sometimes that she's human, and you're, well, you. She needs the reassurance you aren't going to abandon her sometime for someone else, cast her aside like some rag doll. She doesn't want diamonds and flowers and clothes and candy, she just wants you to share yourself with her – your memories, your thoughts, your plans._ Ata's voice continued on in my mind as I slowly pulled my lover closer to me, cautiously wrapping my arms around her in an embrace. For a moment she was rigid in my arms but tentatively she returned it. Relief washed through me as she wrapped her arms around my waist in return. She'd cried for me, cried for the loss of my human family even though it had been centuries before her time. The God's had truly gifted me and here I was getting angry simply because she wanted to be more involved in my life and know more about me.

_You want to know what she told me this morning? She told me she believes you're her mate. She told me about the first time she ventured to your bar and felt this tug to approach you, how she was too shy to act upon it. I apologise for prying but I believe you felt the tug as well, and appreciated the little red and white sundress she wore to your establishment. She still has it you know, she brought it with her._ I smiled at the thought of my lover in that delicious scrap of fabric. It had clung to her curves so perfectly the night I had first clapped eyes on her. It was interesting to note that we both felt a tugging sensation to be near one another, it was another reason why I had called her up to my throne. The moment she sassed me, by the Gods! I'd never been spoken to like that before and yet I found myself craving another smart retort from her pretty lips. It had taken all of my control not to snatch her from Compton, rip her dress off and fuck her senseless on my throne in front of everyone in the bar.

_I don't wish to overstep my mark here but I think she's proven her depth of love to you numerous times after everything she's been through that has involved you. I think, if I may, that it's time you step up to the plate and accept the fact she's your mate, accept that you're going to share your lives with one another. I know you were taught to hide your emotions and to never have a weakness, but that's not healthy. Tell her your secrets, tell her about your memories, show them to her if they're acceptable and in return she'll continue to stand by your side, her adoration for you will continue to grow and she'll start sharing things with you. Love is a two way street, you'd do well to remember that._ Ata's voice continued.

Absentmindedly I stroked the back of my lover's head, holding her close. Her fae scent had increased slightly and it was a wonderfully intoxicating bliss. Her tears had stopped falling and she was no longer shaking, and instead her head was buried in my chest as she clung to me. It was foolish of me to think that my words back in Russell's mansion would have no effect on her.

_For someone whose head I wanted to rip off a few minutes ago, you're being awfully nice._ I deadpanned.

_I'm not your enemy, Viking. I want what is best for my cousin, and you happen to be it. I've been around for over 2000 years, I've seen love between so many people, so many species, and yet none compare to the love I've witnessed between the pair of you. It's truly a beautiful thing._ Ata complimented. I couldn't help but smile, pressing a loving kiss to the top of Sookie's head.

_We both want what is best for her so I propose we work as a team. In which case that makes you a friend, and therefore I feel 'Viking' is obsolete. Please, call me Eric from now on._ I returned, knowing it was a way to thank the older fairy.

I could almost hear her musical laughter in my head; it was a rather strange sensation. _Well then Eric, off you go. It's Monday night and I have Sheriff duties to attend to. I'm going to kidnap your Maker for a while, make him sit in an take notes before I ravage him until dawn, hope you don't mind!_ She cheerily abandoned my head and I felt a slight twinge as she withdrew. Could Sookie do that now? She'd said before that she wasn't able too; maybe they'd worked on that today also. Woah, one thing at a time Northman!

Pulling myself back to the present I lent backwards, capturing Sookie's face in my hands. With my eyes trained on hers I realised I owed her an explanation as well as an apology. "My beloved, let me take you for dinner. I have heard that you can have dinner at the top of the Eiffel Tower statue not too far from here. It overlooks all of the strip and everything is lit up at this time of night."

She looked up at me for a moment and I could practically see the wheels in her mind turning, then I received a rush of relief and gratitude through the bond I shared with her and she smiled absentmindedly. She'd obviously just sought counsel with her kinswoman. With a small nod and a gentle smile she took my large hand in her small one and started to move back towards the bedroom to change. I wanted our misunderstanding to be sorted and stored away, so I pulled her gently into my arms as we neared the door, planting a sweet kiss to her plump lips before letting her go. "I love you, Sookie." I reminded her, opening the door to let her pass. I would make this up to her.


	21. Scream

**A/N Some cuteness before the start of the storm! :)**

**Gonna remind you now, no beta so all mistakes are my own, please point out any serious flaws for me!**

**www dot midnightopheliac dot wordpress dot com**

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**GODRIC'S POV**

_Caught up in this madness too blind to see, woke animal feelings in me  
Took over my sense and I lost control, I'll taste your blood tonight  
You know I make you wanna scream  
You know I make you wanna run from me baby, but know it's too late you've wasted all your time  
Relax while you're closing your eyes to me, so warm as I'm setting you free  
With your arms by your side there's no struggling, pleasure's all mine this time  
You know I make you wanna scream  
You know I make you wanna run from me baby, but know it's too late you've wasted all your time  
~ Scream, Avenged Sevenfold_

I was worried for my Childe, I had felt his distress during his day rest but had been unable to fight the pull of the sun, as it had hung high in the sky, in order to go and reassure him. Of course the conversation between my Ata, Sookie and my Childe had enlightened me to the cause of his distress. My angel was willing to endure my Childe's fury so that Sookie would not be upset. A commendable trait, but I would never let it happen.

Slinking up behind her, I knew I wasn't taller than my Childe however I took a protective stance, standing on the balls of my feet so I could pounce if he made any move to attack her. While I wasn't keen on hurting Eric, who had so valiantly stood by my side for the whole of his undead life, I knew I would do anything to save Ata's life. It would be classed as a blood offence if Eric were to harm her, as I had already started the bonding process with her. I wouldn't punish my Childe terribly, just enough so that he would know not to harm a hair on her head ever again.

I noted that Eric seemed to weigh up his options before finally settling on a scathing glare. Ata stood tall though and I was immensely proud of her.

The moment Eric turned his attention to Sookie, Ata grabbed my cool hand with her warm one, tugging me gently out of the room so the pair could settle things themselves. Back in the corridor, Ata shut the door behind us before turning to me. Instinct took over and seconds later I had her pinned to the back of the door, my lips on hers as my hands wandered across her body and under her shirt, exploring every contour. I swallowed her breathy moan before peeling my lips from hers so she could breathe. I dropped my head to her neck, inhaling her sweet scent as I scattered more kisses on her creamy skin. I could scent her arousal too. "Good evening, my love." I rumbled, nuzzling her throat.

Her dainty hands had found their way to the nape of my neck and were playing with the short hairs there. "Good evening, baby." She whispered in response, and I could almost hear the smile on her lips. If anyone else dared to call me baby I would tear them apart limb by limb, my young looks were deceiving, but my Ata could call me whatever she wished and I would happily accepted it. I wanted her; I wanted to ravage her right there in the corridor. Pressing my crotch to hers, I let my current feelings be known and the sweet moan that tumbled from her roughly parted lips was music to my ears.

I was about to reconnect our lips, and allow my hands to wander into the leggings she had on, when she suddenly pushed me back, quickly adjusted her shirt and plastering on her beautiful smile. Ari turned into the corridor just at that moment. God damn it! Just as I was getting to the good part! Containing a growl I turned to look at the other vampire who had stopped in front of Ata. His nostrils flared slightly and a smirk crossed his lips, "A corridor Ata, really?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"Blame his raging hormones." She responded nonchalantly, glancing in my direction. I could tell she was trying her hardest to suppress a smile. I could feel her mischief in the bond and I had a feeling our activities would resume later.

Ata fell silent for a moment and I observed her features, a light scowl in place before she smiled, her eyes taking on a distant look. "She's 'chatting' to someone" Ari murmured under his breath, just loud enough for a vampire to hear. For a moment we stood in silence, observing her conducting her silent conversation before she laughed lightly, snapping out of the trance like state.

"Sorry about that, that conversation needed my full attention. Now, what's up Ari?" she apologised to us both, glancing at each of us in turn before her blue eyes turned to the Egyptian vampire.

"It's Monday so we have disputes to settle, and we have a visitor. Creepy Felipe is here. He wants to sit in on the meetings. Oh and I've also heard through the grapevine that he's going to ask you to be his consort this evening." Ari informed us rather grimly. I was shocked for a moment, Felipe was here, why? Ata's disgust, horror and anger came barreling through our weak bond and for a moment I was grateful that we were yet to further the bond. Her emotions would only fuel mine and as it was I found myself growling, fangs down as I took a protective stance at my love's side, one arm out in front of her, holding her just behind me. No one would have her. She was mine!

The Egyptian vampire found my show of protectiveness amusing and laughed, "Ah I can see there is no way Felipe is going to be getting to my Queen this evening!"

"He'll never have her, she's mine!" I snapped in response, pulling her close to my back so I could feel her warm body pressed against mine. It was a physical reassurance that she was safe.

"I refuse to have anything to do with Felipe other than paying him his tribute each month and showing up for the Sheriff's Ball once a year." My love interrupted us.

The Egyptian vampire in front of me looked nervous for a split second before he schooled his features. "I don't wish to snoop, but is there a bond between you two? I can smell his blood in you, Ata, and yours in him."

"We completed the first exchange last night." I replied coolly, regarding the male before me. Was he jealous? Did he want my Ata for himself? We were similar in age, so a fight between us wouldn't be easy to win.

"You might want to bunk that up to two before we deal with the disputes. Felipe will think about his actions if Ata is pretty much off the market. It could prove useful for you both." The older vampire informed me and I was thrown mentally off balance for a moment. He **wanted**me to bond to her? Surely he didn't want anyone to have her? She'd told me there was nothing romantic between them but the affection he held for my love was almost palpable. Of course I was jealous of the vampire before me, he'd spent over 2000 years with her, protected her, made sure she was warm and fed, clothed her and held her when she was upset all when I hadn't been able too. I was grateful for his actions and care but cautious too. I could see his logic however, it would give her some more safety and Felipe would question if the struggle for her would be worth it. Somehow I got the impression he would deem it worthy.

I had no objection to bringing the bond to the second level however I would not allow the third to occur yet. We had only been back in one another's presence for a night, after 2000 years apart, and the last thing I wanted was for our final bonding to be caused with a need for protection as the main priority and not the love we so obviously shared. "I'm agreeable." I declared, looking over my shoulder to my love.

"Agreed. You're not getting away from me ever again." She told me firmly, her blue eyes locked on mine. There was determination in them but an underlying fear and I could feel the hurt seeping in through the first bond. It'd been foolish of me not to go to her as soon as I had killed my Maker. It seemed, however, that fate had plans for us and managed to bring us both back together – older, wiser and stronger.

"I suggest you change into something a little more formal but conservative. You know what Felipe is like. May I also suggest that you let those hormones run loose a little, you know how keen Felipe's nose is." The Egyptian smirked, shooting Ata a wink at which point she blushed in embarrassment at the suggestion.

"Ari!" she started to protest but the Egyptian had already started to whiz off.

"I'll be back in twenty!" he called over his shoulder as he disappeared, leaving the pair of us stood in the corridor. Chuckling at the other male's antics I was on the receiving end of Ata's glare as she started to move back towards our bedroom. Deciding the mood need lightening if we were going to complete the second exchange, I vamped up behind her and gave her behind a gentle squeeze. She squealed loudly, whipping around, her eyes wide in shock. I gave her my best innocent smile and soon she burst into laughter. Ah, music to my ears.

"That's going to take some getting use to." She muttered under her breath with a shake of her head, her smile still in place as we entered our room. Stripping her clothes off as she went, she removed her bra and panties as she reached the bathroom door and I watched as her nude form slipped into the shower to stand beneath the warm water. I wanted to bathe with her but I knew we would get far dirtier if I did so and we didn't have much time.

Instead I perused her room, observing all the little trinkets that decorated some of the surfaces. She had at least one piece from every continent and I felt saddened by the fact she had experienced the world without me. I would amend that as soon as possible. Moving to her bookshelf I observed her collection, a lot of which was written in Arabic and some in hieroglyphics even. Ah my love hadn't lost touch with her human years! Continuing to take a mental inventory of her room I spotted a medium sized wooden box in one corner. Quickly I listened in on my love and felt for her in the bond, I could sense that she was still under the spray of the hot water. Swiftly I moved to the box and opened the catch, tipping the lid back to reveal the content.

Instantly I was hit with the scent of a time long forgotten. Beautifully preserved roles of papyrus were scattered inside bearing her family's royal mark, a leather bracelet poked out from between them and I plucked it from the paper. Instantly I recognised it, it'd been the one piece of my life in Gaul that I had bought with me to Egypt! I remembered taking it off one night and placing it on her bedside table, obviously I had forgotten about it. She kept it! Grinning happily, I placed it back within the box exactly where I had found it. Nestled amongst the paper was a doll and as I extracted it I grinned like a fool, it was the same doll she'd been carrying the first day I had ever met her! Shutting my eyes for a moment I remembered the scene, although she'd only been ten she had oozed power and demanded respect the second she set foot into the room. The way she had taken on her mother to, demanding a new friend! Once again I was grateful that she'd chosen me, allowed me to be a part of her life.

Placing it back where I'd found it, I was about to shut the lid when I caught sight of a book corner poking from between two scrolls and my curiosity got the better of me. Delicately removing it, I swept my hand over the aged leather cover and opened it to the last page. I was greeted with the sight of hieroglyphics, beautifully drawn by my love's hand. During my first few years in Egypt Ata had taught me how to read and write, she'd been learning herself and had been keen to show me. I had also picked up classes during my 2000 years. Thankfully it made translation to English easy.

_November 8th 43BC_

_I have not written within you for some time I'm afraid, though I have perfect reason for this. You see, my father passed away last year. I say passed away, he was actually murdered by those he trusted, but I do not wish to dwell upon that. Though he loved me he had a funny way of showing it._

_No, what cuts the most is the loss of my beloved. You probably think I'm silly, loving a slave boy. It's okay; everyone but I seem to think it silly. My guards told me he had died and yet I do not believe he has, I do not believe he has passed on into the Fields of Aaru where I know he should be. I cannot explain it but it's like a tugging sensation in my chest. I have spoken to Oeri and he has prescribed me a blend of water lily and lotus to cure the pain but to no avail. Occasionally while resting in my chambers after the sun has set the tugging sensation disappears and I am able to drift off into sleep, but just before the sun rises it is back again. This bothers me considerably…_

The sound of the water shutting off dragged me back to the real world and within seconds I'd shut the book and placed it back where it belonged, closing the lid of the wooden cube before stretching out on our bed in a casual manner. My mind wandered to the tugging sensation she had mentioned, I had managed on occasion to slip out of my Maker's grip to watch Ata from afar as she took her rest. I also recalled that I'd experienced a similar feeling upon entering Caesar's Palace last night. Ata emerged from the bathroom a moment later, a towel wrapped around her body that was deliciously short and my thoughts moved elsewhere. Her blonde locks were damp and beads of water rolled down her smooth skin. My loose fitting cotton pants were starting to feel a little tight.

"Hmm don't you look tasty?" I leered, observing her curvaceous frame as she flitted across her room to her wardrobe. A light blush illuminated her cheeks as her blood rose to the surface and I had to fight to keep my fangs in place. By the Gods, this woman would be the true death of me! I knew full well what the second bonding would do to us and the thought of her wearing clothes during the process didn't sit right with me. Vamping over to her as she perused her clothes I quickly scooped her up, sitting myself on the loveseat that sat in a corner of her room I soon had her straddling me.

"Naughty!" she chided me gently, playfully swatting my arm. With a deep chuckle I grasped her hands with my own, raising them up above us, causing her towel to slip to reveal her perfect breasts. Unable to hide my satisfaction and need for her I lent forward, licking the soft skin there before kissing my way upward. A fleeting groan escaped her luscious lips before I silenced her with a kiss, finally letting go of her hands.

Instantly they were in my hair, pulling me impossibly closer as her lips parted for me, allowing me to taste her. Not wasting a second my tongue delved into her mouth, battling with hers in a fierce kiss. Last night had been all about reacquainting ourselves with one another, but now it was all about claiming each other. With the flick of my wrist I removed her towel, throwing it to the other side of the room to expose all of her glorious body, growling in satisfaction as my hands wandered across the vast expanse of smooth skin now available to me.

Peeling my lips from hers so my love could breathe, I scattered kisses across her jaw line and down her throat, her moans resounding in my ears. "You're wearing….too much." She panted, her hands moving to my shirt, which she unbuttoned and removed in a flourish. Her hands were quick to find my chest, her fingers trailing over the ink marks still present from my human days. I couldn't stop the groan that escaped me at the sensation of her soft hands on my skin, giving me gentle caresses like she use to.

Her hands dipped down further, grasping the drawstring of my pants. Slowly she pulled the bow loose, as if she were unwrapping a present. By now my mouth and hands had moved further down, cupping her breasts in my strong hands. In that moment I was grateful I'd been an early bloomer. I may have still been young in the face at the time of my turning but my body was that of an adults. My lips latched onto one puckered dusky nub, my hands working the other. With a roll of her hips my love ground her core against me, my lips broke contact with her body and I moaned at the sensation of her core against mine. I'd missed our closeness. I'd missed her.

"I need you." Ata breathed, her hands dipping inside my pants to free me from the confines of the material. My need for her was insatiable and as my lips found hers once again I felt her small hand wrap around me, guiding me to her entrance. Painfully slowly she lowered herself onto me, already damp enough for me to enter painlessly. The moment I breached her entrance we both let out a moan of satisfaction, and my love began to embed myself into her inch at a time until I was finally sheathed. Sighing at the sense of completeness that overwhelmed me I encouraged her with an upward thrust.

On the down-stroke I brushed against the sensitive spot inside of her and my love threw her head back, groaning at the sensation. Ten minutes had passed since Ata had entered the shower and I was well aware of the fact we only had another ten minutes remaining before Ari would come to collect us. Wanting to bring my beloved to completion and conduct the second exchange I dropped a hand from her breasts, bringing it to the nub at the apex of her legs. Using the speed my immortality had given me I took control of the thrusts as I rubbed the sensitive nodule until I could feel my love quivering around me. Her moans were louder than before and I could feel myself edging towards my own peak. "You. Are. Mine." I growled out.

"Yes, baby. I'm yours!" My love agreed with me, gasping at the sensations I was causing within her. Tipping my head back a little my fangs slid into place and my beautiful woman bared her throat to me in an offering. Not needing to be told twice I sunk my fangs into her creamy skin, my love's orgasm ripping through her as I pulled on the wound. She screamed out my name before seconds later sinking her own teeth into my throat, breaking the skin and allowing my ancient blood to flow into her mouth. She pulled on the wound and quickly experienced her second orgasm of the night. This time her walls clamped firmly down on me, tearing my own orgasm from me, and her walls continued to milk me of my cool seed, which had been deposited deep inside of her.

As my wound healed over, my Ata licked away any remaining blood before licking her lips clean, not wasting a single drop. I quickly did the same, sealing her wounds yet leaving the faint white marks of her repaired skin. I wanted every vampire in the world to look at her and know that she was mine. I was proud that she was mine.

Ata had slumped against my chest, drawing in huge gulps of air in a desperate attempt to slow her heaving chest and skittering heartbeat. "I can feel you." She whispered against my skin, pulling her head back to look up at me in awe. "You're proud." She continued on quietly, the corners of her lips quirking upwards happily. Wanting to test out the bond I allowed my other emotions to take over. _Happiness, possessiveness, contentment, joy, lust and love._

I watched Ata's face as her eyes widened and she took in the bombardment of new emotions. Finally I felt a wave of love overcome me in return. Brushing her now dry yet tangled blonde hair back from her face I admired her healthy glow, the brightness of her blue eyes and the curvature of her plump lips. Her small hands captured my face and she pulled me towards her, pressing her lips to mine in a chaste kiss. "I love you." She told me quietly, nuzzling her nose against my jaw.

"And I love you. I wish I could spend all night tangled up with you my sweet, but I do not wish to keep you away from your duties." I told her gently, rising to my feet, still embedded in my love. Her legs locked around my waist as I carried her into the wardrobe, and with a rock of her hips I was instantly hard again. "My sweet, later, I promise." I whispered in her ear, slowly extracting myself from her and setting her down on the floor.

Her legs were a little shaky as she moved across to a rail of dresses and I couldn't help but smirk at the sight. "It's not funny." I heard her mutter under her breath as she felt my amusement through our second bond. It was so different to the bond I shared with Eric and would no doubt take some getting use to. I watched as my beloved slipped on a pair of white panties and then pulled out a deep turquoise floor length, one-shoulder evening dress from the rail. Sliding it over her head, the silky fabric clung to her curves and was form fitting enough to keep her generous chest firmly in place. "Why aren't you getting dressed?" she inquired with a frown as she moved to her jewellery armoire.

"You want me to come with you?" I asked in surprise. I wasn't a registered vampire of the area so I technically wasn't allowed to sit in on dispute hearings.

"You're my second bonded now, so yes." Ata told me firmly, placing a pair of diamond earrings on and the matching necklace. She dragged a hairbrush through her tangled blonde hair and smoothed it down before applying a little make-up. Dressing myself quickly in a pair of cream pants, an off-grey shirt and a black blazer I was pulling my shoes on just as my love finished off her own outfit.

Offering a hand out to her, she took it graciously before we exited her wardrobe. Ari chose that moment to knock on the door and Ata opened it to reveal the Egyptian. Instantly his nostrils flared and his eyes dilated. "My my, there really is no qualms about whom you belong to. You positively reek of one another. Blood, sex and fairy. Fabulous." He leered, giving us a fangy grin.

"Come, de Castro and the others are waiting for you." The other vampire stated, retracting his fangs before turning on his heels to lead the way.


	22. Shame for You

**A/N politics are coming into play now! I want you guys to understand the political aspects of the vampire world a little. We've seen sweet little Ata, now she pulls on her badass panties and demands respect!**

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**ATA'S POV**

_I've been thinking that you've crossed the line, if you disappeared that would be just fine.  
'Cause you waste my time and waste my money and you're not too cool and not too funny!  
Spreading your seed all over the town, getting too greedy and messing around.  
Oh my gosh you must be joking me if you think that you'll be poking me.  
Don't take me on no, don't take me on no, don't take me on, shattered the lie but you think I don't already know,  
Don't try to deny 'cause my fuse is ready to blow, it's your turn to learn I think that you know where to go  
It's a shame, shame, shame for you, please don't come around and knock on my door  
'Cause I don't want to have to pick you up of the floor when you ask if we can still be lovers, I'll have to introduce my brothers,  
Think that they could teach you a lesson or two, by the time they've finished you'll be black and blue  
You'll be crying like a baby, a sea of tears, they'll call the navy in.  
~ Shame for You, Lily Allen_

Following Ari down the hall, he led us back to the main elevator. Rather than hitting the button for the ground floor, however, he slid back a fake panel next to the controls and hit the button for the basement. I conducted a lot of my business out of the basement and only the vampires in my area were aware of it. The lift moved downwards at a steady pace and I kept my hand firmly in Godric's, not wanting to be parted from him. "How many are here this evening, Ari? I questioned my second in command. Although I was not a vampire, de Castro had given me the job as Sheriff of Las Vegas due to my hidden talent. Las Vegas was brimming with greedy vampires who wouldn't give a second thought to stealing and killing. He knew I'd be able to deal with it and get to the bottom of all cases.

"You have two cases to deal with this evening, one regarding a vampire who stole from another and one regarding a vampire feeding from another's pet. Oh and of course you have to deal with Creepy Felipe." Ari informed me with a smirk, knowing how much Felipe bugged me. It would take all of my control to remain polite to him after dealing with the disputes.

Feeling a wave of possessiveness and a tinge of aggression coming from Godric at the mention of Felipe, I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, leaning against him. "I'm yours, don't worry." I reassured him though I could still see the dissatisfaction on his features at the thought of Felipe being in the same room as me. _"Can you hear me, baby?" _I sent towards my man, aiming the thought at him. I watched as a slow smile crossed his beautiful lips.

"_Yes, my sweet. I can hear you." _He sent back and I squealed happily. I'd be able to communicate with my love from afar! Our second bond was allowing me to share my gifts with him!

The elevator came to a stop and Ari's back straightened, his shoulders back and his head held high. I followed suit, the time I had been on the throne in my human years flooding back to me. I had to convey a sense of power and authority in front of other vampires so they wouldn't dare to challenge me. Thankfully I had mastered my powers enough over the years so I could use them with no-one noticing.

The doors slid back to reveal the basement. The room was a large square shape and already frequented by a fair number of vampires, including the King of Nevada. The walls were painted in a deep shade of red with gold and red drapes, ancient painting decorating the walls. The floor was made of wood, with a large hand woven rug taking up the vast majority of the floor space. The vaulted ceiling was a show of just how deep underground they really were, something which suited the vampires as it was where they had started out. A massive crystal chandelier hung pride of place in the centre of the ceiling. At the far end of the room were several steps up to a raised platform, two gold and red thrones sat upon the platform and a red and gold canopy covered the area. On the left of the thrones sat a marble statue of my mother, Cleopatra, and on the right a marble statue of my father, Julius Caesar, both facing the audience as if judging whoever dared to approach the thrones.

I led the way up towards the front, Godric walking at my side and Ari close behind me. I received respectful nods from all the vampires I passed and their fangs slid down upon noting my scent. Most had witnessed me dishing out punishments and for that reason there were hardly ever any serious disputes to deal with. I was a fair Sheriff but came down with an iron, or should I say silver, fist on those who disrupted the peace.

Pausing on my walk I gave a small curtsy to Felipe purely out of respect, and the two ancient vampires beside me bowed. I was unable to hear Felipe's thoughts however I wanted no-one to question my attachment to Godric. Holding my hand out to him, he took it without a second thought. I walked him to the spare throne and gestured for him to sit. Although we had not spoken telepathically I knew he understood what I was doing. I could hear the low growl of annoyance from Felipe, as could everyone else in the room. He'd been offered another seat though; Khai had been kind enough to take care of it for me.

Taking my throne I sat tall, allowing my gaze to travel across the vampires present. It felt wonderful to have my love sat in the other throne and for a moment a wave of sadness overcame me that in our human years this scene had never occurred. He'd have been a wonderful King. _"Do not mourn for that, my love. I am here now." _The reassurance came through and I was stunned for a moment, I hadn't been thinking at him, but of him. Was he able to hear that now too? Sending a barrel load of love in his direction, I turned to face him and he offered me a small nod, confirming my query. Interesting. Ari, Khai, Egor and Agmund stood protectively around Godric and I. My own personal band of bodyguards.

"Good evening all. I do not wish to be here for long this evening, however I understand that there are some disputes that need addressing. As I am sure you are aware our dear King is present this evening. It is an absolute honour to have you in my establishment, Your Majesty." I crooned, turning my attention from the crowd to the vampire King in question, giving him a smile. The gesture held no affection yet it was necessary as a show of respect.

"I believe the first case involves a vampire stealing from another. Will both vampires step forward." I demanded, watching as a male vampire pushed a small, young vampire forward. His hair was untamed and a dirty blonde colour, his green eyes held a tinge of nervousness and also curiosity. Another vampire stepped forward, this one was older and obviously in control of her emotions as her face remained blank, her hazel eyes devoid of emotion. "Speak." I ordered.

The female vampire spoke first. "Sheriff, my name is Holly Horvat, this baby vamp works for me at my bar at the Casino Royale Hotel. He started working for me in the private bar on the top floor a few months back, he was a mixologist in his human years, and three nights ago while I was counting receipts after closing I realised I was $1000 short. The only other member of staff present in the bar was my partner, though he would never steal from me as I already pay him a substantial amount. I suspect for this reason that this baby vamp is behind the theft." She explained to me.

For a moment I was silent, pretending to mull over the females side of the story. Her words were the truth. I turned my attention to the small male vampire and motioned for him to speak. "Sheriff, my name is Oscar Roberts. It's true that I was working the bar that night, but it was really busy and I was rushed off of my feet, and that's saying something given my new speed. As soon as the bar closed I went out the back to get the cleaning supplies and then set about cleaning the bar. I never took the money; I have no use for it."

_"But my maker does. I can't believe he commanded me to do that. I don't want to be chained in silver or sent my true death. I like this life too much! He told me he'd starve me for more than three days if I failed him. I can't do that again!"_

I sighed as the young vampires thoughts flowed into my head. The poor boy, commanded by his maker to break one of the main laws set out by The Authority. I sat in silence once more for a moment and finally decided it was time to solve this. I hated to see a baby vamp abused, heck I hated seeing any vampire abused by their Maker.

"Oscar, dear boy. I know that you took the money," at this the poor boys eyes widened extortionately and Holly growled in his direction, her fangs down in anger. "However, I do believe you were set up to do this by the one person who has the most power over you. Your Maker." I concluded. The vampire I had just ratted out tried instantly to get to me but my boys were faster. Within nanoseconds they had him pinned down to the ground by the throat, fangs down snarling at him. It was useful having four of the oldest vampires in America under my control. Tutting, I shook my head mockingly.

"Oh dear. Seems like your little plan backfired. So, here's what's going to happen." I started, leaning back into my chair, tipping my head sideways as I observed the vampire still stuck on the floor. "You are going to relinquish all claim on your progeny as you are obviously unfit to take care of him and he is clearly too young to be left by himself. I will find him a more suitable Maker and have Oeri perform the right magic to have his blood replaced with theirs. You will pay back Ms Horvat the $1000 you stole from her and will then be kept under silver in a locked coffin for five years, maybe longer if your progeny proves difficult to teach." I gave my verdict. Miss Horvat's smug smile informed me that the punishment was adequate.

"Get him out of my sight." I ordered. Egor and Agmund dragged the vampire kicking and screaming out of my sight.

"Thank you, Sheriff." Miss Horvat bowed low before straightening up and backing into the crowd.

The young baby vamp, Oscar, copied Holly's actions and bowed too, clearly relieved that he was no longer going to be under his Maker's hold. "Thank you, Miss Cae- I mean Sheriff." He corrected himself and I couldn't help but give the boy a small smile. He was learning and that was all that mattered. Riei, the quietist of my boys, gently led the young vampire off to one side and into another room so that they could discuss his future.

"Next case." I drawled, summoning the next vampires forward.

"_I hope you're not too bored, sweetie." _I sent to Godric, glancing to my side to find him watching the room with interest. He was sat tall, his pale blue eyes flitting across the crowd as he made his own judgments about the vampires present, though I noted that he avoided Felipe's gaze.

"_I'm watching you lead, my sweet. That is in no way boring." _The sound of my twice bonded's voice broke into my mind and I couldn't help but smile at him. His head turned and he gave me a smile in response.

Returning my attention back to the room a stout man approached, he was bald with grey eyes and had clearly been turned late in his life. Whoever would have wanted him as their Childe was certainly a little deranged. Another vampire stepped forward, he was easily 6'2, dressed in an impeccable suit and his auburn hair was styled with gel. His green eyes were alert and set, he clearly wanted this resolved.

"Present your case." I ordered, looking to the youngest looking of the two vampires. "Sheriff, my name is Pagon Armund. Around a year ago I visited Tao Night Club and found myself enthralled with a human. I spent the evening with her, walked her home and then met her the following night. She informed me she belonged to no one so that night I claimed her as my pet." At that I internally rolled my eyes. Vampires who kept humans as pets, as objects, automatically infuriated me. _"And then we wonder why humans dislike us Supes so much." _I thought to myself and yet was greeted with the sound of three different laughter's in my mind – Ari, Khai and Godric's.

"About two weeks ago we got into an argument and she left my home. I found her later that night at XS Nightclub curled up on a couch with that." He pointed towards the older looking vampire, his fangs down in anger. "He had his hands all over her and his fangs buried in her neck. He was feeding from my human!" he roared and I flinched at the sound. By this time Egor and Agmund had returned and were restraining the taller vampire to keep him from lashing out.

Blowing out a puff of air, I turned my attention to the stout man. "And your side of the story?"

He took a step forward. "Sheriff, my name is Peter Dane. I found this human at the club by herself, she was sporting no fang marks and she told me she didn't belong to anyone. Pagon had not given her his blood and therefore I couldn't taste, nor scent, his blood in her. I honestly had no clue that she was his." He informed me.

Usually such a case like this wouldn't bother me, but Felipe was present and The Authority considered this a major lawbreaker. Plus I was in the mood to show off a little. "What is the human woman's name, is she here?" I asked the two males.

With a nod Pagon brought his human forward. "Her name is Saskia, Sheriff."

The poor thing looked like she was about to wet herself. She was pretty; there was no denying it. Her blonde hair had been pulled up into a ponytail and yet her hazel eyes were darting around the room, full of fear and worry. _"What am I doing here? I didn't do anything! I would never hurt Pagon on purpose, he has no idea how much I like him, love him even! He takes such good care of me, tells me I'm pretty all the time and gives me flowers every night…" _I retracted from her mind, feeling warm inside. Clearly Pagon had referred to Saskia as his pet in front of the other humans to hide his much more romantic attachment to her.

Taking a softer approach, I decided that I would be able to get more information out of her. "Saskia, dear. Please come closer." I asked politely, offering her my hand. She looked at it for a moment, obviously worried. All of the vampires in the room had their fangs down by now, so to ease her worry I gave her a toothy smile, allowing her to witness that I didn't own a set of fangs.

She was soothed a little and approached, taking my outstretched hand shakily. Instantly I was bombarded with mental images of the night, a replay of sorts. I offered her a warm smile as I continued to watch, the poor girl had ended up having a rather busy night.

I could feel her underlying worry and, using the gifts I had been given, I imagined a hand plucking the fear from her. Instantly she relaxed and her mind was even easier to infiltrate. I witnessed the argument, I witnessed her entrance into the club, her conversation with Peter and then the confrontation between Peter and Pagon. The girl was innocent, so I took her fear and threw it away. "Saskia, look at me." I ordered gently, deciding it was time to show off another of my gifts.

The girls eyes found mine and she slipped into a trancelike state. "Saskia, you did well remaining faithful to your vampire, it is not your fault that you are not as strong as Peter. You have no need to be guilty. You love your vampire do you not? Regardless of the fight you had?" I asked and Saskia nodded, I couldn't help but smile. Pagon should consider himself lucky. "In that case I want you to put all of this behind you, go home with him and make amends. But I warn you, do not run from him again when you argue. Sit and discuss it together." She nodded and I released her from my glamour, proud that it had worked. The distant look in her eyes vanished and she gave me a brilliant smile.

I felt Godric's shock bouncing through the bond. I would have to explain to him later what happened. I could hear the murmurings of the other vampires in the room and yet chose to ignore them. Let them speculate.

"Pagon, approach." I ordered. The younger looking male stepped forward and I handed him his human. "Take care of her. She is deeply fond of you and loyal, she enjoys knowing you care for her." I told him, giving him a meaningful stare to let him know that I knew he cared for her deeply.

He bowed and removed himself from the platform, keeping a firm hold of his human. "As for you, Peter." I swung my eyes to the stout man who, although keeping a neutral expression, was mentally going berserk. "Miss Saskia informed you that she was claimed, that she was loyal to her vampire and yet you couldn't contain yourself. You felt the need to sink your fangs into her and if it weren't for the fact that Pagon came to her rescue then you would have had sex with her too. She arrived at the club and was rather upset, you took advantage of her weak state and that speaks volumes about you. You took another vampires human against her will and against his claim." I declared, the crowd of vampires burst into growls and snarls at the evidence. After desecration of the blood, the taking of another's human was the next worst offence.

"You fucking bitch!" Peter snarled and vamped towards me. Thankfully I had 2000-year-old vampire blood in me and a stake under my throne. I was about to defend myself when Godric beat me to it, hauling the vampire a few steps back from me, snarling in the younger vampires ear as he effortlessly held him in place. "Never attempt to harm my bonded again or I will not think twice about ending you!" he hissed, tightening his grip around Peter's arms until the sound of the bone crunching rang out into the still air.

"You will spend fifteen years in silver in a coffin chained with silver." I gave my verdict, a slow but sure smirk crossing my features.

"But after five years I'll start to die without blood!" he spat angrily.

"Good. You're a waste of the blood anyway." I wafted my hand through the air, effectively ending the dispute.

Egor and Agmund took Peter from my love, dragging him away kicking and screaming. "You're all dismissed." I ended the disputes. Looking to my love as he retracted his fangs. Leaning over to pat the empty throne, I gestured for him to join me. Vamping to my side he took his seat beside me, grasping my warm hand in his cool one. I locked our fingers together for a moment, raising my eyes to Godric's pale blue ones and pushed the love I held for him across our second bond. I relished in the feeling as the love was returned and then dropped his hand. I didn't particularly want to but I didn't need anyone figuring out the depth of our connection yet.

"My my, Miss Caesar, your ruthless side is beautiful, as of course are you." The oily voice slid across the room. Looking up I automatically felt uneasy. I really didn't want to deal with Felipe right now.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. I'm glad that I have not disappointed you." I responded in a sickly sweet tone, forcing myself to smile. He was ignoring my Godric, how rude!

"Oh dear girl, you could never disappoint! I must say that I love what you have done down here, you suit a throne." He commented, moving up the steps of the platform. He froze as he reached the top step however, his nostrils flaring. "My dear, you smell of someone else's blood, and of a recent coupling." He pointed out, a flash of irritation showing in his cold eyes. He wasn't a bad looking man, he was about 6" with a full head of black hair and he'd obviously worked hard on his body before his turning. His brown eyes were cold and empty however and his nose was a little bent from the time he had broken it as a human.

I felt Godric push reassurance through our bond and decided to drop the bomb onto Felipe. "Remember when we first met, when I first arrived in Las Vegas? I told you about a man from my human life." I started.

"The slave boy your father didn't approve of?" he quirked an eyebrow. A tinge of irritation and anger ran through my veins. Why did everyone pick up on those two tidbits? "The one you tried to make your King? Come now, my dear. We all know you can do better than that!" he scoffed. My anger escalated and if it weren't for the fact he was the King and his bodyguards were a little too close I wouldn't have thought twice about ending him on the spot for his comment. "You deserve a true King. I have a throne room much larger than this one, I'm sure you would love to conduct business from there, as my Queen." He leered.

I felt sick to my stomach. There was no way I would ever be Felipe's Queen. "I have my own King back, the one I wanted in my humans years." I declared, taking Godric's hand back in my own as I watched Felipe's eyes drag from me to my love.

"Nervii?" his eyes raised into his hairline and I couldn't stop my smug smile. That shut him up. He might be the King of Nevada but he was only around 800-years-old. He wouldn't survive long against my twice bonded.

"Your Majesty, what a pleasure to meet you." My love graciously greeted the King. Felipe examined my love closely before taking note of our joined hands. His lips curled up in a sneer and I purposefully gave Godric's hand a little squeeze, allowing Felipe to see the affectionate gesture.

"What brings you to my great state, Nervii?" he demanded sharply, not even bothering to refer to Godric by his first name. Sure he wasn't holding a political slot at the moment but he was, after Russell Edgington, the oldest vampire in America and that demanded some respect.

"I had heard that my twice bonded owned a hotel here, I've been searching for her for a long time and I recently found her, I decided to come and visit." He responded smoothly, glancing to me with warm affection.

I could see Felipe balk as my bond with my love was mentioned. _"Well played, Mr." _I teased him.

"_He is not having you, you are mine." _His affectionate but firm voice responded and I had to refrain myself from rolling my eyes.

"Yes, well." Felipe responded tersely after he collected himself. He turned to address me. "I'm having a party for the other Monarchs and Sheriff's of surrounding areas on Friday night, I was wondering if you would attend? I would love to have my leading lady on my arm, and unfortunately it is for those in a position of political power only." He informed me, shooting a glance to Godric before back to me.

_"My Queen, can Khai and I stake him, please?" _Ari begged me and it took all my willpower not to laugh and let them have their wish.

"_Oh I'm sure one day the two of you will get to play, I'm growing mighty tired of him shoving his crooked nose into my business." _I gave them hope.

I wanted to hurl, I would have to hang from his arm all night. People would no doubt talk considering vampires were notorious gossipers. I would have to find some way to make it painfully obvious that I belonged to Godric and not Felipe. Fang marks wouldn't do, all marks looked the same. Jewellery perhaps? Then again a diamond could be a gift from just about anyone. No, wait; my love was well known for the marks upon his body, I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to find someone who could replicate one or two of them for me upon my own body!

"_Not permanently. I like your unmarred skin." _Godric's thought broke my mental workings and I found myself shocked all over again. It was strange that he could hear me when I was thinking of him and not just at him. I had always thought _at_ my boys, perhaps I would be able to just think _of _them and they would hear me too.

Returning to the present, I gave Felipe my sweetest smile and I nodded in acceptance. I was killing to get inside of his head but the moment he had made me Sheriff he had made me swear in my contract that I wouldn't, he had also sought out help from an unknown woman to help him build up shields like mine so I couldn't breach his mind anyway. It was infuriating. He was greedy and slimy, he was always trying to get me into his bed and this stupid party was probably just another one of his failed ideas of how to do so. I found myself frequently wishing he would just leave me alone and disappear. Every penny I made for him he would spend on meaningless tat and he would manage to leave a dent in my finances after a night at my casino. He disgusted me.

I didn't particularly wish to go to this party; I didn't wish to leave my love's side however it would be rude for me to not attend. It was bad enough that Felipe had made me a Sheriff when I held no power really in the vampire world, and if I were to embarrass him he'd make my life hell. It was only his fear over what I could do, the ages of my boys and my own age that had gained me the position. "I would love to, Your Majesty." I laced my accent through my words, softening the sound of how much I actually really didn't want to go.

"I will send a car for you an hour after sundown. Until then." He turned, striding down the steps and through the room, his guards flanking him closely. The room was empty now and the moment he entered the elevator and the doors slid to a shut I let out a huge sigh of relief, slumping down into my chair.

Godric's voice broke the silence, I half expected him to be angry about the events that had just transpired and my agreement to attend the party, but his voice held no anger to it, just pure curiosity and a tinge of awe and love. "I think there are some things that you need to explain to me, my sweet. I've obviously missed out on a lot.


	23. Teenage Dream

**A/N hey guys, a lot of you were saying in your reviews of the last chapter that while you like Godric and Ata you want more Sookie and Eric. I understand this however this story is from all of their viewpoints as they are all as important as one another and therefore there will be chapters from each point of view. I'm trying my hardest not to have two chapters following one another from the same persons POV as I don't wish to bore you, but as we've just had Godric and then Ata's POV's you're now going to get two chapters – one from Sookie's POV and one from Eric's POV. I hope you understand this guys. I want to please all of my readers and each of the four characters are super important for the main storyline!**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_You think I'm pretty without any makeup on, y__ou think I'm funny when I tell the punchline wrong_  
_I know you get me so I let my walls come down, down_,  
_Before you met me I was alright but things were kinda heavy_ , y_ou brought me to life,_  
_Now every February you'll be my Valentine, Valentine,  
_L_et's go all the way tonight no regrets, just love, w__e can dance, until we die, you and I, will be young forever.  
__Y__ou make me feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream_, t_he way you turn me on,  
I can't sleep_, _l__et's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back_  
_My heart stops when you look at me_, _j__ust one touch now baby I believe this is real_,  
_So take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever look back_  
_~ Teenage Dream, Katy Perry_

I would never tire of hearing my Viking tell me that he loved me. There was something about knowing such an old and powerful creature adored me that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "I'm going for a shower, lover." Eric informed me, disappearing off into our bathroom.

I padded over to the wardrobe, half expecting to have to pick out one of the many sundresses I had bought with me. Upon entering however, I caught sight of a little black dress hung up in plain sight, a pair of 4" high black satin peep-toe shoes sat on the floor nearby. In the middle of the small dresser off to the left sat a medium sized black box and a black clutch bag next to it. A scrap of paper sat on top of the box and tentatively I moved towards it, still admiring the clothes that had been placed in my wardrobe.

_What's mine is yours. Please remember that._

_Vegas is beautiful all lit up, enjoy your night!_

_A x_

How on earth had she managed to get in here without me noticing? And how on earth had she known we were going for dinner? With a shaky breath I turned back to the black dress and found myself scared to look at the label. There were no clues as to the make but from the silk and the cut it had to have been costly. I would never accept something like this as a gift but I was only borrowing it, and although I struggled with my conscience I remembered Ata's earlier words. I suppose this was the first step in being more accepting of gifts – accepting borrows. The dress looked no different than one of my sundresses cut wise, the halter neck would hold the girls in place and meant there was no need for a bra, the bodice was fitted to the waist where a band of black fabric separated it from the skirt, and it would skim over my hips downwards. The garment had an under-layer of silk and the layer on top was made of lace, a beautiful design having been embroidered into the skirt.

Looking down to the shoes beside it, I was greeted with the name staring at me. Manolo Blahnik. I'd never owned a pair but I'd heard of them, and I was well aware with the fact that they were Pam's favourite shoe brand. Maybe I could go shopping with Ata and buy Pam a pair in a hope to win back her affections. Anything emotionally meaningful would be wasted on Pam; sometimes I forgot that she even had emotions as she did very well at hiding them.

The shoes were open-toed and made of leather and delicate lace. A a glitzy crystal adornment finished off the look. I was afraid I'd ruin them and for a moment contemplated wearing a pair of my own heels. I paused in thought however; my $15 Walmart shoes would make the expensive dress look cheap and nasty.

Sighing in resignation I moved to the clutch bag. Once again I refused to look at the name of the brand however I admired the beauty of the piece. It would be big enough for my phone, lip-gloss, driver's license and credit card. The metal used to decorate it was strong and cool to the touch, it had been shaped into flowers and birds and was rather beautiful. The clasp spooked me a little as I observed the silver skull, and upon closer observation I noted the large black coloured eyes, there was no way they were fake stones either. Setting the clutch down carefully I steadied myself for a moment. This outfit must have cost a fortune and once again Ata was letting me borrow it like it was nothing. Gran would be rolling in her grave if she knew I was being given the use of such luxuries and not working for them!

Moving to the box on the dresser I carefully removed the lid and I stood staring down at the jewellery inside for a moment, my lower jaw a little slack. Inside lay a beautiful heart tag necklace and the matching bracelet, both made of white gold and wonderfully shiny. 'Tiffany and Co. New York' sat proudly in the centre of the heart tags and I had to exhale a breath to calm myself. This was far too much. I couldn't wear all of this! I would just wear some of the jewellery I'd bought with me from home. I was about to follow through with my plan when a niggling voice in the back of my head told me to stop being silly and to just wear them, they were only being borrowed after all….

Grabbing a clean pair of lacy black boy shorts I stripped out of my day clothes, pulling on my panties before moving to the dress. Dressing myself, I slipped the Manolo's onto my feet, admiring how beautiful they looked. Going back to the dresser I fastened the jewellery on, brushing out my blonde locks, which were naturally curled a little, and applied a light dusting of make-up. Eric had always told me he preferred me without it. Moving to the floor length mirror I gasped at my reflection. Never in my life would I have worn, let alone bought, such an ensemble and everything worked perfectly together. Of course it would look great, Ata had been dressing herself for over 2000 years!

Smiling happily I transferred all of my stuff from my small day purse to the ornate clutch. Taking one last look at myself in the mirror I stepped out into our bedroom and was greeted with the sight of Eric's back. He was stood looking over Vegas in a perfectly tailored black suit that did wonders for showcasing his muscular physique. I couldn't help but admire his beautiful ass from this angle. His deep rumble of laughter broke the silence. "I haven't even turned to look at you yet and I can feel your lust." He grinned, turning to face me. The moment his eyes hit me I held my breath and his grin disappeared, instead his lower jaw dropped just like mine had earlier. I caught a peak of fang from between his lips and his beautiful cerulean orbs had dilated a little. "Lover, you look incredible." He whispered, eyes travelling up from my shoes, over my legs, to my waist, to my chest where he lingered for a moment, noting the necklace I had on until eventually our eyes met. "I say we forget dinner, when you look like that I just fuck you and bite you and rub myself all over you." He took a step closer, his intent perfectly clear.

Holding a hand up I shook my head. "You ain't gonna distract me by talking nasty! We're going for dinner, well I am, you can have dinner later." I offered with my own eyebrow waggle, attempting to copy my vampire. His booming laughter and smirk told me I was rubbish at replicating him, but he enjoyed the attempt anyway.

"Shall we, my fair maiden?" He offered his arm out to me and without a second thought I took it.

Leaving the penthouse we took the elevator down to the ground floor and emerged into the marble palace. As we crossed to the main door my heels clicked against the shiny floor and I was hyper-aware of the looks we were receiving. Pulling my shields up and locking them firmly into place, I tried to ignore everyone but that was harder done than said. I couldn't blame them though; they were clearly gawking at Eric and who wouldn't? My vampire was beautiful. "Seems I am not the only one who thinks of you as beautiful, lover. All of these human men are staring at you like you are a rare flower. Which of course, you are." He whispered in my ear and I couldn't help but shudder at the feel of his cool breath against my ear.

"Don't be silly, they're all looking at you." I protested quietly.

"No my dear, they are looking at you. You truly do not see how exquisite you are." My vampire shook his head just as we exited the building. Thankfully the tall buildings and vast number of cars kept The Strip relatively warm and I had no need for a jacket. A tall man approached us as a sleek limousine pulled up in front. "Mr. Northman, Miss Stackhouse." He greeted us respectfully. "Miss Caesar wishes for you to use her car this evening, the chauffeur will take you straight to the restaurant and pick you up when you are finished for the evening." He informed us as he opened the door, gesturing for us to enter.

I'd only ever travelled in a limo once and that had been the night before when we'd arrived in Vegas. Excitement bubbled up inside of me and I instantly slipped into the vehicle, sliding over to make room for Eric. He joined me moments later and the door was shut behind us. "I feel so spoilt!" I blurted out as Eric took my small hand with his large one. He raised it to his lips and brushed a kiss across my knuckles as the car pulled away, an indulgent smile on his perfectly kissable lips.

"Good. You deserve to be spoilt minn sváss" he told me. "Where did you get such a beautiful outfit?"

"I found it in my wardrobe, Ata has let me borrow it." I explained and already I could feel an underlying tinge of irritation seeping from my vampire.

"You will accept her gifts and yet you do not accept mine?" he asked and although he kept a calm façade I could feel his annoyance with the situation.

"It's only a borrow, so I don't feel so bad. Besides, she told me I need to start accepting a few small gifts every now and then." I hinted, knowing my big, badass vampire wanted to buy me things and this was my way of letting him know that I would no longer throw everything back at him. Of course I wouldn't accept everything, but at least this would be a start.

Eric's eyes twinkled at my declaration and his excitement bounced through our bond. "You'll let me buy you things?" he asked, seeking assurance.

"Small things, Eric. Nothing expensive." I placed down the ground rules and my vampire gave a nod of his head, a gleeful expression making itself known on his features. I couldn't recall a time I had ever seen him this excited, apart from when he had been playing in the lake in the sunshine during his amnesia. A momentary sadness crept into me as I remembered the time we had spent together then but just as quickly as the sadness overtook me I batted it away, not wanting to worry my Viking. His light frown informed me that he had felt my sadness and yet he soon schooled his features. All too quickly the limousine came to a stop and a smartly dressed doorman opened the car door for us. Eric exited first before holding out his hand for me to take. Of course I'd only gotten out of a limo once and my dress had been much longer that time, however I seemed to manage without showing the world my panties.

We'd stopped in front of a version of the Eiffel Tower and I couldn't contain my gasp, I'd never been to Paris so I had never witnessed the real deal, but I had seen it enough in movies and photographs to know that it was breathtakingly beautiful. While this version of the famed tower was located on the other side of the Atlantic from the original, I couldn't help but admire it. "The restaurant is located on the 11th floor. I do hope you enjoy your evening Sir, Madam." He addressed us formally with a small bow.

Holding my vampires cool hand in my warm one we made our way to the entrance of the tower where another smartly dressed man stood waiting for us. He was around 5'9, of average build with jet-black hair and bright blue eyes. He gave us a warm smile as we approached. "Good evening, welcome to the Eiffel Tower Las Vegas. May I see your booking reference please?"

"We are family of Miss Caesars, the lady who owns Caesar's Palace. She assured us we would be able to dine here this evening." Eric replied coolly, taking charge of the situation as per usual. Letting go of his hand I instead placed my hand in the crook of his arm.

A slow smile spread across the mans lips at the revelation. "Ah any family of Miss Caesar's is welcome here! Please, follow me, I shall escort you to your table." He offered.

He took off into the building and both Eric and I followed closely behind. We came to a stop before an elevator and the man pushed a button to call it down. "The restaurant is located on the 11th floor and is only accessible by this glass lift." He explained to us as the doors slid open. The three of us entered the glass box and instantly my eyes were drawn to the view. I didn't know where to look first. The Strip was illuminated with thousands, probably millions, of lights and the streets were bustling with people and vehicles. I felt a pair of cool arms slide around my middle and Eric rested his chin on the top of my head. "Isn't it beautiful?" I grinned, admiring my surroundings.

"It pales next to you though, lover." His husky whisper sounded in my ear. His lust came trotting through our bond but thankfully the elevator came to a stop at that exact moment, ending any potential activity. The doors slid open and the man stepped out before gesturing for us to join him. The moment I left the confines of the elevator my breath caught in my throat. The panoramic windows gave way to The Strip, allowing diners to see everything. The lighting was dim and the restaurant had a cozy and intimate feel to it, the metal framework from the tower structure broke through the restaurant walls to create a modern art deco style. The carpet beneath my feet was plush red in colour and wooden tables decorated with white linen and surrounded by red high-backed chairs were scattered throughout. On one side of the restaurant sat a bar complete with numerous barstools, a vast selection of alcohol, that far exceeded the ones on offer back at Merlotte's, and a mixologist who was currently shaking up a cocktail for a man in a grey tuxedo.

The man who had met us at the front door led us through the restaurant and finally stopped at a corner table which overlooked a large pool and a curved hotel, I could even see Caesar's Palace on the right. The man pulled out my chair for me and I slid onto the seat. Swiftly he pushed me in, leaving me enough room to breath. Eric took the seat opposite and automatically stretched his hand out over the table for my hand and I took it without hesitation. "Your server will be with you shortly, I hope you enjoy your evening very much." He bowed, placing our menus down on the table before disappearing off.

The moment he was gone I glanced out of the window before looking back to my handsome vampire, who sat with an indulgent smile on his features. "You suit places such as this so well." He complimented and I gave him a shy smile, dropping my head a little in embarrassment. "Perhaps I will have to bring you out for dinner more often, if only to see you dress up specially." He continued.

Looking up at him I shook my head, "I don't need expensive dinners, Eric." I told him gently.

"You might not need them, but it gives me pleasure to give them to you. I like to see you happy." He responded and I could feel the sincerity of his words through our shared bond.

"I have you, that's enough to make me happy." I told him softly, rubbing my thumb across the back of his hand.

My vampire broke out into a beautiful smile and rubbed his own thumb over the back of my hand in return. "Is that another line from one of those cheesy romance novels you read, lover? I remember sitting up one night reading one while you were asleep during the time I was staying with you. I believe it was called Gone with the Wind and, judging by the creases in the pages, it is your favourite novel."

I couldn't hold back my smile, the thought of my Eric reading Gone with the Wind was just far too funny. "While I love romance novels it isn't a line from one, Eric. I mean it." I told him truthfully, pushing the love I held for him through our bond. His eyes snapped shut as he savoured the feel. Letting go of his hand I picked up my menu and decided what I wanted to eat. There were no prices and that made me a little uncomfortable, however after a few moments I selected the boneless organic rabbit, braised carrots confits and mustard jus. My mouth was watering. By now Eric had opened his eyes once more and was watching me curiously.

"Your decisiveness is a wonderful feeling." He told me as he picked up his own menu, glancing across the pages before making his own selection.

A woman approached our table, dressed in a pair of smart black slacks and a black blouse; in her hands she held a gold notepad and golden pen. As she drew to a stop, she spoke. "Good evening, my name is Harriet and I will be your server for the evening. Are you ready to order?" she inquired. I knew what I wanted to eat but I had no idea what somewhere like this would serve drinks wise and I was sure my regular gin and tonic would be the least creative drink the mixologist would make all night.

Giving her my meal choice first I went to open my mouth to ask for a gin and tonic however my vampire beat me to it. "Also, your best bottle of champagne for my beloved, and a Royalty Blend for myself, please." He asked as the server scribbled down our order, with a small bow she left the pair of us alone.

"Where did the manners come from Mr. Northman?" I teased.

"I do not know. You bring out the best in me, Miss Stackhouse." He replied in slight shock, as if he hadn't realised that until that very moment.

"As I said a few nights ago, Eric, there is good in you." I reminded him gently, replaying that night in my mind. The sight of my Viking burning on a pyre had been the most painful thing I had ever witnessed. Of course I had cared for Bill, but after his deceit I figured he deserved to suffer some. How very unchristian of me, Gran would be rolling in her grave!

"I'm glad you have faith in me." He told me softly as the server returned with our drinks. She placed a crystal glass of bubbly champagne before me and waited for me to sample it. I'd never known what to do in situations like this; it wasn't like I could tell her I hated it. I didn't hate it, but that was beside the point. The liquid was sweet and fizzy and I loved it instantly. After a sip I placed my flute down and nodded in the servers direction. With a large smile she left us alone. Eric himself had taken a sip of his own drink, which too had been served in a crystal flute however the crystal was dark thus hiding the content. He was now watching me intently.

"My love, I do not wish to ruin our evening but I believe we have much to discuss." He gently reminded me. Sighing quietly I nodded, knowing that sooner or later this conversation would have arose.

"What happened today?" he fired the first question.

"I woke up around 11am and went out to the kitchen where I found Ata having breakfast, I met her housekeeper and cook, Flo, and we ate together. We went down to the pool for a while after that where I worked on my tan and at about 2pm we went back to the penthouse and changed. Ata showed me her training room upstairs and we started working on my gifts." I explained.

"And which gift did you work with first?" he enquired patiently.

"The dream infiltration." I mumbled, suddenly feeling a little nervous and frightened. Eric must have picked up on this because he lent back over the table to take my hand in his own.

"Do not worry, lover. I am not angry about it. I was more shocked than anything earlier and unfortunately let my emotions get the better of me. In all honesty I prefer the fact that you chose to use me for your experiment. It's important than you learn about all your gifts and how to use them. I don't mind being a guinea pig if needs be. However I'm curious as to how it works, as we all know vampires cannot dream." He mused, stroking my knuckles once more. His words soothed me a little so I continued.

"The gift allows us to force you to dream. We have to come up with something we want to know about the vampire, or what we want them to know. You have to turn it into a question. For example, I asked what it was you wanted from Russell's mansion that caused you to lash out in the way you did." I explained further and felt regret and guilt coming through our bond. "None of that, Mister!" I reprimanded him, not wanting him to feel bad about it. Of course at the time I had been insecure and confused about his actions, but now I understood why he had acted like he had, and what he'd been after it. It was easy to forgive him, all he wanted was his father's crown, there was nothing wrong with that, after all it was rightfully his.

"Ata took my hands and told me to open my mind to her so she could monitor what was going on to see if I was doing it right. She told me to push the question to your void and for a while I felt nothing in return, but then there was this stirring sensation and then the dream played out starting from the moment you picked up your fathers crown in Russell's mansion…" I trailed off, not needing to expand. Instead I took a sip of my champagne to quell any awkwardness.

Eric was silent for a moment and I felt the anger in him start to bubble up like my champagne, but he was quick to put a lid on it. "I'm sorry you had to witness that, it obviously wasn't pleasant for you. I would've told you if you'd asked, you know that." He told me gently and I nodded. "Did Ata see it?" he asked and I felt his annoyance spike a little in the bond.

For a moment I contemplated lying but decided against it as Eric quirked an eyebrow, obviously feeling my conflict through the bond. "Yeah, she did. She held me afterwards when I was upset for you." I answered quietly.

Eric's expression became stoic yet I could feel his anger rising. "She wasn't expecting that either and she's practically your step-mom." I argued for her weakly, not wanting him to blame her either. She'd been helping me; she didn't know what was going to happen.

"She is not my step-mother." He responded coldly.

"Eric Northman! I heard you refer to Godric as your father on the roof of the Hotel Carmilla, and he's obviously with Ata now and nothing is gonna break them apart so that makes her, in some sense, your step-mom." I argued, feeling my own temper rising at his lack of compassion for my kinswoman. Ata had welcomed us into her home, paid for everything so far and had offered to train me up so I would be able to defend myself better.

"And what makes you think she would like the idea of being my step-mother, Sookie?" Eric asked in a chilly tone. Anyone would get the impression he hated the thought of her being a motherly figure to him. Of course I understood that she would never replace his human mother, but she was the next best thing!

I knew I was going to have to come clean about the chat I'd had with Ata earlier in the day. "We were talking about the fact that neither of us were ever going to have children and I pointed out that you refer of Godric as your father, Ata said that the thought of you calling her mom was comical but heartwarming." I confessed. I could feel Eric's sadness at the fact that we would never have children together yet I could also feel his shock bouncing through the bond and it took all of my strength to not be literally bowled over by it. Clearly he wasn't expecting that reaction from Ata.

Unsure what to do I took a sip of my champagne before I continued on with the main topic "I'll admit I wasn't expecting to witness what I did and I'm sorry again for doing so." I apologised.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Eric batted my apology aside. "I think it's time I started to share my past with you anyway, it's only fair. I can't ask you to become knee-deep in the vampire shit that surrounds me and not know anything at all. All I ask for in return though is that you share your past with me."

His request stunned me for a moment, why on earth would he want to know about my life? It wasn't half as interesting as his! "Okay, that's a deal." I agreed slowly, not sure why he was suddenly taking such an interest in my past.

"After the dream incident, what did you do next?" Eric continued with his questions just as my meal was brought to the table. The dish was set down before me and Harriet refilled my champagne glass, bowing once more before disappearing. Looking down to my meal I couldn't help but lick my lips, it looked wonderful!

"Eat up, lover. We'll continue our chat after." My vampire declared with a light chuckle, effectively dismissing our conversation for the time being.

* * *

**A/N _mini sváss (Old norse) = my beloved_**


	24. I'm Yours

**A/N here you go guys, Eric's POV for you!**

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_There's no need to complicate, our time is short, this is our fate, I'm yours  
Do you want to, come on, scootch over closer dear and I will nibble your ear  
I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror, and bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer  
But my breath fogged up the glass, and so I drew a new face and I laughed  
I guess what I'll be saying is there ain't no better reason to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons  
It's what we aim to do, our name is our virtue but I won't hesitate no more, no more it cannot wait, I'm yours  
Well open up your mind and see like me, open up your plans and damn you're free  
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours so please don't, please don't, please don't.  
There's no need to complicate 'cause our time is short  
This oh, this oh, this is our fate  
I'm yours  
~ I'm Yours, Jason Mraz_

Watching my beloved eat her meal I processed everything I had just learnt in the past ten minutes. My love could wiggle her way into my dreams and the dreams of countless other vampires simply by pushing a question our way. While a useful gift it unsettled me somewhat, I didn't wish for my love to once again be faced with another of my horrible memories. Of course nothing would compare to the slaughter of my family, however there were other violent and bloody moments from my past that wouldn't sit well with her delicate sensibilities.

It was apparent that this particular gift was easy for Sookie to use, if not a little emotionally taxing. Were her other gifts just as easy to use? I would need to speak with Ata on the quiet regarding Sookie's training and her gifts. My train of thought wandered to Sookie's comment regarding Ata's feelings. No one would ever replace my mother, of that I was certain, but the woman obviously cared deeply for my Maker and was already related to my twice bonded. Technically she already was family. Pushing the thought away for now I returned to the present, observing Sookie as she popped a piece of rabbit into her mouth, making small moans of appreciation as the rich flavours hit her tongue. It was truly a delight to watch her eat, knowing she was getting all of the nutrition she needed. Her moans were music to my ears however now was not the time to be hearing such a sound, such sounds should only slip from her lips when she was pinned underneath me, gasping for breath and shouting out my name to her God. The thought caused me to shift in my seat and my tailored pants felt a little tighter.

As if sensing my discomfort, through misinterpreting it wrong, Sookie swallowed her mouthful before placing her fork down. "If watching me eat makes you uncomfortable then I'll stop." She offered in a small voice, nibbling on her lower lip.

I frowned at the notion, why on earth would I be uncomfortable with her feeding herself and maintaining her healthy figure? I told her that I was fine with it and her reply irritated me to no end. "Bill never liked watching me eat, he told me he couldn't stand the smell." She confessed.

Compton. Of course he would have to make my lover feel bad about eating! It's a miracle she hadn't starved herself just to keep him happy! Containing my annoyance with the immature pompous dork I gave my beloved a warm smile. "It doesn't bother me at all, I like to see you eating and staying healthy. Your little noises of appreciation are just taking my overactive imagination for a spin, that's all." I assured her with a playful wink, to which my lover blushed. Ah I loved that I could do that to her.

With a smug smile I sat back in my chair, watching as Sookie finished the last of her meal. She took the napkin from her lap and delicately patted the sides of her lips to remove any residual food even though I could tell there wasn't any there. I'd always loved women with manners and my little Southern belle had them down to a 'T.' Seconds after her knife and fork touched the plate our server returned, taking the dish from us and placing down another menu for deserts. My love graciously thanked the server before turning her eyes back to me. Taking a sip of blood from the crystal flute I attempted to quell my growing hunger, but of course it was to no avail. There was nothing that could compare to Sookie's sweet ambrosia.

"What happened after you worked on the dream infiltration, lover?" I returned to the main topic of conversation, curious to discover Sookie's other talents.

"Well Ata told me a bit about our kind, we can generate and control large beams of light with our minds and this ability can be used to attack an enemy, heal another, topple large objects or help with someone's emotions." She started, clearly settling down for a long explanation. In all honesty I was fascinated, I wanted to know everything I possibly could. It was common knowledge that fairies were particularly tricky bastards and very secretive by nature, so to be privy to some of their talents was what I guessed Christmas felt like for teacup humans.

"The ability has been described as "nature itself" and works on humans, the two natured and yes, on vampires. It also has been shown to break and reverse magic spells, which explains how I managed to heal you from your amnesia at the Festival of Tolerance. The light varies in colour, it's gold if you wish to attack and harm, white if you wish to topple large objects, green if you wish to heal another and red if you wish to help with another's emotions." She rattled off the list and I couldn't stop myself from quirking an eyebrow. Of course I was well aware of the gold light she spoke of, she'd used it to snap the handcuffs that I had used to keep Russell at my side when we had ventured into the sunlight in the Fangtasia parking lot, and of course the green light I had experienced at the festival. The other two were unknown to me, and probably every other vampire on the earth.

"Ata taught me about the red light, apparently you can use this type of light to increase or decrease the emotions someone is feeling. She said it was useful for example if you find yourself needing information from someone who's emotionally distraught. You can take the emotions influencing them away from them so they can think clearly. She said that the emotions don't backfire on you they just simply disappear so you don't end up feeling how the other person does. She explained that you can retain those emotions if you wish and give them back to the person in question after you have what you want, but that she often finds it the kinder thing to do to just get rid of the negative emotions all together." She paused to take a sip of her champagne and to open the new menu before her. Leaning over slightly, I noticed that it was the dessert page. For a moment we lapsed into silence as my beloved pondered the menu until finally making her choice and shutting the book.

"She told me the red light could also be used to intensify emotions, she told me to find someone's current emotions via their thoughts then think of a volume dial and slowly turn it up. She used the example of the love I feel for you. She did say however that the intensifying of emotions is usually reserved to more private places such as the bedroom, and apparently it can make sex even better." Her voice dropped an octave as she spoke, as if mentioning the fact that we fucked one another on a nightly basis was such a sin. I couldn't hold back my laughter, here she was trying to be innocent when she'd had sex with me in the woods on a full moon with an audience, though she had been oblivious to that, then on her hallway floor, on the chair in her living room, on her bed, on an airplane and then in her cousins guest bedroom. Only my Sookie would try to be innocent after all that.

"Well I say we test that out." I suggested, waggling my eyebrows in her direction. My love flushed a shade darker and gave me a shy smile. I could see through it though, she wanted to try it as much as I did, the waves of lust crashing through our bond was enough to confirm that for me. Our server returned and Sookie ordered something called the dark chocolate truffle cheesecake. They made cake out of cheese these days? Of course I kept my opinion of her selection to myself, not wanting to seem picky. I was going to try and allow her to make her own choices, and only step in when necessary. My Sookie loved her independence.

"I asked her if it was manipulation, because in all honesty that's what it sounds like, and she told me it is and it isn't. Yes because it might not be something they want and no because I'm in fact helping them. I'd be easing their suffering and I must admit that I'm all for that. She told me there have been cases where fairies use the gift in a dark manner, feeding peoples negative emotions until the person becomes overwhelmed and kills him or herself." My love shook her head, clearly upset with that idea.

"Not all fairies are sweet, Sookie." I reminded her gently.

"I know. I've seen it." She muttered more to herself than to me, however her comment piqued my curiosity.

"Lover, you saw a piece of my past. I was wondering if you would please share with me what happened the year you were gone?" I ventured slowly, not wanting to spook her. Sookie was notoriously known for running away from things when she was worried. For a moment she was silent and it was as if I could see the cogs turning in her head as she tried to figure out what to say.

"It only felt like I was gone for ten, maybe fifteen minutes at the most. Time works differently there. After so rudely telling you and Bill to leave me alone I went to the cemetery and Claudine came for me. She told me to go with her and I didn't know what to do with myself, so I took her hand. When we arrived in Faery it was beautiful, we were on a large balcony that had big marble columns and these green trees, everyone was wearing pretty dresses and looked so beautiful. When we arrived Claudine told me she was my godmother." Sookie stopped as her dessert was placed before her.

"A fairy godmother." I snorted once our server was out of earshot; I was still not able to get over how hilarious it was. "Well she wasn't particularly good at her job, you're a trouble magnet." I pointed out playfully as my lover picked up her fork and started to break off a piece of her dessert. I stole quick glances at this cheesecake thing and was relieved to find out it wasn't actually a cake made of cheese but instead seemed to be made of some chocolate coloured cream cheese and broken biscuits.

"I told her that, and she pointed out that I was still alive and that I wasn't exactly 'Miss Trouble Free.'" She responded with a scowl, popping a piece of the chocolate explosion on her plate into her mouth. I watched as she chewed, still making little moans of appreciation and I found myself struggling even more to contain myself. I found myself fantasising about what it would be like to fuck her on the table overlooking the whole of The Strip. I could just imagine her naked body stretched out beneath me, she would look marvellous under all the different brightly coloured lights.

Swallowing her mouthful, her eyes met mine, smouldering blue orbs hooded with desire. Realising that she could feel my lust, I quickly put a lid on it, saving it for later. She suddenly smiled broadly, the lust disappearing from her eyes. "Barry was there too! You remember him, the bellboy from the Hotel in Dallas?" she quizzed and for a moment I was silent. I'd never been good with names as that was more Pam's special talent, with that little vault of hers.

Racking my brain quickly, I soon realised whom she was on about. The bellboy who'd been outside Compton's room telling him about Sookie being trapped in the basement with Godric! "Ah yes, I remember now. He informed me that you were trapped in the basement at the Fellowship." I replied, earning a light frown from my beloved.

"I told him to tell Bill, why did he tell you?" she enquired, popping another piece of her pudding into her mouth.

"He did tell Bill, but he told him through the door and as my room was opposite yours I overheard the conversation and came for you and Godric." I replied honestly, shrugging my shoulders as if it had been no big deal. Taking another sip of blood I waited for Sookie to finish her mouthful and continue.

"I was left alone to speak with Barry and this woman came over and offered us a Lumière, a light fruit. We both took one and Barry started to eat his. I stopped to observe everyone else as they ate theirs, it was as if they couldn't get enough of them and my gut was telling me not to eat one. As I was looking across the crowd I saw my…" she trailed off and sadness coupled with hurt flooded our bond.

Within seconds I was up off my chair, abandoning my meal and crossing to my love. Crouching down before her I cupped her face in my hands, turning her to face me. "What's the matter, minn sváss?" I asked gently, running my thumbs along her cheekbones.

Placing her fork down I felt her battling with her emotions. Finally she sighed in resignation. "I saw my Granddaddy Earl, he was eating one of the fruits. I went to him and at first he didn't recognise me but then he seemed to remember. He told me he'd only been there a few hours. He looked exactly like I remembered. He'd been gone for twenty years, Eric. He swore blind he'd only seen me the week before." She told me quietly and I could see the tears gathering in her blue eyes.

"Shhh, minn sváss, no tears." I ordered gently as she raised her hands to her eyes, brushing away the stray moisture. She composed herself for a moment and the nodded to inform me that she was okay. Rising back to my feet I took my seat once again, holding out my hand to her over the table, which she instantly took.

"He asked me about Gran and I told him about her passing. I also had to tell him about my momma and daddy. He told me he must have lost track of time because everything there was so lovely. Suddenly though it was like a veil had been lifted, I heard this horrible noise and witnessed this ugly creature walking through everyone, the walls started to seep this green gunk and as a woman took another Lumière from a bowl I saw it rotting and covered in maggots. Everyone else seemed oblivious to it though!" She explained further and I couldn't help but lean forward. My beloved took another mouthful of her pudding, chewing and swallowing quickly so she could carry on the conversation.

"I used my telepathy to tell him it was a trap and that we needed to leave but I hadn't counted on every fairy there hearing me." She nibbled on her lower lip and if my heart had of been beating it would have been trying to burst out of my ribcage by now. "This woman came forward, she was pretty but a complete bitch. She told me there was no need to bow 'as we're all friends here' and I told her I didn't know who she was. She told me her name was Mab and that she sent for me. She asked me if I'd had the Lumière fruit and I told her I hadn't. We had a quick disagreement similar to the one you and Bill had the night I came back and I threw the fruit to the ground. The moment it made contact it exploded into this green gunk similar to the stuff that I'd seen seeping out of the walls." She continued.

She'd certainly piqued my curiosity and I found myself desperate to know more. The fae had always been the natural enemies of vampires so I found it highly amusing how I had fallen in love with one, as had my Maker. I could see, however, that my love had been frightened during her ordeal as a tinge of her fear ran through our bond. In a reassuring gesture I ran my thumb over the back of her hand as she finished off her dessert, taking a sip of her champagne before continuing.

"I had this brief flash of what I can only assume is her real appearance. She had these horribly beady green eyes, a sunken face and razor sharp teeth that could probably rival your fangs." She teased, leaning over to tap my lips playfully. In return I playfully went to nip her finger, earning me a sweet laugh from my beloved.

"She told me a vampire had managed to enter their realm because of me, and of course she was referencing Bill. She told me that your kind drove mine nearly to extinction and forced them into that other realm. I assured her it would never happen again given my current lack of affection for Bill. I saw her true nature once more in a brief flash and she told me they couldn't have bearers of the fae on the human plain anymore and that it was time to harvest. They were harvesting people, Eric!" she exclaimed, clearly distressed. Pushing calm towards her through our bond I felt her settle slightly. "This Mab took a Lumière and two fairies held me, they tried to force me to eat the fruit. I used my light on her and sent her flying backwards." I couldn't help but feel proud of my beloved, defending herself against Queen Mab. Of course I had heard of the ruthless and cruel fae Queen before, but I had never had the chance to meet her, fortunately.

"Everything changed so suddenly, the beautiful balcony and marble columns disappeared and instead we were in this desert like location and all the beautiful fairies were really ugly. They had hooked noses, beady eyes and sharp teeth. Their hair was scraggly and they were dressed in nasty clothes." She crinkled her nose, her displeasure causing me to smile. If Sookie hated the fae then maybe she wouldn't return to them and she'd stay here, with me.

"They started to fire these light things at me which exploded on contact and they chased Granddaddy and I. These two other fairies grabbed us and told us they could help us but I wasn't going to fall for it so I struggled against them. The one holding me was hit with one of the light bombs and disintegrated. The other one led us to a cliff edge while his friends held Mab and the others off. He told us we had to jump and I told him that I didn't know who he was. He said his sister was Claudine and that he was helping me because the crown wished to seal off the fairy world from the human realm forever. He asked if we'd eaten the light fruit and I told him I hadn't but Granddaddy had. He then said that only I could go back, because the fruit stopped those who'd eaten it from surviving in the human realm." I felt Sookie's sadness and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Our server returned to our table and took the empty plate away before refilling both of our glasses. I felt angered that they tried to force my love to eat the fruit, to stay with them. If only there were a way for me to go there and rip them all apart one-by-one, starting with Mab. No one would ever be allowed to take her from me again, I would even meet my true death if I knew that it would 100% ensure that she would be alright.

Once again the conversation started back up when the server left. "Mab started to close the portal and I was so unsure about leaving Granddaddy behind. He jumped with me and we landed in the cemetery back in Bon Temps." She revealed.

"You woke me." I remembered.

"It was daytime." She shot back, as if I didn't know.

"Yes, but you pulled me from my day rest with your return. I remember feeling the thrum of your life force return and it woke me. I haven't been pulled from my day rest like that since the day I was turned." I confessed as Sookie looked on in surprise.

"But I'd only had a little of your blood, and it'd have mostly worn off by then." She frowned, deep in thought.

Chuckling at her naivety I shook my head, "I'm over 1000-years-old, lover. My blood would take more than a year and a half to be fully out of your system." I told her, waiting for the verbal onslaught I was no doubt going to get for that. If there was one thing my Sookie loved it was her independence and knowing I could still keep tabs on her after a year and a half would no doubt frustrate her.

"That's why you came to see me that night, that's how you knew I was home." She whispered to herself.

Nodding in confirmation I gave her hand another gentle squeeze. "Partly, but I also visited your house every night to check on the work being done and…." I trailed off, not sure how much I should reveal.

"And?" Sookie pressed, looking at me with such determination. There was no way I was going to get out of this and lying wouldn't be useful. It was the only thing I could hate the bond for, it would alert her to any lies I may tell her. Then again lying to, and manipulating, Sookie would only end in disastrous results. Just look at Compton. No, lying to my twice bonded was out of the question. In the past I may have held things from her but I have never lied to her, apart from the one time when she came to Fangtasia regarding Operation Werewolf, but I went and confessed right away!

"I wanted to be close to you, your scent, your belongings." I confessed, feeling at that moment exactly like I had when I had been without my memories – stripped bare and exposed.

I was hit with a vast amount of love pouring from the beautiful woman across the table from me and I watched as her lips curved into a delicate smile. "Even then you loved me." She stated, as if it had been an impossible thing at the time.

"Yes, even then I was yours. It took me forgetting everything to finally realise and acknowledge it but yes, even then I loved you and belonged only to you." I confirmed for her, raising her hand to my lips to brush a kiss across her knuckles. It was strange for me to so willingly give myself to someone, but I couldn't help but love the woman before me. God knows she was deserving of love, I was just worried my love wouldn't be enough for her. 1000 years of suppressing my emotions would be difficult to undo

"What happened to your Grandfather?" I asked, fearing the response.

Immense sadness flooded the bond and once again I was up on my feet, crouching in front of her as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. Capturing the droplets I popped them into my mouth. It was probably wrong of me to want to know more but my Sookie was carrying all that weight by herself. I wanted to carry it with her, ease her pain.

"He died when he got me home. I took him to Gran's grave and he apologised for leaving us all behind. He told me Gran would give him what for in Heaven." She gave a teary smile, obviously believing his words. After everything I'd witnessed in my 1000 years it didn't seem so silly, and I believed it right along with her. "He was glowing and pulsing and clearly in pain, he gave me his pocket watch and told me to give it to Jason, he told me he loved me and then…" she stopped, her head dropping down as more silent tears flowed down her cheeks. It didn't take a genius to work out what had happened next.

Pulling my beloved into an embrace I held her while she allowed all of her pain to flow freely. It hurt me to see her so upset but I would never allow her to know that, she needed to grieve. Unlike me she wasn't accustomed to containing her emotions. "Shhh, minn sváss." I soothed once more, stroking the back of her head as her tears finally subsided. Not caring who was watching I pulled back from the embrace, leaning in to lick away her tears. It was a strange act to be doing to my Sookie yet I didn't feel the need to stop. Usually a vampire only ever licked away the tears of their progeny or Maker, as a show of comfort.

"Then of course I got back to my house and found out some high-handed vampire had bought it and had it redecorated and repaired." She teased lightly, poking my chest.

"What a horrible vampire." I tutted before giving a shake of my head. My lover was about to reply to me when my phone buzzed inside my jacket. Sighing in frustration I pulled the offending item out to see who was bothering me.

Pam.

_I'm all done here, Master. Where are you staying? I will get the next flight there._

At least she had the common curtsy to address me formally. I still adored my Childe of course but her behaviour at Moon Goddess left something to be desired. Sending her a quick response I informed her that we were in Vegas and would send someone to collect her.

"Could you please ask your cousin to send one of her employees to pick up Pam from the airport in three hours?" I asked Sookie, slipping my phone back inside my jacket. I felt the apprehension in the bond and quickly took my loves hands. "You are just as important to me as Pam is, I do not want you worried about her coming here. If needs be I will command her to be kind to you." I declared.

As soon as the words left my mouth I knew that was the wrong thing to say. "You can't do that! She's entitled to her own thoughts and feelings, if she doesn't like me then she doesn't like me. Sure it would be nice to get along with her but I don't blame her for her actions. You were about to meet the true death and abandon her so she created a distraction, Eric." She protested.

"And risked your life in the process!" I argued back, keeping my voice to a hushed tone so as not to draw attention to us.

"I'm a waitress from a backwater town, I'm nothing special. You're older and a Sheriff, that makes you more important." She continued on, jutting her chin out defiantly.

Reigning in my growing frustration I took an unnecessary breath to calm myself. "You're special to me, and that should have been enough of a reason." I answered steadily. The moment Sookie's eyes softened I knew I'd said the right thing. It was like walking on eggs shells around this woman!

Seeing an opportunity, my little spitfire grabbed it. "Fine, but don't be too hard on her okay?"

"Soo-" I went to protest but was silenced by her lips on mine in a sweet and tender kiss.

"Please?" she batted her eyelashes at me after pulling away. Growling lowly I relented, letting her have her way. Her whole face lit up and she stroked my cheek affectionately. Returning to my seat a moment later I sat as Sookie fell into silence, a look of concentration on her features. She was clearly communicating with her cousin and I couldn't help but be fascinated, I'd never seen her talk telepathically to someone before. She broke out into a smile and relayed to me that Ata would send two of her boys to meet Pam at the airport.

Satisfied, I gazed at my beloved before I spotted motion behind her and I looked over her shoulder. Grinning I told her to turn around and the moment she did I heard her gasp. The Bellagio hotel was currently having one of its famous water fountain shows, the jets of water dancing across the pool, waving in the breeze, rising and then falling, intermingling perfectly. The bright lights of Vegas could be seen behind it and even I had to admit that it was a beautiful sight. Not as beautiful as my Sookie's excited expression however. For two minutes we sat in comfortable silence, watching as the water danced and played, wowing everyone who watched it. Finally though the show came to an end and I could feel my loves disappointment.

"The night is young, minn sváss. Shall we see what else Vegas has to offer?" I asked, summoning our server for the cheque. Pulling my wallet from the inside of my jacket the server shook her head. "It's quite alright Sir, Miss Caesar says that dinner is on her. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night!" she smiled broadly at us before disappearing to another table. Pleasantly surprised I rose from my seat, holding my arm out for my lover who rose up to take my offering, she too was equally surprised through I could feel her unease at having dinner paid for by someone else.

Feeling a sense of contentment and happiness take over me I spoke up. "Where to now, m'lady?"

* * *

**A/N **

**If you can, watch this display of the water at the Bellagio, it's amazing! Plus you can see the tower in the background so you get an idea of their location! go to the youtube homepage and then chuck in this afterwards - watch?v=hk0Tb_ZWS1I&feature=fvwre**


	25. Fashion

**A/N Have some Pammy!**

**I'm no good at writing as if I'm some super bitch so I apologise now if she seems a little tame :)**

**Also, remember the time difference between Louisiana and Las Vegas! Louisiana is two hours ahead of Vegas!**

* * *

**PAM'S POV**

_I need, some new stilettos, can't walk, down the street in those  
You are who you wear, it's true, a girl's just as hot as the shoes she choose  
J'adore Weitzman, habillez-moi Louis, Dolce Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, et oh Merde I love those Manolo  
__Fashion put it all on me, don't you want to see these clothes on me, fashion put it all on me I am anyone you want me to be  
Fashion put it all on me, don't you want to see these clothes on me, fashion put it all on me I am anyone you want me to be  
~ Fashion, Lady Gaga_

I strutted out of Fangtasia, pausing to adjust my corset and tugged my leather jacket a little tighter around my slender frame. Of course being a vampire means I never feel the cold however I still like to don jackets every now and then, they add a certain something to an outfit.

Moving to my blue mini van, I extracted the keys from my pocket before sliding into the drivers seat and starting the ignition. I have no time for seat-belts and my lighting fast reactions would ensure my survival should any accident occur, the survival of the breather who caused the accident is another matter entirely however.

It took no time at all for me to arrive at the strip mall and I parked my car with ease right at the front of the strip. Slipping out, I locked my vehicle after me. Eric would be angry with me if anything happened to it. At least I had the sense not to take his little baby; the Corvette had been tempting me, my own personal form of payback. I had been quick to pull myself in though; he loves that car more than anything. Sometimes I think he loves it more than he loves me. I laughed internally at the notion, I'm his Childe and he loves me more than anything.

Moving effortlessly in my 6' stilettos I entered the first store, surveying the patrons and the racks of clothing. I couldn't keep the disdain off of my features. This wouldn't do. I was about to exit the store when I paused, my eyes catching sight of a little red and white floral sundress on a hanger. Didn't the gash own one just like that? If I remembered correctly, which I always do, she wore it the first time she showed her face at my Maker's bar, hanging off of the arm of the dweeb that is Compton. I remembered my Maker's face as he observed her; I remembered feeling his lust rise as he took in the demure little dress.

Pursing my lips in contemplation I riffled through the rail, grabbing a size eight and holding it up. I'd always had an eye for knowing the size of people. Perhaps I would buy it for the little fairy, it was only $35 after all, and then she would fuck my Maker until dawn and he'd be all smiles and apologies towards me the next night.

Yes. I liked that plan very much.

Walking to the counter I plucked a gift bag from a small display, handing it to the woman to ring it through the till. If I played my cards right I might even get a little taste of the blonde who seems to have my Maker so firmly wrapped around her little finger. I'd never tasted a fairy before, but I believe they're delicious. With a bored expression I handed the cash to the woman, not bothering with the card. $35 would be an insult to the Amex. Unceremoniously I dumped the folded dress into the bag, closing it and placing it across my wrist. At least Eric will be happy that I'm playing nice.

Entering the store next door I was greeted with the sight of Hanna, the tasty little shop owner. "Miss Pam! How lovely to see you! We had a special delivery this morning and I set aside a few pieces specially for you!" she beamed at me. I had never been a fan of breathers but Hanna was polite, efficient and of course tasty. AB-, the best there is.

"Good evening Hanna." I cooed, observing the store. I was the only one there. Perfect. The one thing I hated more than breathers was being disturbed while shopping. "Shall we get started? What sort of goodies do you have for me this evening?" I asked with a wolfish grin. Although I had stated earlier that I would bash the hell out of Eric's Amex, I would probably just buy one or two things with it, I had enough of my own money to get the rest anyway. Besides, I would no doubt need to take some fashion and class to wherever the hell he had skipped off to with my Grandsire and the fairy.

"I have a few blouses that might be of interest to you." Hanna started, flitting towards the back of the store. Moving across the room I picked out the largest changing room, knowing I would need the space. Setting down my handbag and the gift bag from my recent purchase I slipped off my jacket and top, having no qualms about walking around in my leopard print bra. After 100 years I had lost all of my inhibitions, and it wasn't like Hanna didn't have breasts too. She had nice ones at that. I snapped out of my little reverie as Hanna returned, she was clutching four blouses in her hands.

Handing me the first one I took a moment to look at the label and cut, it was Phillip Lim, a sandy coloured silk-chiffon and crepe de chine blouse. Hanna knew I was a fan of pastels and soft colours. I may adorn myself in leather at Fangtasia but that was purely for the vermin. In my days I had been a lady of wealth, an aristocrat. Some thought of me as a snarky bitch but I hadn't always been that way. I'd retained my adoration for soft colours during my turning and whenever I was away from the bar I indulged myself. Slipping the fabric over my head I admired my reflection, smoothing the fabric out. While it was beautiful the fabric was far too long for my liking, hiding my behind from clear view. I had been a slender but curvaceous woman at the time of my turning, I had a perfect figure according to Dear Abby.

Shaking my head I pulled the fabric off gently, handing it back to Hanna who returned the item to its hanger. Plucking the next blouse from the selection I admired the pale sea-foam coloured item. It was a Ralph Lauren Georgette Dapne Top and I already knew I would take it. Nevertheless I pulled the blouse on, being careful not to ruin my perfect hairdo. The ruffles at the front were beautiful and the pale colouring was fabulous. All I needed was a knee length skirt. As if reading my mind Hanna disappeared and came back a second later with a matching Ralph Lauren cream leather skirt. "Thank you my dear." I crooned, batting my eyelashes at her. Instantly I heard her heartbeat speed up and could smell the sweet scent of her arousal. Of course the beautiful woman before me was straight, but the power of the fang was hard to resist.

Removing my pants I shimmied into the leather, taking a step back to look at the outfit as a whole. Perfect. With a satisfied smile I took both items off, hanging them from a separate hook in the changing room. I would most defiantly be taking those! I went to pluck the next blouse from the pile but wrinkled my nose at the colour. Mustard yellow? Seriously? It may have been Elie Saab and it may have been chiffon but that was a hideous colour! Without even trying it I handed it to Hanna. "Don't you like this one, Miss Pam?" she asked with a sad expression, like a child who'd just been told off.

"Yellow isn't really my colour, my dear." I assured her. Usually I couldn't care less for human's feelings however this lovely breather was not only respectful, fashion savvy and tasty but she also understood me to a small degree. She never interrupted me while I was busy trying on clothes and always seemed to know what I wanted. Instead I took the next item from the rail as Hanna disappeared to put the yellow blouse back. She returned with a handful of pants and skirts, which she placed aside for me. Checking the label on the lace neck sheer shirt I was pleased to find it was an Alexander McQueen. A British designer, how fitting. The shirt was most defiantly sheer, I would need a white bra underneath it, but it was perfect and the lace added a sense of femininity to it. I added it to my pile.

For the next two hours I tried on clothes and shoes, Hanna would always have more to bring me and I found my little shopping trip soothing. I wasn't use to extreme emotions but I couldn't help but be nervous about my impending confrontation with my Master. I had clearly upset him even though he'd been about to meet the fucking true death for a mere mortal woman! I'd only had his best interests at heart.

My pile of clothes was huge. It consisted of a Talbot Runhof black leather dress, a matching Talbot Runhof black leather clutch, a Temperley black leather jacket, an Alexander McQueen leather dress, a Halston leather panel strapless dress, a Gucci crystal bow strappy dress, Alexander McQueen black zipper leggings, a pair of white Dolce and Gabbana flare trousers and a pair of Jaeger Nautical wide leg trousers.

I'd even treated myself to several pairs of shoes. A pair of Louboutin Lady Highness leather pumps, which I thought highly fitting, a pair of Valentino crystal embellished suede and mesh sling-backs, a pair of Elie Saab platform sandals and a pair of Jeffrey Campbell studded suede wedges. I chucked in a few handbags for good luck.

Hanna had been an absolute star throughout my whole trying on session. Everything I had liked she'd taken to the till, rung up and placed neatly inside bags. Redressing myself I emerged from the changing room, handbag in tow along with the gift bag containing the fairies dress. Whipping out both my Amex and Eric's I handed them both to Hanna, she knew the routine by now. She placed 1/3 on Eric's and 2/3 on mine.

It was then that a foul stench flooded my nostrils and I had to hold back a gag at the vile smell. Were. My body naturally went into high alert and I grabbed both Amex cards back from Hanna as she finished with them. Using my heightened senses I swept the area. There were four of them, and they were out the front of the store. Shit.

"Hanna my dear, what do you think of my new eye shadow?" I placed the perfectly innocent question but the moment she raised her head I pulled her under my glamour. "Hanna, we spent a wonderful evening here trying on clothes and dressing up, now you're going to go home once I've left the store and go straight to bed because it's late, okay?" I told her.

Yawning, Hanna raised a hand to her mouth politely, "It is a little late." She agreed with me. Taking my bags from the counter I gave her a small smile. Smiling wasn't one of my favourite things to do in the world and I hardly allowed any breathers to see me do so however Hanna wouldn't remember the truth tomorrow morning. Deciding not to act on my impulses to make myself as big and scary as possible I would lull the wolves into a false sense of security, pretend that I hadn't noticed them, nor smelt them. I had no idea why they were here but I could bet it had something to do with Russell, now he was free he was no doubt seeking revenge against Eric for staking Talbot. He'd probably want Sookie too because she could offer him the sunshine for a few minutes each day. As much as I hated her, the thought of Russell draining her dry wasn't a pleasant one.

Not bothering to pause and give the wolves any hope of getting me, I moved back to my mini van in a casual saunter. I stashed my shopping away in the back before hoping into the drivers seat. I could smell the wolves all around my car, which only fuelled my suspicion that they were after Eric, or me, or both of us. Dawn was only a few hours away; I would need to find somewhere suitable to go to ground. I owned a safe house a few miles out of Shreveport that would be suitable, a selection of clothes and essentials were there and I could take those with me to wherever the hell Eric was.

First I would have to lose the Weres.

Pulling out of the strip mall I emerged onto the main road and seconds after pulling out another car started to tail me. Rolling my eyes at their stupidity I couldn't help but snicker. Being subtle clearly wasn't their thing. I decided to drive around a little bit, stopping outside a few different houses before pulling on and continuing. Eventually I allowed myself to put my foot down and whizzed off into the night, leaving the Weres far in the distance. While my vehicle was larger than your average car I'd had it customised, a supercharged V8 engine was a useful thing to have as it turned out.

Triple-checking that I was not being followed, either on foot or by a vehicle, I pulled into a gated community and drove at a sensible pace so as not to draw attention to myself. Driving up to my garage I clicked the control inside my car and the door slid back. Parking inside I waited for the door to shut before cutting the engine and gathering my belongings. Unlocking the door from the garage to the house using both a key and a code I was soon within my own space. I didn't bother with lights, not only would it alert people that someone was home but it was unnecessary, as a vampire my vision was impeccable. Being careful with all my shopping, I placed the bags down on the floor rather than the tabletop. My human mother had told me that placing new shoes on the table would only bring bad luck such as the death of a family member. Of course now I was immortal I should have dropped the notion, but it had frightened me so much as a young girl that I had kept the little saying in my undead life. Eric and Godric were the only family I had left now and I couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to either of them.

It was too close to dawn for me to travel, not to mention the time differences. I had no idea where Eric was and if he had gone further towards the east coast then the sun would have already taken him for the day and if he was on the west coast then he may only just be waking. Checking on our Maker-Childe bond I was disappointed to find that we were too far apart for it to work properly. I could get Eric's basic emotions but anything above that was difficult. No, I would wait until sunset tomorrow before contacting him.

Double-checking all of my doors and locks, I closed all of the curtains and blinds before I collected my bags of shopping. Moving to a bookshelf in my living room I gave it a shove and it moved aside. After entering a few codes I was granted access to my sleeping quarters. I'd had light tight shutters fitted on the bedrooms upstairs but I felt the need to sleep underground this evening. Padding downstairs, the bookshelf slid back into place followed closely behind by the doors, which locked automatically.

My basement was a mini replica of the house upstairs; the walls were off-white and the carpet cream. One corner of the room was a small kitchen with a microwave and fridge, another corner was a small living area complete with flatscreen TV and a comfy sofa and the whole other side of the room was my bedroom. I had a large four-poster bed down here exactly like the one I had owned during my human years. I also happened to have rails upon rails of clothes down here. I'd filled up all the wardrobe space upstairs. Slipping my jacket and heels off I removed the rest of my clothing before grabbing my old Louis Vuitton trunks. Eric had bought them for me the night I woke a vampire as a present, a promise of a good future and a promise that he would take care of me. He'd lived up to his promise so far.

Grabbing all my new purchases, including the fairies new dress, I transferred them to the cases, grabbing a few other items from the rails before locking the trunks and leaving them next to the door. Going to my safe I removed my passport and a wad of cash just incase I had to travel far. I would leave as soon as I woke. Crawling into my bed I turned the lights of and lay amongst the silk sheets, waiting for the dawn to take me. It was strange being alone in Shreveport, not knowing where Eric was. Of course I missed my Maker and I didn't like how we had left things, his note gave me hope though that we would patch things up.

The next time I opened my eyes it was sunset, however I didn't wake to the usual silence I had come to expect from my safe house. No, instead I woke to the sound of doors slamming, furniture being overturned and the sound of male voices. SHIT. Scrabbling out of bed I pulled my clothes on quickly, grabbing my cell phone from the counter I shoved it into my pocket. How the hell did whoever it was get into my house? How the hell did they know it was here? Did they even know I was here?

Slowly and silently I approached the door, knowing full well it would protect me to some degree. I was unsure where Eric was or what he was doing so I couldn't contact him yet to ask about his location. Pressing my ear to the door I listened in on the male voices.

"You sure the blonde one was here mate?" one man gruffly questioned.

"Yeah, tall, blonde and skinny. We followed 'er van out here, dunno where she's gone though." He cursed.

"Maybe she done a runner?" Another man offered

"Don't be ridiculous, piecea ass like that don't do no runner." The second man responded.

So they were looking for me. Interesting.

"We'll wait 'ere for 'er then, she's bound to come 'ome sometime." One more male voice added. Tuning my hearing in to them I heard four heartbeats, all of which matched the patterns of Weres, specifically the ones from last night. I needed to get out of there and get away and if they intended to spend the night in my home then I would need to act quickly and catch them off-guard before they started to anticipate my return. I wouldn't be able to take my van with me, that would be too obvious and it seemed they could track it. Shit, I hadn't gone over it for bugs before pulling up to my house! No wonder they found me! Shit! Eric had taught me that was one of the first things to do when you suspected someone was following you. My momentary lapse in judgment last night could have cost me my undead life if I'd decided to rest in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Grabbing my passport and cash I stashed both in my pocket, zipping it shut to keep both items, plus my phone, secure. Thankfully when I had been turned I had been given the gift of speed. All vampires were naturally fast, they appeared as blurs to humans, however I was even quicker. Eric may be able to fly but I could run like the wind. Grabbing my trunks, they weighed next to nothing in my hands even though they were packed to bursting. Taking a deep breath to steel myself I entered the code to my resting place, the doors sliding back. The moment there was enough space for me to exit I ran. Dashing through my house I didn't have time to mourn for all my demolished furniture or broken windows and doors. I would have to send someone to gather my personal belongings in the day and then 'accidentally' leave a fire roaring with plenty of paper and material nearby. I could hear the wolves turning over my furniture as they dashed after me and it frustrated me. I made sure to take difficult winding routes just to frustrate them and took great pleasure in the fact that two of the wolves found themselves face planting tree trunks near Ruston.

The wolves sensed my presence and whipped their heads in my direction, growling they shifted into their animal forms and started to pursue me. My speed gave me the advantage however and I soon lost them near Monroe. It only took me twenty minutes to get back to Shreveport and I went straight to the regional airport. Slowing down as I approached the entrance I set my bags down on the floor, plucking my phone from my pocket and sending a quick text to my Master.

_I'm all done here, Master. Where are you staying? I will get the next flight there._

I didn't feel the need to fill him in on the wolf attack just yet and worry him; I would prefer to tell him in person. Seconds later I received my reply.

_Las Vegas, I'll send someone to meet you at the airport._

Vegas huh? The perfect place to wear my new leather dresses and killer heels!

Trotting to the check-in desk I asked the brunette behind the counter for a ticket on the next plane to Vegas, luckily for me it would be leaving in an hour. Purchasing my ticket I presented my passport as confirmation of my identity, as humans were still wary of my kind, before sending my luggage through to the hold. With no hand baggage I got through security easily and once in the departure lounge I bought myself the new copy of Vogue and a bottle of blood. I had only been sat for about twenty minutes reading up on the latest trends this fall and making mental notes of everything I wanted to buy when my gate was called. Downing the rest of my blood I stood, smoothing out my outfit and scooping up my magazine before strutting to the gate. Presenting both my ticket and my passport to the stout woman at the desk she allowed me access onto the plane.

My last thought before takeoff? _Vegas, here I come_


	26. Animal City

**A/N I'm going to apologise in advance for this chapter, there is some important pieces of info in that will be relevant later and some questions from earlier get answered but other than that it's a kinda filler chapter :/**

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**GODRIC'S POV**

_It's an animal city, it's a cannibal world, so be obedient, don't argue, some are ready to fight you my love  
They believe you now have everything you wanted and once you have become a star you got no right to bitch  
But someday when you fail they'll put you on sale and buy you by the inch, but you're the real deal and "real" is your middle name  
You know sometimes I feel I gotta earn every breath you take, baby, never mind the rules we break 'cause it's an animal city, it's a cannibal world  
So be obedient, don't argue some are ready to bite you, it's an animal city it's a cannibal world so be obedient, don't argue, some are ready rip you right off  
With you I feel safe there's nothing to fear from us, away from the fangs, the fangs of the world  
~ Animal City, Shakira_

I remained silent while my beloved conducted her area business. I had been rather surprised to learn she was the Sheriff of the area but short of being Queen it was the next best thing. Of course watching her in action made me miss my job as Sheriff in Dallas, I would have to get in contact with Isabelle as soon as possible to see how she was doing. I handed everything over to her without sitting down and going through things, she was a capable woman of course but I threw her in at the deep end. After Sookie had convinced me down off the roof I had toyed with the idea of going and assisting Isabelle however I felt the compulsion to leave Texas, and America altogether, in exactly the same way I felt the compulsion to rest when the sun rose.

Now of course I could understand why I had felt this compulsion to leave, if I hadn't of then I wouldn't have been able to get my hands on my loves sketchbook and crown. Speaking of which, her crown was still concealed within my belongings but a part of me knew it wasn't the right time to reveal it to her yet, I would save it for a very special occasion and then present it to her.

I had tried to take a more humanitarian approach to my rulings in my last few years as Sheriff in Dallas, but with vampires I had been forced to use strong methods of punishment. Humans were more susceptible to pain and parts of their anatomies didn't grow back so my punishments involving them had always been a little on the gentle side – effective, but gentle. However this disputes session involved only one human, and my love had been wonderfully gentle and compassionate to the girl. I felt proud of her for the way she had conducted her business though of course I had been curious about her ability to seemingly glamour the girl into forgetting.

The moment that vile stout man had made an attempt on my loves life I'd felt anger unparalleled to any I'd felt in the past 1000 years, I'd been so tempted to rip his limbs off and then stake him but of course that would have been out of my jurisdiction. I was a visiting vampire and therefore the only way I could inflict pain on the man would have been if he had laid a finger on my Ata. It would have been a blood offence and I would have been able to do whatever I wished to the man.

It had been over 300 years since I had seen Felipe de Castro and I could honestly say that wasn't long enough. The slimy King was still as horrendous as he had been the last time I had met him. I'd felt my beloveds unease as he had approached us and I could feel her disgust too. He ignored me as he spoke only to my twice bonded and I couldn't keep the irritation out of my system. He may politically be my better but I was his elder and therefore he should have been on his knees begging for my respect.

The way he spoke to her, saying that she suited a throne, was by far the stupidest thing I'd ever heard. Of course my love suited a throne, she'd practically been born on one! I'd observed him as he'd flared his nostrils, inhaling the scent of my loves blood and our shared releases from earlier in the evening. I couldn't stop my smug smile from appearing as I noticed the flash of irritation in his eyes. I pushed reassurance to my love through our bond, wanting her to put him in his place. I wouldn't interrupt or interfere until completely necessary.

As Ata told the story, Felipe rudely interrupted her, once again seeming to pick up on my status during my human years. My loves anger and irritation was practically palpable and I had to push more and more love and comfort through our bond, not only to douse her rising emotions but mine too. That was a downside to a bond, it fanned the flames of the others emotions. The moment she had put Felipe back in his place and held out her hand to me I had allowed myself to smile indulgently, he would be a fool to try and take her from me. I was over 1000 years his elder.

Finally he'd greeted me and using my 2000-year-old perfected poker face I'd greeted the King politely so as not to show up my beloved. Ata squeezed my hand and then Felipe had the nerve to start questioning my appearance in his territory. Personally I thought it was rather obvious given that I was holding hands with my woman and she smelt like my blood and our coupling. I answered his questions smoothly and even participated in some light banter telepathically with Ata.

The moment he mentioned the party I'd felt the fear and panic shoot through our bond and it had only doubled the moment Felipe made it perfectly clear I wasn't invited. If he thought for one minute I would send my love unprotected and unguarded then he had another thing coming. I figured it was time to start calling in some of the favours I had gained over the years. Suddenly my loves thoughts had started to bombard my mind, she'd been trying to figure out a way to make it obvious to everyone present that she was mine and I couldn't contain a small smile. She banished the idea of fang marks, paused for a second on jewellery and then finally thought about the marks upon my body. I could feel her determination and resolve and I couldn't help but tell her telepathically that I didn't want the marks to be permanent.

My love graciously accepted Felipe's offer though I could sense her hesitation and reluctance, she was far too kind hearted for her own good. Then again he had pretty much just backed her into a corner and if there was one thing I could remember from my human life it was that my love hated being backed into corners. As Felipe exited the room I heard my love sigh in relief and saw her slump into her chair.

I allowed her a moment of silence before speaking up, my tone curious. "I think there are some things that you need to explain to me, my sweet. I've obviously missed out on a lot."

Once again my love lets out a sigh and nodded. Slipping her heels off she shifted so she was sat sideways on her throne, throwing her legs over the arm of the chair that was nearest to me. Turning in my own seat to face her I took in her pale complexion, her beautiful bright blue eyes and her small smile. It honestly still stunned me how she looked exactly the same as the way she had in our human years.

"Go on then, what would you like to know first?" she started.

"How did you gain the position as Sheriff?"

Taking a deep breath, Ata broke into the story. "We moved here in 1960 and for two years we rented a small house but then in 1962 we used $35 million to start building Caesar's Palace as we wanted to make Vegas our permanent home. The nightlife was bustling so we would always be ensured of a steady income and it also meant that the boys had plenty of people to choose from for their nutrition. Unfortunately Felipe had come into power in 1955 and was keeping a close eye on his state. The boys checked in with the Sheriff at the time and Felipe summoned them to his house due to their ages. He learnt about me from them and tried to take me himself." She rolled her eyes at the memory. I couldn't suppress the low growl at the thought of Felipe with his hands on my beloved. Her affectionate smile soothed the animal inside me however.

"He granted us permission to start building Caesar's Palace, using it as a way to make us indebted to him. Of course at the time he had no idea what I was but I knew exactly what he was after. He sent the Vegas Sheriff after me to try and pry me away from my boys and in a fit of annoyance and rage I staked him. Technically I couldn't take the position because I'm not one of you however Felipe spotted an opportunity and gave me the position. Before he learnt to shield his mind from me I found out that he gave me the post because he was worried about how much power I had. His Sheriff had been 600-years-old and I'd taken him down easily. He thought by giving me a position of power it would keep me sweet." My love tutted and shook her head, her lips curving up in a smirk.

"He can shield his thoughts from you?" I quirked an eyebrow, not entirely sure I had heard her right. If Felipe was able to shield his thoughts from my beloved then it would be difficult to understand what he was after or what game he was playing.

"Yes, as soon as I took over as Sheriff he made me sign a contract that I wouldn't snoop in his thoughts on punishment of severe torture, he also sought out the help of some voodoo magic woman or something from Los Angeles who helped him to create shields around his mind. He seemed really set on protecting his head from me and it only makes me want to break down his mental shields even more." She sighed, twirling a strand of her hair around her forefinger.

Leaning over, I took my beloveds left foot in my hand and started to knead the firm flesh there, rubbing all the tension out of them. Ata's blissful sigh reached my ears and I couldn't help but smile. "What about your little trick with the human girl?" I rubbed her foot a little harder and Ata giggled, squirming away. Ah her feet were still somewhat ticklish!

Settling down, I took her other foot and started to rub it. Shutting her eyes, Ata tipped her head back, "When members of the House of Brigant reach their fae maturity, Niall gifts them with two special talents based upon their social circle, location and history. Because I'm the daughter of Cleopatra and Julius, and therefore documents and inscriptions about me exist, I was given the ability to 'glamour' humans. The ability doesn't stretch to other Supernatural's because, lets face it, they say something about what I am and I can say something about what they are." She shrugged.

I found myself rather curious about her unique gift, of course it was perfectly suitable for her, not that I expected anything less from the Prince of the fae. "How does it work, my sweet?"

She was silent for a moment, pursing her lips together in contemplation. "I guess it's similar to your glamour. I have to catch their eye, empty out my own mind and then I pull their mind into mine. I can erase parts of their memories, change their thought processes, plant seeds of doubt or ideas into their minds and can get answers from any and all questions. It's made living for the past 2000 years so much easier, I could spend the day with some stranger and then make them forget all about me." She told me quietly. I could feel the sadness from our bond, she may have had the company of her boys during the night but in the daytime she was alone, she'd only had strangers for company and even then their 'friendship' had only been for the day and then they were made to forget about her. Inwardly I cursed myself for being a vampire; I would only get to spend the nights with her. Perhaps her friendship with Sookie would do her some good, she'd finally have a true daytime companion.

"What's the other gift Niall gave you my love?" I stopped rubbing her foot, instead using my vampire speed to lift her from her throne and sit her down on my lap between my legs, her back to my chest. Placing my hands on her shoulders I started to rub them too, removing all the tension. Ata turned to putty in my hands, relaxing into my chest.

Suddenly a small wave of sadness flitted across our bond and I stopped rubbing my loves shoulders, instead I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her close to my chest. Nuzzling my nose into her shoulder I pressed a kiss to her body. "What's the matter my love?" I asked gently, not wanting to upset her further.

"I don't know what my other gift is…Niall hasn't told me and I haven't discovered it yet. All Niall said was that it involved my spark and that it was important, that one day I would need it to save my life. I asked him how I could possibly use this gift if I had no idea what it was and he told me I would know the moment it was needed. He was so damn cryptic about it!" My love explained, the frustration evident in her voice and in our bond.

Rubbing her back in slow circles I leant forward, pressing a kiss to the hollow behind her ear. "Perhaps you'll never have to use it, my sweet. I won't let your life be at risk, I'll protect you." I whispered, kissing her earlobe.

"I love you." I couldn't help but smile at her declaration as she turned in my arms to sit facing me.

"I love you too my darling. Now, what are we going to do about Felipe and this party?" I hated to bring up the subject but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that we would have to come up with some sort of game plan if the night was going to go without incident. Not only that but I was sure my love would want to make it crystal clear to everyone around that she in no way belonged to Felipe. The mention of the King and the party caused Ata to bristle in my arms and it took me another minute to get her settled.

"I have no choice but to go, I'm friends with the King of California and he'll no doubt be there, I could stay around him a lot." She suggested. The thought of her staying around another man had my protective instincts on the rise. I didn't know this vampire; there was no way he was going to be around my Ata! As if she could sense this she started to gently rub my arm reassuringly. "He's a powerful figure, he'll be able to take care of me."

"I don't like this, my sweet. I have a few people in positions of authority who owe me a favour; some of those are in positions even higher than Felipe. Would you allow me to let them escort you for the night?" I asked gently, knowing my beloved adored her independence and sense of leadership; I didn't want to take that from her.

We sat in silence for a moment until finally Ata nodded her consent. "I want to be marked as yours in every physical way possible before I leave for the party." She told me and I couldn't stop the feeling of pride and happiness that she wanted the world to know she belonged to me. "I'd like to carry your marks and I'd also like for us to…" she trailed off, I could feel the embarrassment and shyness in our bond. She was still as beautifully innocent as ever.

"Of course. Both of those things are a given. Which of my marks were you thinking of bearing, my darling?" I kissed her collar bone.

Grabbing my left arm, my love traced the zigzag marks there. "I want this one," she whispered, leaning down to kiss the tattoo, "and I want the sea serpent on your back." She declared. "I know someone who can replicate them for me, they should last for about two days. We need to ring them though and get an appointment sorted, the party is Friday and it's already Monday." She sighed. "I'm also gonna get in contact with the surveillance group who set up the security here, see if I can get my hands on anything small enough to take in with me. I want you, Sookie and Eric locked away in the penthouse watching at all times, just incase something happens." She placed on her practical head and I couldn't help but smile, that was, until she mentioned locking me away. I could understand keeping my Childe and Sookie safe but there was no need for me to be locked up.

"No, my sweet. I want to be around the perimeter of the party, so I can get to you should you be in any trouble. I'm older and far more powerful than any other vampire that will be in attendance, I can keep you safe." I put my foot down.

Firmly, my love opposed me. "Don't you dare! You're staying here and monitoring me from a distance! If Felipe or his guards spot you there they might get the wrong idea and think you're going to cause trouble. I don't want you getting into any trouble, I might not be able to get you out of every situation!"

Only Ata would have the guts to tell me what to do, if anyone else even attempted to do so I would rip them apart in seconds. My mind was whirling, we were twice bonded and therefore I couldn't outright lie to her, but thankfully my 2000 years had made me exceptionally good with my words. "Okay, my sweet. I'll monitor you from a distance." I reassured, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips to silence her. I would stick to my promise, but of course I hadn't told her from what distance I would be monitoring her. I would stay outside Felipe's compound and keep a close eye on her; I didn't trust Felipe as far as a human could throw him.

Of course my kiss to silence my beloved didn't work. I should have known, even in our human years she had been stubborn and infuriating as hell, but I loved her anyway. "I don't want you getting hurt! Do you have any idea how important you are to me? How long I've waited to find you? And now I have you back and you're here and you're well. You are not, under any circumstances, getting anywhere near that party. Do you understand?" She growled, obviously having figured out my strategy.

"Ata, you have to understa-" I started but was instantly cut off by my loves rising voice.

"I thought you were dead! I was told you had truly died! Then you tried to walk out in the sunshine and burn! No, there is no way I am letting you anywhere near Felipe's party where something could happen to you. He's not going to hurt me, he wants me as his Queen, why on earth would he hurt someone he wants to rule beside him? He could hurt you, he could use you against me, he could lock you up and damage you. I won't allow that to happen to you ever again, never ever!" she was practically sobbing in my arms. I could feel her sorrow through our bond, her despair and her guilt. She still felt bad about the fact that I was hurt by my Maker? That she hadn't been able to get to me in time?

It wasn't her fault, it was politics. There was nothing she could have done, no one would have helped her save a slave boy. Wrapping my arms around her I held her to my chest as she cried out her pent up emotions. I could feel them slipping away one by one - her sorrow and sadness, her fear and anger, her heartache and sense of loss. Had she been carrying these emotions for the past 2000 years? Suddenly I felt bad about giving up on trying to find her. I mean, c'mon, a hotel called Caesar's Palace would have been one of the first places I should've looked.

I knew I was fighting a losing battle, if I followed she would be angry about me and on edge all evening yet if I stayed she would feel better herself yet I would be beside myself with worry. For now though I would ease her worry and think about it later. My Childe had always been good at strategies and planning, perhaps he would be able to help me come up with some form of solution, even if it meant sending out guards or a few assassins. Eric still had that Reuben on his payroll, didn't he?

"I promise I won't go anywhere near his compound during the party." I relented, knowing it was the only way to salvage our evening. Ata's tears stopped and her emotions did a 360, she was suddenly very happy and content, pleased and light-hearted. Pulling back from my chest she turned her head up to me, scattering kisses on the underside of my chin and along my jaw line.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me to hold me close. Ye Gods, I'd only been back in her company for one night and she already had me wrapped around her little finger!

"There's a fair downtown this evening, I'd like to show you my city." my love whispered in my ear, taking my hands with hers and lacing our fingers together. Last night had been about acquainting ourselves with one another physically, remembering one another, reassuring each other that we were both alive and had finally found our way back to one another. This evening though would be more about connecting on a mental level, I would get to see first hand my loves new life, the things that made her happy, made her smile. We would start creating new memories, together.

"I would love for you to show me around, my sweet. But first I think you should change out of this beautiful dress or I'll be forced to scare away every man who looks at you." I purred in her ear, letting go of her hand to run my own slowly down her arms, feeling her warm flesh beneath my cool fingers. She shivered under my touch and nodded, automatically rising to her feet and pulling me up with her, a large grin plastered onto her beautiful face. Together we ran to the elevator and I purposefully ran at a human's speed, relishing in our simple human-like behaviour. In that moment we weren't a fairy and a vampire, nor we were a Queen and a slave boy, we were just two people. Two ordinary people


	27. Umbrella

**A/N ****One last rather long fluffy chapter for you before the plot thickens!**

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**ATA'S POV**

_You have my heart and we'll never be worlds apart, may be in magazines but you'll still be my star  
Baby cause in the dark you can't see shiny cars, and that's when you need me there, with you I'll always share  
Because when the sun shines, we'll shine together, told you I'll be here forever, said I'll always be a friend, took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end  
Now that it's raining more than ever, know that we'll still have each other, you can stand under my umbrella, you can stand under my umbrella  
These fancy things will never come in between, you're part of my entity, here for infinity  
When the war has took its part, when the world has dealt its cards, if the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart  
~ Umbrella, Rihanna_

Back in the penthouse I stood silently cursing myself as I picked out my clothes for the evening. Although Vegas was always considerably warm the temperature did drop a few degrees overnight due to the desert and the last thing I wanted to do was to get caught out without warm enough clothing. Although my beautiful other half would no doubt give me his clothes if I did get too cold, I knew he wouldn't wear much anyway. Damn vampires and their inability to feel the cold.

Felipe was obviously going to prove himself as a problem and the last thing I wanted was to fall out with the monarch of the state I resided in. It wasn't like he could leave me alone to run my area anyway; unfortunately his base was here in the city. Wonderful. Sighing quietly I ran different scenarios through my head for the night of the party. Of course I would wear something conservative, falling at least to my knees and my cleavage hidden from sight. I would allow the dress to be backless though in order to showcase the replica of my ancient vampires back tattoo, that at least should inform the elders present as to whom I belong to.

The thought of belonging to someone had always irked me, I wasn't property that could be bought and sold, and I couldn't be traded like fucking Pokémon cards. However I understood that in order to survive in the vampire world I had to accept being claimed as somebody's, or I wouldn't be at all. In the past it had always been Ari and Khai claiming me as their's in front of others, but for the first time in 2000 years I would get to showcase and revel in who I truly belong to, and it was already frightening the hell out of me.

Felipe had made it painfully obvious that Godric wasn't welcome to the party and that had immediately put me on my guard. It was for those in political power only, which meant that I wouldn't be able to take all of my boys with me. Ari was my second in command and therefore he would be able to escort me and watch out for me for some of the evening, our tie would mean he would be able to find me should something go wrong. We had become so use to reading one another's minds that our emotions were clear to one another all the time as well, so at least Ari would be aware of my irritation if I was to endure a night on Felipe's arm.

No, my main concern was Godric's safety and subsequently that of Eric and Sookie's. Of course our male vampires would be able to take care of themselves easily, both of them were older than the monarch. It was my fae cousin I was the most worried about. Should Felipe sink his fangs into her it would be a bloody struggle to get her back – literally. The last thing my cousin needed while learning to control her abilities was another crazy monarch after her blood and her telepathy. I couldn't help but laugh quietly as I remembered the memories I had plucked from Sookie's mind the first night we had met. Sophie-Anne, William Compton, Russell Edgington and potentially Felipe de Castro all wanted, or had wanted, her. I could sympathise with her, being treated like an asset and a political pawn was no fun at all.

Dragging myself from my negative thoughts, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a light pink jumper before placing my phone, keys and purse into my small clutch bag. Slipping on a pair of kitten heeled Jimmy Choo's I trotted out of my bedroom to the living room, where my handsome ancient vampire sat waiting for me. "You look wonderful, my sweet." His sincerity flooded our bond and I couldn't stop the blush that flushed my usually pale cheeks. After living for over 2000 years very little could make me blush anymore, and yet my wonderful mate had done so with the simplest of compliments.

I felt an intrusion in my brain at that moment and my first instinct was to kick them out however the moment I heard their 'voice' I stopped and listened. _"Ata, it's Sookie. Eric's Childe, Pam, is going to be arriving in about three hours and I was wondering if you could send someone to the airport to meet her please? She's about 5'7 but with her shoes she'll most likely be about 6'1 and she's got long blonde hair and blue eyes."_

"_I'll send Agmund and Riei to go and get her and bring her back to the penthouse, don't worry. Enjoy your evening, I want to know EVERYTHING when we have breakfast!" _I grinned, snapping out of my little trancelike daze. Instead I focused on Ari's void downstairs in the main entrance of the lobby and conveyed the information to him, he informed me that he'd send the boys to go and collect her. Once my conversation was over my eyes focused on Godric, whose head was tipped sideways as he observed me.

"Were you just talking to someone?" he inquired, leaning in closer in curiosity.

Nodding my head, I grabbed a hair band from the living room table and went to tie up my hair. "Yeah, Sookie. Her telepathy isn't advanced enough yet for me to speak with her and act like nothing is happening. Usually when I speak with my boys I can be doing other things, the conversation doesn't require my full attention. I then told Ari about her message, something about Pam visiting and needing to be collected from the airport" I explained. Telepathy was a strange thing. My boys and Godric had been granted it, and had mastered it, immediately because of their connection with me. Although I had spoken to Eric telepathically earlier it was obviously a bit of a struggle for him, as other thoughts had been flittering across his mind during our 'conversation', meaning I had had to work harder to hear him clearly.

Due to my cousin's young age and her recent advances with her telepathy, such as her shields, it made open communication between us very difficult. I had spent centuries crafting my shields, mentally preparing them and shaping them so only the voices of my boys, and now Godric and Eric's, could enter freely. I could of course shut them out but I rarely did. I often thought of my mind being surrounded by a huge iron wall - iron to stop other fairies from prancing on in – and there were two doors. One door only I could open and close, this one kept out the general masses of voices and allowed me some sanity. The other door could be opened and closed by my close vampire circle and myself; this was the one that was usually kept open.

With a slight gush of wind Godric was before me, taking the hair tie from me and shaking his head. "Please, leave it down." He begged quietly, taking my blonde locks in his hands and arranging them over my shoulders neatly. "I don't like other vampires being able to see your neck, to see the creamy skin there. It's mine." He murmured, leaning forward to bury his nose in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent as the telltale click of his fangs met my ears. Of course my heart rate picked up, not out of fear but out of anticipation, and my teasing vampire licked along my jugular before dropping a kiss just below my earlobe and pulling back, rearranging my hair to hide the trail he had just sniffed along. My disappointment must have been strong as Godric chuckled at me. "I do not need anymore, my sweet. I fed well last night and earlier on this evening, I do not think I've fed two nights in a row like that in the past four centuries." He stated with an affectionate smile.

Unable to help myself, I cupped his adolescent face within my small hands. "I want you to take from me every night, ah ah no arguing!" I moved one hand over his mouth as he made to argue with me. For my efforts I was rewarded with the feel of the flat front of his fangs scrapping against the palm of my hand. Biting my lip to hold back a moan at the sensation of those two lethal points caressing my skin, I shook my head in order to focus myself.

"You looked so ill and off-colour when I first saw you, then after you took sustenance from me you had this pink glow to you," I moved my hand from his mouth back to the side of his face, caressing him, "it reminded me of when we use to race as children and you'd fake being all out of breath and ask me to wait, only to overtake me and beat me to the finish line. It showed how healthy you were and how full of life you were, I want you to have that colouring back." I pinched his cheek gently, like you would a cute child and I received a playful glare for my efforts.

"Even if you only take a few little drops I don't care, we fae are quick healers. Granted not as quick as vampires but we're still quick, and as desperate and needy as it sounds I want to be the only one to provide you with what you need." I declared, feeling ever so slightly pathetic. Since when had I become so needy? I guess knowing he'd fed from others for over 2000 years had made me want to be the only one to provide for him now. Society had told us that it was a mans duty to provide for his woman, but I'd always thought that a load of bollocks anyway, I liked being able to provide for my man.

Taking my hands from his face, he kissed both of my palms, once again gently dragging the flat front of his fangs across the surface of my skin. "I will not take blood and carnal pleasures from anyone other than you, do not worry about that my sweet." He reassured me and I felt a wave of affection take me over. I couldn't help but admire how soft and gentle and aware of my emotions Godric was with me, yet the moment that vile man had tried to harm me downstairs he'd shifted entirely, taking on his vampire persona. I couldn't help but find it devastatingly attractive. Yes his sweetness was beautiful and endearing but seeing him change like that, to a powerful and vicious being, had stirred up my deeper and much darker emotions, my need to be ravished and claimed, to have my love take whatever carnal desires he wants from me in any way possible, to absolutely ruin me for other men. Up against a wall would be a good place to start, maybe followed by my desk in the office downstairs or the hood of my car…

As if he was aware of these deeper and darker desires his lips quirked upwards into a smirk and one eyebrow rose up. He'd retracted his fangs by now and his actions looked so human in that moment. My blush deepened and before he could say anything I grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the elevator. "Come on, unfortunately we only have a few more hours before the fair closes for the night." I pointed out, using it as a distraction. Godric's chuckle echoed in my eardrums as we entered the elevator.

Stood so close together, I was very aware of my earlier thoughts and unfortunately once one idea entered my mind so did countless others. The sound of fangs clicking down broke the silence and moments later I found myself pinned to the wall of the elevator, one very amorous vampire holding me in place. Dragging his nose along my jaw line, Godric paused by my ear. "Those thoughts weren't very pure, my darling." He purred, nibbling on my earlobe. I felt my knees weaken beneath me yet my strong vampire kept me upright.

"You took away my purity." I squeaked, failing miserably at trying to contain my obvious excitement at our current position. I'd always been one for strong men, not just in the physical sense but in the mental sense too. In our human lives my Godric had been mentally strong, now in his undead life he was both, and it was quite a turn on.

With a breathy, deep chuckle his lips met mine in a feverish kiss at the same time that numerous different sexual encounters flooded my mind, none of them being from my own imagination. Godric swallowed my moans as the mental pictures bombarded me, images of all the different places and positions he could take me in, none of which were helping my ever growing arousal, and just as I was about to curl my tongue around one of his fangs the elevator came to a sudden stop, having reached the ground floor. Using the speed his immortally had given him he was off me in a second, his fangs back in place and his clothes perfectly unruffled. I, on the other hand, looked a hot mess. As the doors slid back to reveal the lobby my vampire stepped out perfectly unruffled, it took me a moment of adjusting my clothing and fluffing my hair before I felt acceptable enough to step out and join him.

Leaving the safety of the hotel, I took Godric's hand the moment we emerged into the night. For the first few centuries while my boys were building up their strength I had been frightened of the night, frightened of venturing out with them as they would have been easy to take down, now however I relished the night knowing nothing could touch me. However, I took Godric's hand for a completely different reason, not as a need for safety but as a comfort measure, a public show of affection.

The fair was being held downtown, in Heritage Park. I'd walked the distance before when I'd been in need of thinking time and space, however it usually took me an hour and a quarter. We didn't have that kind of time this evening so we would get a taxi. Thankfully a few taxis were always waiting outside my hotel and casino so quickly I selected one, gently tugging Godric in the direction of the vehicle. "Heritage Park, please." I asked the driver through his open window and with a nod of his head I clambered into the back seats, my vampire following behind me.

"I don't think I've been to a fair since the 1700's." Godric mused aloud. I couldn't help but smile; the thought of my vampire at a fair ground was highly amusing. "I went to find someone to provide sustenance, though. Not for fun. Looking so young has its advantages" He amended, flashing me a large grin.

Shaking my head, I giggled, "Well there's a first time for everything then!" Taking my Godric's hand in my own, I turned my attention out of the window of the taxi, watching as the city I called my home slowly crept past me. Traffic meant we weren't travelling at a fast speed but then again when you have all eternity why rush?

I felt the seat shift beneath me, and Godric's cool body connected with my side. "What do you know about that building there?" his low voice reverberated against my eardrum as he raised a finger on his free hand to point towards The Venetian. His proximity and the deep rumble of his voice was doing little for my libido. It warmed me though to know that Godric was showing an interest in the city I had lived in for the past few decades. I'd intended to tell him all about Vegas, show him everything it had to offer, but I didn't think he would actually initiate it. I had a feeling perhaps he already knew everything yet he was giving me a chance to share my opinions and my knowledge with him. It only made me love him more.

"That's The Venetian, my favourite hotel on the strip, bar my own of course. It was opened in 1999 and is inspired by the art and architecture of Venice." I couldn't help my wistful sigh as I recalled the years I had spent living there. True the smell had been horrendous in those days but it was still, after my home city of Alexandria in Egypt, my favourite place in the whole world. Perhaps I'd manage to convince Godric to go with me one day, I still had the glass blowing business there and I hadn't checked in for a while, not to mention the fact that I wanted so badly to take him on a proper gondola and eat Cornetto ice-cream.

"We'll go back there, once we've dealt with all of the issues arising here." Godric's husky voice whispered into my ear. "We'll go to Venice together and walk the streets in the moonlight, we can go anywhere else in the world you want to go. We'll explore isolated places together, live off the land and make love under the blanket of stars, just like we said we would when we were children. I promise you." He murmured, pressing an affectionate kiss to my temple. Having him know whenever I was thinking of him, and what I was thinking of him, would take an awful lot of getting use to, but I found myself liking it. The thought of seeing the world with him by my side made butterflies flitter around my stomach.

"What about that building there?" He continued, pointing towards Stratosphere. I remembered the first time I had ever looked out across the whole of Las Vegas from the observation deck. I had been one of the first in the world to stand at the top when the tower had opened in 1996. It had been then that I had realised that, while nothing would ever replace Alexandria, Vegas felt homey. Ever since the faking of my death I hadn't been home, I'd avoided the country because of the memories attached to it; I'd even avoided Rome for fear of remembering my father and the pain his death caused my brother and I. Perhaps, after Venice, Godric and I could carry on to Rome and stand inside the colosseum. Although it had been built long after my father's time it was part of Rome's history, and therefore a part of me. Maybe we could even carry on to Alexandria afterwards, and even after that go on to the coast of Belgium so my love could return to his own homeland.

A small tinge of longing crept through our bond and, looking sideways at my vampire, a look that could only be described as melancholy was painted onto his features. "I'd like to go back home, I'd like to show you where I spent the first few years of my human life." He shared, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "I'd like to take you home too, to visit your mother with you." he whispered, raising my hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss to my knuckles. I hadn't been to my mothers tomb in over 2000 years, and yet I could remember exactly where it was. Unsure what to say, I gave a gentle smile before turning back to look out of the window. Stratosphere was now in the distance however I divulged some of its history anyway, needing the distraction before I started to think of my mother, father and brother once more.

"Stratosphere is the tallest observation tower and the 9th tallest freestanding structure in the US. It's also the tallest structure in Vegas. It was opened in 1996 and it has two observation decks, a revolving restaurant and four rides. It's the one monument you see on all the TV shows and in opening credits, like CSI for example." I explained, happy to share my knowledge with my beloved. I was a sucker for daytime TV, as there was little I could do really without my boys around, and CSI had become my favourite, especially when they had asked to film in my hotel!

The taxi came to a slow stop as my explanation ended, pulling up in front of Heritage Park. The whole area was illuminated with thousands of little lights and numerous rides and stalls covered the grassy area. Reaching into my clutch bag I handed the driver the fare, telling him to keep the change. Godric was first out and ever the gentleman he offered me his hand when I went to exit the taxi too. Clearly chivalry wasn't dead, just the men who still believed in it were.

As I took his hand and exited the cab, Godric tightened his hold on me, pulling me closer to him in a protective manner. I wasn't going to run off without him so I couldn't understand why he had such a hold on me, but I felt safe nonetheless.

The fair consisted of several large rides, ranging from the funhouse to the helter skelter, carousels to bumper cars. There were also rows upon rows of side-stalls and games with food vans dotted throughout. The sight and smell of the food vans caused my stomach to growl loudly, the last meal I'd had was a few hours back and even then the salmon and crackers hadn't been that much. "You're hungry, my sweet. Come, let me get you some food." Godric insisted, pulling me towards one of the food vans. There was little in the way of filling food but anything was better than nothing. Standing in front of the van, I saw the frown on Godric's features as he observed the selection. "There is little of nutritional value here," he pointed out, "I don't know what you'd want."

Rising onto my tiptoes so I could speak to the woman in the vehicle, she gave me a kind smile. "What can I get for ye young lassy?"

Licking my lips I gestured to the cotton candy machine. "One cotton candy on a stick, please." I placed on my sweetest voice, acting up. I wanted no one to know how old I was this evening, nor how old Godric was, I wanted us to be treated like any young human couple spending a night together.

"What's a 'cotton candy' my love?" Godric asked quietly, frowning once again as the woman set to work making my order before she handed me a stick of the sugary goodness. I handed her the exact amount I owed her and thanked her profusely.

Taking Godric's hand in my spare one, I moved us out of the queue, heading in the direction of the side-stalls before explaining exactly what the pink fluff on the stick was. "In Australia they call this fairy floss, y'know? It's one of the reasons I love it so much. It's basically sugar whipped in the air and it turns into this cloud like texture. It's super yummy but rather sticky." I laughed, taking a small bite of the sweet treat.

We'd come to a stop in front of a coconut shy where a boy of around twelve was trying to win a toy for his younger sister. "What does cotton candy taste like?" Godric asked suddenly, leaning in to sniff my treat.

Taking another bite I made sure I left some of the sugar on my lips and quickly leant in to close the gap between us, pressing my lips to his in a chaste kiss. Instantly his tongue darted out, licking the sticky substance from my lips, a moan of appreciation fleeing his throat. "Again." He begged as he pulled away. Once again I took another mouthful, leaving some on my lips, and once again Godric leant forward, tasting the sugar.

Laughing as I swallowed my mouthful, Godric licked his lips clean before smiling broadly. "You're right, it's sweet and sticky. It's good. You'll have to eat lots of different things so I can taste them all." He declared as I took another bite of cotton candy.

Shaking my head, I swallowed my mouthful before laughing lightly, "No way Mr., I'm not getting fat!" I protested playfully.

"I'll help you burn off the calories after?" he shot back quickly with a far from innocent smirk and wink. Feeling my cheeks flush the same colour as my cotton candy, I finished off my treat before I threw the stick into the nearby trashcan.

My attention was drawn then to the two children playing the game. "That's all my pocket money gone and I didn't win you a teddy bear, I'm sorry." The boy dropped his head, apologising to his sister who looked like she was going to cry. Before any tears could fall from the little girls eyes I took my hand out of Godric's and pulled a $10 note from my pocket, sliding it across to the man behind the stall. "For the young boy." I told him quietly, stepping back to watch as the man gave the young boy and his sister more balls to throw. The girl stopped sniffling and the boy turned to look around, his eyes meeting mine and he beamed happily. Turning his attention back to the stall I stood beside Godric, taking his hand back in mine as we watched the young boy win his little sister a teddy bear after three more goes. As the stall owner handed the boy his teddy he passed it straight on to his sister who clutched it tightly to her chest, burying her nose into its fur. The stall owner gave the boy the change and soon both he and his sister were running over to Godric and I.

The boy stopped before us, glancing between us, his gaze lingering on Godric a little longer than me. There was no denying that the boy knew what Godric was, yet he gave him the same brilliant smile he had given me earlier. Slowly, the boy held his hand up to me, the change from the $10 I had put down resting on his palm. "Thank you Miss, here's your change."

"You keep it sweetie, you and your sister go and buy some cotton candy or some sweeties with it." I told him. The boy wrapped his fingers around the change before shoving it into his pocket, his little sister close to his side. "Thank you again, Miss." He thanked me politely, his little sister looking up at both Godric and I.

"Fank you Miss." The little girl squeaked, holding her teddy to her as if she was frightened it would run off. "Where's your teddy bear?" she asked me, frowning as she took in my lack of cuddly toy.

"I don't have one sweetie."

She turned to face Godric; completely unafraid of the fact he was a vampire. "Are you her boyfriend?"

Shocked that the little girl was unfazed with him, it took a split second for Godric to gather himself and respond. "Yes, I am." He told her with a nod, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Then you need to win her a teddy bear." The little girl pushed, giving a firm nod of her own head. I couldn't stop my small laugh at the sight of this very young human girl scolding my ancient vampire.

"Jade! George!" a woman's voice was shouting out from the crowd. The young boy grabbed his sister's hand and started to tug her away, thanking us once more as they ran towards the woman who welcomed them with open arms, gasping and cooing over the teddy bear. I couldn't hear the conversation that occurred but the woman looked over at us and gave a small nod of thanks. I returned the gesture before watching them leave.

"My good deed for the day. Now, win your girlfriend a teddy bear." I teased, giving my vampire a light shove. Grabbing both of my wrists Godric chuckled, pulling me towards him before planting a tender kiss to my lips. Pulling back he started to lead me towards another side-stall, throwing his arm around my shoulder in a very human-like gesture.

For two hours we played on the side-stalls, eating sweet and sugary foods and winning countless teddy bears. Godric and I both agreed that I would keep two, the largest one and the fluffiest one, and give the rest to some of the children at the fair that hadn't won anything. Seeing their little faces light up as I handed them cuddly toys was wonderful, something so simple brought such joy to them and it made me sad to think about how short their lives would be. I donated a large chunk of profits each year to countless charities in and around the Vegas area to help those in need. The charities I gave to ranged from homeless shelters to those suffering abuse, to runaway women and children and recovering addicts. Given human's relatively short lifespans I wanted to make things as pleasant as possible for them, to ease their suffering. No one deserved to suffer.

Stopping in front of a hit-the-bell high striker stall I rolled my eyes. Godric's young appearance yet immense strength would no doubt surprise the stall owner, until he could work out that he wasn't entirely human. Sitting myself down on the bench to watch, Godric paid the man, grabbing the hammer and preparing himself to strike.

It was then I felt a sudden shooting pain run through my system and instantly doubled over, howling at the sensation as it ripped through me.

Dropping the hammer Godric was before me in a flash, concern and worry written all over his features as he grabbed my face, pulling my head up gently. "What's the matter?" he asked frantically, pushing soothing emotions through our bond. I tried to send them back, knowing that he could feel my pain as if it were his own but to no avail.

"Ari, he's in trouble, he's been hurt." I wheezed, "We need to get back." I added quietly, the sudden sharp feeling having subsided a little but I could still feel the pain. Grabbing my teddy bears, Godric hauled me up into his arms effortlessly and took off at vampire speed towards Caesar's Palace, leaving behind a very surprised stall owner.

Dashing down The Strip, we were a blur as Godric moved quickly, his 2000 years giving him a speed advantage over nearly every other vampire in America. Slowing down as we approached my hotel and casino we witnessed the chaos. Godric went to put me down but I found myself unable to stand without his support as I took in the devastating damage.

The whole front entrance of my home was in ruins, huge chunks of marble scattered across the parking lot out front, dozens of cars crushed with the weight of the rock. The beautiful hand carved marble statues were blown to smithereens and hundreds of people were crowded outside dressed up to the nines, obviously having fled the building. The marble cover over the drop-off zone had fallen down, crushing cars and trapping people beneath it and all of the glass windows and doors had been blown out from the blast. Khai was by my side in seconds, his smart suit ripped and torn in places, blood and grime covering his usually clear and pale skin.

"What happened?" I demanded, tears already streaming down my face as I took in the disarray.

"A bomb went off in the lobby, Ata. That's all I know at the moment." He responded quietly as the sound of sirens heading in our direction met our eardrums.

Handing him my teddy bears I never took my eyes from the front of my livelihood. "Please take these up to the penthouse for me, I don't want to get them dirty. Ari is in pain and I need to find him. As soon as your done please come down and help the humans, we can't risk loosing lots of lives, it's not something I want on my watch." I instructed. With a nod Khai took my toys and disappeared. Heading towards the rubble I started to haul smaller pieces of marble away, freeing a few injured people as I worked. Godric was by my side immediately, putting his inhumane strength to good use as he hauled the larger pieces away to free more people.

"Ari!" I shouted out, scanning the crowds. I couldn't feel his presence out here; I needed to get to him. I could feel his emotions though, he was in so much pain and he was so angry. Scrabbling over the mountains of rock I worked my way into the lobby and the moment I caught sight of my once flawless and beautiful entrance hall I crumbled, falling to my knees as sobs racked through me.

I felt two pairs of strong arms haul me up onto my feet moments later, my eyes remaining shut as I sobbed. "Ata, listen, go and find Ari, take Sookie with you." Came the distinct Nordic voice. Opening my eyes I nodded at Eric who's face held a mixture of both concern and anger. He had helped haul me up off the dirty floor and his own suit was now a mess too. Looking to my right Godric's face was etched with the same emotions as Eric's. Godric held me tightly, pressing a reassuring kiss to my temple before pushing all of his love, strength and reassurance through our bond. Looking forward I saw my cousin, her blonde hair was messy and the outfit I had given her was ripped in numerous places too. It was irrelevant right now but I would buy a new one when all of this was over, I'd buy all of my male vampires new clothes too. Sookie took hold of me when the two ancient vampires let me go and steadied me before leading me through the marble ruins of my home


	28. Burning Down The House

**A/N Send me in your thoughts on who did it and why, I absolutely love them! I've never written anything chaotic before, hope this isn't too rubbish for you!**

**No beta and stuff, all errors are my own - sorry!**

**R&R for me, and the Viking will love you forever ;)**

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Watch out you might get what you're after, cool babies, strange but not a stranger. I'm an ordinary guy.  
Burning down the house.  
Hold tight, wait till the parties over. Hold tight, we're in for nasty weather. There has got to be a way.  
Burning down the house.  
Here's your ticket pack your bag, time for jumpin' overboard. Transportation is here, close enough but not too far, maybe you know where you are.  
Fightin' fire with fire.  
~ Burning Down The House, The Used_

Taking Eric's arm I contemplated where I wanted us to go next. "Eric, can we go shopping?" I asked quietly, remembering my need to buy Pam a new pair of Manolo shoes. Shock flooded our bond and Eric stopped walking, thus causing me to halt.

"You want to go shopping? Who are you and what have you done to Sookie Stackhouse?" he quirked an eyebrow, looking down at me with the oddest expression on his beautiful features.

Gently tugging his arm, I laughed at his expression as we continued on our walk towards the glass elevator that would take us out of the restaurant. "I want to buy a few new things, all I bought with me were Walmart sundresses and although I love them I don't think they really fit in here, especially given the sort of clothes my cousin wears. " I pointed out, gesturing to the dress and heels I had on. I didn't even want to think about the jewellery at the moment!

"You're going to let me buy you things this evening?" my Viking grinned, obviously still pleased with my suggestion. I felt cruel to have to burst his bubble but I still wasn't completely okay with him buying me lots of expensive things.

"Remember that I said inexpensive things, Eric. I mean it. I still have some money left over from Dallas that I'm going to use." I declared, not wanting to argue with my Viking. Entering the elevator we hit the button for the ground floor.

"I think I'll buy you a pair of pretty shoes first, Jimmy Choo's would look incredible on you." My old vampire mused and I could almost see the cogs turning in his head. Groaning internally at all the possible ideas my vampire was probably having I shook my head, the lift coming to a stop as it reached the ground floor.

"Well a shoe shop it is then, I need to buy a new pair of shoes for Pam anyway." I informed Eric nonchalantly as we left the lift, moving towards our limo which was sat waiting for us.

Opening the door for me Eric's Sheriff frown returned to his features. "Why on earth are you going to buy Pam a pair of shoes, lover?" he asked me as I slipped in, joining me seconds later and closing the door behind him.

Ignoring his question for a moment I lent forward towards the driver, "Can you take us to the best place to shop for expensive and pretty things, please?" I asked the middle-aged man, who smiled at me in the rear-view mirror, nodding his head before pulling out onto The Strip. Returning my attention back to Eric, I took my seat beside him. "Well I don't like arguing with her, I want to smooth things over with her and I know that she loves shoes." I shrugged, seeing no flaw in my plan.

"Sookie, you do not need to buy Pam a pair of shoes to make her like you. If I tell her to be nice she will." Eric's stern voice filled the space and I snorted at his approach to the problem.

"Eric, I want Pam to like me because she wants to, not because she has to. We both know she's really not an emotional person so a girly chat isn't gonna cut it. A pair of shoes and she'll be happy right?" I argued. Although I didn't want our wonderful evening to be ruined by a disagreement I wanted Eric to see my view on the matter and that I wasn't going to let this go. I wanted Pam to like me. Life was easier when she wasn't screaming insults to people, regarding me, whose minds I could read. Plus it wasn't really fair on Eric, Pam was his Childe and I was his girlfriend, I didn't want him to have to choose between us.

Eric's silence was uncomfortable yet I refused to back down, I guess in that sense Eric and I were both well suited, we were both unbelievably stubborn. Sticking my chin out defiantly I attempted to stare down my vampire. Finally Eric relented. "Okay, fine. I can see that I'm not going to win this. But I don't want you buying her a ridiculously expensive pair! She's in the doghouse still for trying to blow you up." He pointed out, raising a finger to point in my direction as if it would help prove his point.

Rolling my eyes, I struggled to keep the smile off of my lips. "She's your kid, Eric. She loves you and was trying to protect you. If I'd been in her place I'd have done the same thing. Why on earth did you think your death would ensure my survival anyway? I need you alive." I told him gently, approaching the subject with caution. We hadn't spoken about his sudden desire to meet the truth death and I was unsure if it was a sore topic for him.

I could feel the surprise, guilt and a tinge of fear through the bond but as usual Eric's face was void of emotion. "You would have blown up someone to ensure my survival? Someone I cared deeply for?" he shook his head. "The moment Compton agreed I felt an urge to agree also, I didn't want you to think for a moment that I didn't love you, that I hadn't meant what I'd told you on the sofa the night before. I would have happily met my true death right there and then if it meant being able to show you just how much I love you." He told me, his cerulean eyes meeting mine.

I felt the lump forming in my throat and swallowed to clear it, refusing to shed any more tears. He was fine and we were sat in the back of a limo in Vegas together having just had a wonderful meal, which was all that was important. "I would do anything to ensure your survival, you know that." I told him quietly, moving from my seat to straddle his lap in a rather unladylike manner. I couldn't care less though. Taking his face between my hands I rested my forehead against his, shutting my eyes. "I would have never thought that you hadn't meant your words, you say so little and therefore everything you do say is obviously important. Now we have all eternity for you to show me how much you love me." I whispered, knowing full well my Viking's hearing would enable him to pick up my carefully selected words. Opening my eyes I brushed my lips against his in a feather-light kiss.

"All eternity?" he whispered back, the frown reappearing on his handsome features as he absorbed my words. Raising a hand I gently swept my thumb across the frown marks, smoothing them out and relaxing his features.

"Don't you remember Ata's words last night? The Fae live for around 2500 years without their mates and indefinitely once they have them. There's no doubt in my mind that you're my mate, and therefore you're gonna be stuck with me for an awful long time, okay?" I smiled, pressing a kiss to my Viking's nose.

His arms that were wrapped around my body tightened a little as he held me close to him, turning to bury his nose in the crook of my neck. "That's fine by me, I could have all the time in the whole world and it still wouldn't be enough." He murmured against my skin, kissing my neck as the limo slowed to a stop. Clambering off of Eric's lap, my Viking opened the door and exited, holding his hand out for me. Taking it graciously I stepped out and found myself tipping my head back to look upwards, my goodness this shopping mall was huge!

"I'll wait in the parking lot for you, enjoy your shopping." The driver informed us through the open window, pulling away from the drop-off zone.

Entering Fashion Show, I was bowled over with the choice of stores inside, it was certainly the kind of place I could see Pam and Ata shopping in. Dillard's, Macy's, Saks and Nordstrom all had huge stores here. I felt a little overwhelmed in all honesty.

Giving my hand a gentle squeeze, Eric flashed me his perfect smile before starting to head towards Nordstrom. "We'll start here and get Pam's gift out of the way with, then I want to spoil you a little, lover." He purred, entering the store with me. We weren't exactly dressed for shopping however in that moment I felt like I belonged there, and judging by the number of shop assistants rushing to aid us we obviously looked like we had the money to be there. I'd always known Eric had some spare cash kicking around but I'd never asked him how much exactly, as I always figured it was a bit of a rude and personal question, and besides, I loved him regardless of his wealth.

Sighing we moved together to the shoe department and instantly I felt myself lost; I had no idea about anything to do with shoes. A pretty brunette shop assistant all but bounded over to us. "Hi, my names Claire and I'll be more than happy to help you this evening. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" she asked me, sparing a quick glance at Eric and doing a double take before remembering her manners and looking back to me. I couldn't blame the poor girl, my Viking looked utterly delicious in his suit.

"Urmm I'm looking for Manolo's?" I tried, hoping I'd pronounced the name correctly. Grinning happily the woman started to lead us towards a large section of the shoe area, talking and gesturing to different designs as she went.

"Are they for you?" she asked, dropping her gaze to my feet. Thankfully Ata had provided me with a pair of Manolo's and I swore I spotted the shop assistant give a small nod of approval.

"No, they're for…a friend." I bit the inside of my lip, completely unsure as to what to call Pam. Calling her my boyfriends daughter would have just been comical but I highly doubted that Pam would approve.

"Okay, what kind of things does she like?" the shop assistant continued.

Looking up to Eric I attempted puppy dog eyes, wanting his help. His deep chuckle sounded out as he took the reins. "Pastel colours, girly, the higher the heel the better. She's a US size 7." He responded smoothly, flashing the assistant a devastating smile. I swore I could see her swoon.

With a nod of her head she disappeared off in search of some shoes for us. Shaking my head I turned to Eric, giving his arm a playful swat. "You need to stop doing that!" I chided playfully.

An innocent expression crossed over the features of my Viking and he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know what you mean." He protested playfully.

"Making women melt into puddles at your feet, you wouldn't like me when I get all jealous." I prodded his muscular arm, internally swooning at the feel of his marble skin and strong muscles under my hand.

Grabbing my hands, my Viking pulled me flush against his firm physique, "Hmmm, a jealous Sookie, I think I might like that. You'd get to claim me afterwards." He waggled his eyebrows in his usual manner. Standing on my tiptoes I gave him a chaste kiss as the shop assistant returned with several boxes of shoes in tow.

"Okay, I've bought you a selection to chose from." She beamed, gesturing for the plush seats in the area. Sliding myself onto one, I couldn't contain a giggle at the sight of my mighty warrior trying to get his large frame into an average sized chair. The shop assistant was trying to hide her smile as she lay all the boxes out before me, removing the lids to show me the content of each. There was a pair of 3½ inch golden 'Sedaraby' Open Toe d'Orsay Pumps, a pair of 3½ inch pale pink 'Prejuda' Pumps, a pair of white 3½ inch 'Sedaraby' Lace Pumps and a pair of pale pink 4 inch 'Campy' Pumps. The moment I spotted the 'Campy' pair I fell in love, instantly knowing Pam would adore them. Gesturing to the pair I couldn't stop my smile. "Those, they're perfect!" I beamed to the shop assistant who looked relieved that I'd liked one of her selection.

"I'll pop these behind the counter for you, is there anything else I can help you with today?" she asked, starting to replace the lids on all of the shoeboxes.

I was about to tell her that was all when I was cut off. "Do you have Jimmy Choo's, by any chance?" Eric spoke up, the excitement clear on his features as he grinned at me. I raised a finger in warning to him but his grin only widened.

The pretty brunette watched our exchange and from the corner of my eye I could see her amusement. "Why yes, we do. What kind of thing were you looking for Sir?"

"Apparently there's a new one called the 'Vamp' sandal. Shall we start there? US size 7 once again, please." he turned his smile to the shop assistant who nodded eagerly and pranced off to get the shoes. I couldn't help but find it a little amusing that he would pick a pair of shoes named after his kind, but I was well aware of the cost of such shoes.

"Eric, no. I told you, INEXPENSIVE. Jimmy Choo is ridiculously expensive!" I protested firmly, almost stomping my feet like a three-year-old who wasn't getting her way.

His cerulean orbs found mine and he held my gaze, a slow smile crossing his lips. "I want to treat you this evening, lover. Let me shower you in gifts this evening because it'll make me happy, and then I promise to be good." He offered, throwing in a small wink. Although I was annoyed at him for trying to buy me expensive shoes that, although I would probably really want, I didn't really need, I couldn't deny that I did want my Viking vampire to be happy. I'm sure the fact they were named 'Vamp' sandals was a joke he was no doubt utterly enjoying anyway.

For a moment I contemplated seeking council with Ata. She'd lived her life surrounded by rich men who would have no doubt wanted to shower her with gifts. Her words from earlier rung in my ears though _'He likes seeing you in nice things and thinks you deserve that after the way others treated you as you were growing up.' _I couldn't deny her logic, I was utterly in love with the outfit I was wearing at the moment and I felt far away from the 'Crazy Sookie' that the locals knew and liked to torment, perhaps this could be a better version of me, an upgrade. Owning a few nice bits surely wouldn't be a bad thing…

My thoughts were interrupted as the shop assistant returned, a large golden box in her hands. With a shit-eating grin she opened the box in a flourish and I couldn't stop the tiny gasp as I took in the beautiful shimmering heels nestled inside the delicate gold tissue paper. They were champagne coloured with criss-crossed straps over the front, the heel at to at least be 4¾ inches tall and there was even a 1-inch platform to it. I loved it. I may not have even tried them on yet but I was in love with them.

I didn't dare turn around to look at Eric; I could feel the smugness and the happiness pouring through our bond. "We'll take them." Eric declared, obviously having felt my absolute adoration for the beautiful shoes.

"Eric-" I went to protest yet my vampire raised a hand to silence me.

"Remember, I'm allowed to spoil you this evening." He pointed out, his own shit-eating grin perfectly in place. Sighing, I nodded in acknowledgement, allowing him to have his way. The shop assistant took both of our items to the cash register and started to ring them up. I had a tiny disagreement with Eric regarding Pam's shoes. I could afford them with the leftover money from Dallas but Eric, being Eric, was insisting on letting him pay for them. I told him that it was my gift for Pam and therefore it was my money that I wanted to spend. Eric then pointed out it was technically his money anyway as he had paid me himself for the Dallas trip. Eventually though he let me have my way and with both of our purchases in hand we left Nordstrom.

"Dillard's now, lover." Eric insisted, leading me into the store. Once again shop assistants pounced us on. Eventually one of them led us to a spacious private changing room and Eric informed the assistant of my size, surprising me with the fact he knew that much, and the woman trotted off. She returned several minutes later with armfuls of clothing. I groaned internally at the sight of all the expensive clothes but the look of happiness and glee on Eric's face was beautiful, so I reined in my emotions in order to ensure he's happy mood lasted.

For about an hour I tried on different clothes and eventually I had a rather large pile. I had a navy blue Gianni Bini Chiffon-Overlay Dress, a black JS Collections Textured-Stripe Mesh Dress, a red Vince Camuto A-Line Tank Dress, a white Gianni Bini Jenny Crochet Dress, a pale pink Antonio Melani Splenda Lace-Chiffon Dress, a pink Sanctuary Clothing Sand Pleated Sundress, a pair of black Antonio Melani Antoinette Pants, a pair of white Sanctuary Clothing Escape Linen Pants, a pale blue Eileen Fisher Classic Collar Shirt, a dark blue Jones New York Signature Ruffle Top, a tan coloured Vince Camuto Soft Sleeveless Blouse and a pale orange Eileen Fisher Slouchy Top.

I didn't even want to know the prices of them all, I made a point of not looking at the labels and then showing every item of clothing to Eric for his approval or disapproval. His happiness and glee were still radiating through our bond and he seemed to enjoy my little fashion show. Gran would be rolling in her grave if she knew a man was buying me expensive clothes like a kept woman, heck even I was struggling with it a little. If it would make my ancient vampire happy though I would go with it.

Loaded up with even more bags we left the shop, unable to hold hands due to the amount we were each carrying. "One last stop, lover." Eric informed me as we rounded the corner, the Tiffany and Co. sign falling into view.

"Eric, no. No. No jewellery. No gold, no diamonds, no platinum. Honestly." I protested, not willing to give up on this. It was one thing for a man to buy a woman clothes – after all you need them to live – but diamonds and gold were another thing entirely.

I watched as Eric's face fell a little though he was quick to cover it up. "But diamonds would look so good on you." He argued.

Sighing I shook my head, "Maybe so, Eric, but please don't, not now."

"You allowed me to buy you clothes, why won't you let me buy you diamonds?" he asked, the curiosity in his voice not covering up the underlying hurt. I felt a pang of guilt that Eric no doubt picked up on as he quickly evened out his tone. "Diamonds should be worn by women like you." He argued on.

"Eric, please. Not tonight. I still feel a little funny accepting all of this from you." I pointed out gently, raising my handfuls of bags up a little.

"But I'm your twice bonded, it's my job to provide for you." He added, a frown settling into his features as he stood over me.

"And you have, honey. I need clothes but I don't need diamonds. Yes I like diamonds, what girl doesn't, but I don't need them. Thank you, though. It's sweet of you to want to buy some for me." I remembered my manners, knowing it wouldn't exactly soften the blow but it would let Eric know that I appreciated him and his need to care for me.

"Will you let me buy them for you one day?" he asked, obviously noting that he wasn't going to win this debate this evening.

There was no way this debate was going to end unless one of us created some form of truce, and this seemed the right moment. I wouldn't mention diamonds or jewellery to him ever again in a desperate hope that he would forget my next words. "Yes, if you want to." I resigned.

His face once again lit up and I could feel his glee and anticipation through the bond. Cheese and rice! Shaking my head, something I seemed to be doing a lot of lately, I allowed my Viking to lead us back to the limo.

As we were stashing our bounty in the back of the limo Eric's head snapped sideways, his eyes wide and his body tense. "We need to get back, now." He yelled. Turning to the driver, he told him to drive back to Caesar's Palace without us and to stay with the car when he arrived. Before I could understand completely what was going on Eric had me in his arms and had shot off into the night sky, my face buried in his chest to stop the wind from battering it.

There was no denying Vegas was beautiful at night but I was too busy trying not to scream at the sensation of flying without a parachute there to stop me should I fall. Only seconds later I could hear screams and shouts that weren't my own and slowly I raised my head from Eric's chest, looking down at Vegas. I gulped as the streets shot past us and then I raised my head in the direction of the ruckus. A large smoke cloud was high in the sky and people were all gathered outside one of the hotels. Squinting I could make out the name Caesar's Palace. SHIT.

The moment we touched down outside Eric put me on my feet, holding me as I regained my balance. My mouth ran dry as I took in the pure chaos around me, people clambering over chunks of marble to escape the ruins, other people trapped beneath the rock. Screams and shouts met my eardrums and the sounds of sirens in the distance were barely registered by my brain.

"ARI!" I heard Ata shout and moments later I saw her blonde head disappear behind a wall of marble. Eric had vanished from my side and it was easy to spot the 6'4 Viking amongst the crowd. He was helping Godric shift a particularly large chunk of marble that had squashed a vintage car. I cringed at the thought of how much that car had probably cost. "Sookie, come on." Eric's voice cut through the noise, shaking me out of my daze as he held out his hand for me. Taking it I scrabbled over the rocks, slipping a few times on the shiny surface and tearing Ata's beautiful dress on the jagged corners. I instantly felt bad but given the circumstances she probably wouldn't blame me. My clothes always seemed to get ruined around vampires anyway, I doubted Ata's wardrobe was always safe from them either.

We found our way into what had once been the beautiful entrance hall and I couldn't help gasp at the damage that had been done. All of the glass from the windows and doors had been blown out, parts of the beautiful hand painted ceiling had collapsed in trapping people beneath it, the hand carved statues in the middle of the lobby had been blown to smithereens and pieces of the three male statues were scattered all over the room, there were huge cracks in the marble floor and the water from the fountain was spurting out in all directions.

What I hadn't been prepared for was the sight of my cousin, down on her knees on the dirty marble floor, her blonde hair matted and her hands grubby, she was sobbing her heart out and it tore me apart. This was her home, her income, and it was in ruins. I could relate. When the maenad had ruined my family home I had been devastated, thankfully though my wonderful Viking had restored it to its former glory. I could see it taking an awful long time for Caesar's Palace to be back to its beautiful state.

Eric and Godric were blurs as they sped past me, both gently grasping Ata and lifting her to her feet. She was shaky and I moved to stand before her, to block her view of her ruined home. Of course I'd expected such an act of kindness from Godric, they were bonded after all, but to see Eric help her up off the floor and support her while she tried to calm herself made me flush with pride and gratitude.

"Ata, listen, go and find Ari. Take Sookie with you." Eric ordered her gently, brushing her blonde hair from her face. Her eyelids slid back and I was struck by the pain and loss shining in my cousin's eyes. I wanted to cry right along with her, but this wasn't the time for it and I needed to be strong for her. She nodded at Eric, accepting the tender kiss from Godric before she took in my tattered outfit. It was irrelevant to her now, I could gather that much. Gently I took her hands in my own, the two ancient vampires either side of her both with expressions of deep-set anger and worry, slowly releasing her to me.

I had no idea where Ari would be, but I prayed that Ata would be able to find him. "He's somewhere in here." She rasped, letting go of one of my hands to furiously swipe away her tears. Moving to a pile of marble she started to tug and shove the boulder out of the way. Joining her we both managed to move the piece but found no one underneath it. "ARI!" Ata's pained shout sounded out once again, her eyes frantically moving around the room as a sudden loud banging sound rang out. Gasping, Ata moved with speed I didn't think anyone other than vampires could posses and stopped before a large piece of marble ceiling. A hand was poking out of the ruins, the fingers moving in a desperate plea to grab attention. Ata instantly grabbed the hand. "Ari! I have you! Hang on!" she cried, never once letting go of her companions hand as she started to shove and kick the boulder away, ruining her shoes. Aiding her, we finally managed to free the rock only to be greeted with the sight of the badly hurt Egyptian vampire.

Ata's free hand slammed over her mouth to stifle her scream and I felt like I was going to be physically sick. I'd seen some pretty disgusting things ever since I'd been thrown into the supernatural world, but witnessing the Egyptian vampires skull peaking out from his head really was the cherry on top. Underneath the Egyptians body was another, a naked man, and for the life of me I found it strange that he had shielded a nudist. "Who's the man?" I asked quickly, as Ata called out for Godric or Eric to help us.

Both arrived at our side's seconds later, fangs down, and together they carefully moved Ari from his current position to another, where he was spread out across a flat piece of rock. He was too weak, without blood he wasn't going to make it. As if sensing that she could lose her companion Ata grabbed a shard of glass from the floor, slicing her wrist before holding it over Ari's mouth, whispering encouraging words to him.

Godric's angry growl shrouded every other sound in the room as he took note of Ata feeding the other vampire. Wasn't it some sort of offence for a claimed human to share their blood with another? "Shut up! Without it he'll die and I am not losing him!" Ata snapped at him, her once gentle eyes now containing a sharp edge to them. I could see the 2000-year-old survivor in them. With her free hand she brushed Ari's bangs back, soothing him as he fed. The colour was starting to return to him and the wound on his head was starting to knit itself back together.

Eric roughly grabbed the man who had been beneath Ari and turned him over, his eyes falling to the mark on the mans back. His hiss drew my attention and I watched as both he and Godric exchanged a knowing glance. The two seemed to be mentally fighting over something for a moment before Eric handed the man to Godric, who held him tightly to the ground. Crouching down, Eric spoke to Ari who by now was lazily licking Ata's wound shut. "What happened?"

Clearing his throat, the Egyptian took a deep unnecessary breath before responding. "I could smell silver azide. I went to check out what it was when I heard an explosion go off in the casino, the Were was running out of the casino and given that he was naked I suspected him of the blast, so I stopped him, pinning him to the ground. He was mighty strong I'll give him that, had some sort of brand across his shoulder blade. Then the second explosion went off in here and I was stuck on top of the dog. He tried to take a few swipes at me but he didn't get lucky." He wheezed.

"He blew up my casino as well?" my cousin's lower lip wobbled and I knew it would only be seconds before more tears would fall. Grabbing her I pulled her into a cuddle, holding her to me as she once again broke down.

"Operation Werewolf?" I mouthed at Eric over Ata's head. His solemn nod confirmed my worst fears. Russell had found us.

"Do you have anywhere we can keep it?" Godric spat in disgust, holding the man up by the scruff of his neck.

"Basement, we have some holding cells." Ari flinched as he pulled himself upright. He still looked terrible but at least the hole in his head was considerably smaller. Gently he peeled Ata from my arms and I felt the need to pull her back to me, to offer comfort to her, but I figured she wanted the familiarity of her guardian. Seated in his lap she buried her head in his chest, her arms locked around him as she held him close. I could hear Godric's low growl yet he kept his rage under check, clearly my cousin was in need of reassurance that Ari was still around and was okay. Once all of this had died down though I could see the two of them locking horns over the fact she allowed another to drink from her.

In a flash Godric was gone, taking with him the badly beaten Were. I assumed he was going to the basement. Eric offered his hand to me and I took it as I rose to my feet, sighing at the sorry state of us all and of the building. "What do we do now?" I asked quietly, looking down to my cousin who was still crying in Ari's arms, the ancient vampire was slowly rocking her backwards and forwards like she was some frightened child. In that moment she actually did look like a frightened child and I was reminded all so suddenly of my experience with Uncle Bartlett, how frightened I'd been of him and how my Gran had chased him off before holding me as I sobbed, telling her all about his thoughts and his inappropriate actions.

Ever the strategist, Eric had a response for everything and his reply snapped me out of my terrible nightmare. "We clean up this mess, get rescue and repair crews in place, we double security and then we find every way possible to protect ourselves against Russell. I need you to train harder and for longer each day, I know it's a lot to ask of you lover but I need to know you can take care of yourself should he manage to get you. If he could do this to Ata's home, rip out a mans spine on TV and kill the Magister, then I fear it's not safe for any of us. We may need to find somewhere else to lay low for a while, it's not fair for us to bring all of our shit into Ata's home and livelihood."

Godric was back to our side by now, he wore a mask of calm and yet I could see the war waging on in his pale blue eyes. "Rescue crews are pulling people out of the rubble out front, they're going to start working in here once we're out." He told us before crouching down next to his bonded and Ari; I had to give him credit for remaining calm and collected around Ari given that he had just had a taste of what in the vampire world was considered Godric's property and had probably just committed a blood offence. If my memory of past conversations served me well, Godric was well within his rights to rip Ari to shreds right now yet his love for my cousin caused him to reign himself in and be a better man. "Ata, my darling, we need to get out of the lobby and back outside." He told her gently, sweeping her blonde locks out of the way. I saw her nod slowly and start to rise to her feet.

Helping her stay steady, Godric and I led her over the piles of marble and down onto the cracked floor. Eric helped Ari down, keeping a hold on the ancient vampire who was hissing with pain every other step. It seemed his exposed skull wasn't the only injury he had sustained.

Finally back outside I felt like I could breathe again and I took in huge gulps of air, clearing my system of all the rock particles I had been breathing in for the past ten minutes. A paramedic ran over to us, bags of blood in his hands, which he immediately passed on to the vampires present in our group. Ari was about to bite into one of the bags when I heard a whoosh and felt a burst of air across my skin. The bag in Ari's hand was gone, and in its place was Khai's wrist, already punctured and bleeding. "Take from me, brother. It'll do you more good." He insisted, handing the bag to Eric who tore into it and drained the content.

Usually I'd feel funny about Eric drinking donor blood, blood that wasn't mine. Okay so he didn't have his fangs buried in some other human but it was damn near close enough. This evening however my jealousy and usual discomfort with the situation had vanished. He needed the blood as there were no doubt about it that hundreds of humans were trapped beneath the chunks of marble and they would all need rescuing. Only the vampires would be able to shift the rock pieces easily so I knew my Viking would need all the strength he could get. Godric was also tearing into bags of donor blood.

"I leave you alone for two days and all hell breaks loose. You're having all the fun without me, that's so not fair." Came the drawl I knew oh so well.

Perfect timing as always, Pam.


	29. Lost

**A/N I'm glad the last chapter was okay for you guys! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, this story is nearly at 200 and I literally cannot stop smiling about that! THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_Centuries passed and still the same, war in our blood, some things never change  
Fighting for land and personal gain, better your life, justify our pain  
The end is knocking, the end is knocking  
We've all been lost for most of this life  
(Lost for most of this life)  
Everywhere we turn more hatred surrounds us and I know that most of us just ain't right  
(Most of us just ain't right)  
Following the wrong steps, being led by pride, how many lives will we take?  
How many hearts destined to break?  
Nowhere to run, can't escape, full of ourselves, tied to our fate  
The end is knocking, the end is knocking, yeah  
~ Lost, Avenged Sevenfold_

The sound of my Childe's drawl pulled me from my duties. I was no longer assisting the Egyptian vampire, his brother had taken him off somewhere to feed and rest up, but I had been in the process of feeding. All of the blood and violence around us was waging war with my instincts and the last thing I wanted was to accidentally drain someone dry. Even with my 1000 years of control it would be difficult to reign in my thirst given the circumstances.

I had turned Pam all those years ago due to her loyalty, her bravery and her lust for life. She reminded me of myself and given that those were the very same qualities that Godric had turned me due to I felt like she would be an excellent choice. While at times she tested my patience she was in fact a good Childe, her timing left something to be desired however.

"You think of this as fun?" Ata's tone had taken on an icy edge as she stalked over to Pam, squaring up to my Childe who looked down at her like she was mud on her favourite Louboutin's.

"Death and destruction? Why yes I do believe that's fun." She responded in her usual drawl.

In a 'blink and you'll miss it' move Ata had Pam pinned to the ground by her throat, a hard expression on her features and a mixture of both gold and white light surrounding the hand that was holding Pam down. Instinctively I went to move to my Childe's side. "Eric." Godric's command settled over me and I found myself unable to aid her. "Let them sort this out between them." He informed me. I could understand his thought process, I couldn't go wading in every time Pam needed a hand and had been disrespectful, but at the same time it was difficult for me to sit back and watch as my Childe was rendered helpless. I was stunned at the power and strength that Ata seemed to have and how easily she had brought down my Childe, it also gave me hope that Sookie would be able to defend herself in such a manner if she could control her abilities too. At least that way I would know that she would be able to hold her own for a period of time.

Faces inches apart, I heard Ata hiss at Pam. "My home and livelihood was just blown up by a fucking Werewolf for God knows what reason and you find it funny? I'm spoiling for a fight right now and if you don't keep those pretty little lips of yours firmly shut I shall do far worse than pin you to the filthy ground. You picking up what I'm putting down?"

I watched as Pam's wide eyes moved from Ata's face to the hand holding her firmly in place, observing the pulses of eerie light, before moving back up to look into the Egyptian's eyes once again. I could feel Pam's inner turmoil – her rage at being spoken to in such a manner, her confusion regarding Ata's strength and her embarrassment that she was so easily rendered useless. I could also feel her attempts at glamouring her. "Pam, no." I murmured under my breath, wincing as Ata's hand tightened around her throat.

"That shit doesn't work on me sunshine, so I'd stop right there." She spat, finally letting go of Pam and taking a step back. The moment Pam was free the command issued to me by Godric wore off and I was able to go to her side and help her up off the ground.

"Another fucking fairy? What is it with you guys; do they have magical vaginas or some shit? She absolutely reeks of you, Grandsire." She looked between both Godric and I, quirking a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"She's my twice bonded, Pamela, and please show some respect towards both of our mates." My Maker chastised her, gesturing to both Sookie and Ata who were now being cared for by a young paramedic. They were twice bonded? When the hell did that happen?

Both women were sat on the back step of an ambulance, an oxygen cylinder between them and one mask for the pair of them. Sookie took a few deep breaths before handing it to Ata who in turn took a few deep breaths herself before handing it back. They continued the process as two of Ata's vampire guardian's, one I didn't know the name of and the other being Egor, wrapped a blanket around them to keep them warm in the slightly chilled night air. The scene reminded me of just how fragile Sookie was, something I often forced myself not to think about.

"Both of you are twice bonded to fucking fairies? Ha, that's just priceless!" She shook her head, laughing quietly. I had to admit that I too found it a little amusing. We were two of the oldest vampires in the whole of America and yet two of our natural enemies had captured our affections, two little fairies had warmed our cold, dead hearts and brought meaning back to our mundane existence's.

"I was attacked by the way, a couple of Were's broke into my home looking for me, I led them out to Monroe before turning back towards Shreveport to get my flight here. I'm guessing the wolves already know where we are though." Pam informed us nonchalantly.

Although I was still annoyed with Pam for nearly blowing up Sookie I was still concerned for her welfare. "They didn't harm you, did they?"

"Of course not, I out ran them." My Childe's fabulous smug smile fixed itself to her features and I couldn't help but be proud of her.

"How did they find your resting place, Pamela?" Godric spoke up in a disapproving tone.

"I have no idea, I assume they bugged my car or something. I had to leave it behind and now I'm going to have to destroy it." She pouted, clearly frustrated at having to ruin her mini van. When she had first informed of the vehicle she was after I had been struck with how obscure it was. Pam was a woman of fashion and glamour so I'd assumed that she'd want a flashy and no doubt expensive car. Sure her van was expensive due to the modifications but it was in no way flashy. When she'd sat down and told me it was to hold all of her shopping I had finally understood why she wanted one so badly. If there was one thing Pam did better than anyone else in the whole world it was shopping.

Turning back to my lover and her cousin, I watched for a moment as Ari approached, looking a lot pinker than he had before, all visible marks from his ordeal having been healed. Crouching down before the two women he placed a reassuring hand on Ata's knee, turning his attention to Sookie. Thankfully vampire hearing enabled me to listen to their conversation.

"Thank you Miss Stackhouse for helping to free me from the rubble. If you ever need anything please feel free to ask me, I am in your debt." The Egyptian vampire dropped his head a little in a show of both submission and respect. I could feel Sookie's gratitude and affection and I couldn't help a little pang of jealousy. Sensing my emotions, my lover pushed her affection for me through our bond and it eased the green monster inside me.

The Egyptian turned to Ata, "How are you, amisi?" he asked her gently, rubbing her knee affectionately. I could feel Godric's growing irritation yet he made sure to retain a mask of calm.

"You do realise another vampire is feeling up your fairy, right?" Pam broke our silence, giving Godric a pointed stare.

"I know, Pamela, but he has taken care of her for the past 2000 years while I have not, he is entitled to care for her. Just because she is claimed as mine doesn't mean I am going to force her away from those who love her." He explained in a monotone voice.

"If you overlook the fact the front of our home and our casino have been blown up then I'm perfectly peachy." I heard Ata respond, her words of course sarcastic and yet the sarcasm was missing from her tone. I could feel how tired my Sookie was so clearly Ata was worse for wear too.

"You two girls go on back up to the penthouse and try and get some sleep, the main structure of the building is fine thankfully. I'll sort out the clean-up crews down here and get in contact with the insurance company to start getting the place fixed up." He instructed, rising back up to his full height before dropping a kiss to the top of Ata's head and giving my Sookie a respectful bow. Handing the mask to the paramedic, I watched as the two girls rose to their feet, still cocooned in the blanket.

"Our women are tired, my Childe. Shall we get them settled for the evening?" My Maker turned to me, an affectionate smile on his features.

I turned my attention to Pam. "Do you have your belongings? We can take them up to your room for you." I offered knowing that the sooner both fae princesses, and Pam, were settled the better.

Examining her perfectly manicured nails, Pam sighed. "Don't they have a porter for that kind of thing?"

"Pamela." I addressed her sharply, tired of her attitude. "The front of the building was just blown up and so was the casino, I do not think a porter is the most important thing at this present moment. Now, where are your belongings?"

"In the limo that picked me up." She responded quietly, I could feel her guilt through our Maker-Childe bond. Although I wanted to patch things up with my Childe I still wouldn't stand for her attitude, especially not at a time like this.

"I have a few things in another limo that Sookie and I bought earlier this evening, if I go and grab those could you please get Pam's things?" I asked Godric, who nodded his consent and disappeared off to gather Pam's numerous bags from the car. We reconvened in front of the hotel and started to make our way down the narrow path that had been cleared through the rubble.

Silently the three of us entered the lobby, the two fairy women were stood together, looking over the rubble. "I vow to drive a stake through the heart of whoever was behind this." Ata's voice drifted towards my ears.

Sookie pulled her into a sideways hug, holding her close. "I vow to be the one to sharpen the stake for you, cousin." She added, earning herself a small laugh from Ata.

Pam's low whistle caused both girls to turn in our direction. "I've seen a few explosions in my time, caused a few myself, but this takes the cake. Sweet lord someone must want something from you, little fairy." She turned her head to Ata, forcing a small smile. Clearly my Childe was still angry with my Maker's bonded for taking her down so easily yet she was obviously trying to clear the air between them. Ata's face remained expressionless as she turned back to face her destroyed lobby, letting out a long sigh before moving towards the stairs.

"Elevators are out of service, fucking health and safety." She muttered as a way of explanation as she started to ascend the staircase with my Sookie by her side. Following up behind her, Godric, Pam and I trudged upwards, arms laden with bags.

Upon entering the penthouse we were immediately bombarded by three vampires, all of which I had never met before. "Ata, my dear, are you okay?" the shortest of the three enquired, worry etched onto his features. Come to think of it, worry was etched onto all of their features. Ah these must be the other three vampires within her 'nest.' Of course we had been introduced to Egor, Ari and Khai but I could remember clearly that Ata had informed us that she had six vampires taking care of her.

"I'm fine, Riei, honestly." She reassured him, giving his arm an affectionate rub.

"I've left the windows open in your room, the hot air from the explosion downstairs had travelled up here and it was unbearably warm." The vampire named Riei explained.

"I've doubled security for the foreseeable future, Ata. I won't rest until we can find whoever did this." The tallest of the three spoke up and I realised then that he looked similar to Egor, except that his eyes were a dark green.

"Thank you, Agmund." I heard Ata sigh, noting that she lent into Sookie a little more. My lover was a strong woman but I could tell she was struggling to keep both herself and her cousin upright.

The vampire named Riei turned to take in both Godric and I, noting our ruined clothes. His attention then moved to Pam and he observed her completely, from the points of her designer shoes to the top of her perfectly coiffed hair. "You dress very well. Come, let me show you to your room." He complimented before heading off down the hallway. I felt Pam's pride through our bond. She'd always been up-to-date with the latest fashions and if this vampire knew a thing or two about fashion I could see them becoming firm friends.

Godric and Pam followed after the short vampire and I took off towards the room Sookie and I were sharing, placing our bags down on the bed before zipping back to the living room. By now everyone had moved to the sofas and Godric and Pam were back in our company. A rather lanky vampire was crouched in front of both Ata and Sookie and he had obviously just finished speaking to my lover as he chuckled lightly, a smile on Sookie's features. What was it with female fae and their ability to charm every male around them?

"Are you hurt, my dear?" he asked Ata and I found it highly amusing how so many vampires were clucking over one woman. Was this how I was around Sookie? _Oh dear._

Stifling a yawn, Ata responded. "Just a little battered and bruised, and a little tired too. I should feel better by tomorrow afternoon though."

"Are you sure you don't need any of my blood?"

That happened to be the last straw for Godric, who had sat quietly and allowed other men to tend to his bonded for most of the night. Within seconds he was up off the sofa, standing defensively in front of Ata, looking down at the other vampire. "The only blood _my _bonded will be taking should she require it is mine!" he snarled, baring his fangs at the other male in a show of dominance and possessiveness.

Instantly the other male was up on his feet, holding his hands up in a surrendering posture, a calm expression on his features. How on earth could all these vampires remain so calm after everything that had happened this evening? While I was giving an outwards appearance of calm I was anything but! "I meant no disrespect, for the past 2000 years I have been Ata's personal physician and it's second nature for me to offer her blood to help her heal." The vampire explained, dropping his hands down to his sides.

In a show of authority, Ata batted Godric's side, pushing him out of the way. "Thank you for the offer, Oeri, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. While I'm grateful that for the past 2000 years you have shared your blood with me when I've been hurt I'm afraid I can only take my bonded's now for fear of him throwing a hissy fit." She graciously declined, defusing the situation.

"If I cannot aid you with my blood then let me aid you with advice. You need to rest, and it would be best if you were to sleep beside your cousin this evening. The fae have the ability to heal one another emotionally when they are close together, by sleeping beside one another your bodies and minds will be eased allowing you both a pleasant nights slumber." He informed Sookie and Ata, both of whom looked surprised by the information. Exchanging a glance they both nodded. "May I also suggest that your respective bonded's stay beside you until you fall asleep? An influx of calm will help ease you both into your slumber." He added as an after thought, glancing from myself to Godric and back again.

Giving a nod I rose from my own seat as both my Sookie and then Ata rose from their seats. Glancing to Pam I gave her a small nod which she returned before sliding over to Riei, no doubt about to start a conversation with him about fashion or, God forbid, Dear Abby.

"We'll stay in my room, the bed is bigger." Ata muttered under her breath, leading us all down the corridor. Upon entering the room I was hit by the smell of blood and sex. It would be mighty difficult to restrain myself this evening however I stopped my fangs in their tracks, forcing them back into place. My Maker's fangs were still down and I watched as he inhaled deeply, a smirk of satisfaction and triumph weaving its way onto his features. Ata grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top before rifling through her wardrobe and handing a similar pair to Sookie. Without saying a word both women slipped into the bathroom together to get changed.

The moment the door was shut I turned to my Maker. "They've both been too quiet. I don't know if this is normal for Ata but it certainly isn't for Sookie." I expressed my concern, knowing Godric would understand.

"It isn't normal for Ata either, but then our women have been through a lot, not only this evening but these past few weeks. Sookie was caring for you in your amnesic state and, after having attended a dispute session earlier this evening, it seems Felipe is interested in Ata in an unhealthy manner. I believe the explosion here is the proverbial straw that broke the camels back." Godric explained with a small shake of his head.

"Do you think it's Russell?" I couldn't help but ask, if I planned for the worst possible scenario then anything else would be good news.

Godric seemed to contemplate my question for a moment before grimacing, "It could be, the brand matches those from Russell's pack however he hasn't been free for long, he wouldn't have time to gather his forces."

"Who else could it possibly be though?" I asked in exasperation, not knowing who the enemy was certainly wasn't my favourite thing in the world. I had always loved to be prepared; I'd won every battle so far in my 1000 years all because of preparation.

"I attended a dispute session earlier, which I will talk to you about in more detail once our women are settled and asleep, and Felipe seemed mighty interested in my Ata. He was offering her the title of Queen of Nevada and promising her riches and such. Come to think of it he was pretty much begging." My Maker growled out. Instinctively I growled lowly too, Felipe had no right to try and take my Maker's bonded away from him!

I was about to inform my Maker that I would stand beside him should Felipe attempt to take his mate from him but the sound of both Sookie and her cousin exiting the bathroom drew us away from our previous conversation. Both girls were spotless, with damp hair, having clearly showered. Had they showered together? The thought was rather enticing however I reigned in my lust as my lovers head snapped in my direction, a light frown on her features. Heck, this bond would be the bane of my undead life!

Sookie was first to clamber into bed, Ata following shortly afterwards with a medium-sized fluffy teddy in her hand. Wasn't she a bit old for teddy bears? They lay facing one another, locking their hands together for comfort with the teddy between them. Both Godric and I stripped down to our underwear and slid it behind our respective women. Sookie's slight tinge of embarrassment crept into our bond and I had to stifle my chuckle. Another male was down to his underwear in bed with her and she found it a little strange. Bless her innocent human morals. Ata seemed to pay no mind to my nearly nude frame; clearly having grown up with her six vampire guardians around her all the time had all but removed her of every one of her morals.

The bed was only just big enough for the four of us and even then we were all on our sides, as close together as possible. "Night Sook." Ata yawned, leaning in to press a kiss to her cousin's nose. I could feel a little bit of shock from Sookie at the gesture, clearly she wasn't aware of the fae's touchy feely nature yet. However, she kindly returned the gesture.

"Night Eric." Ata spoke quietly once more, kissing her fingertips on her free hand before reaching over Sookie to press her fingers to the tip of my nose in an innocent and almost child-like gesture. Godric could clearly feel my amusement as he smiled over Ata's head at me. "Goodnight, Ata." I responded politely, once again returning the gesture just like Sookie had.

"Night night Godric." She finally added, turning her head a little to face my Maker.

He shifted slightly to press a chaste kiss to her lips, a smile on his features as he smoothed her blonde locks back from her face. "Goodnight my darling, and goodnight to you too Sookie." He addressed both of the women safely lodged between us.

Leaning down I brushed my lips across Sookie's ear and in a light whisper I wished her goodnight.

It took no time at all for the breathing of the two women to even out and become rather shallow, signalling that they had both slipped into slumber. "What's with the teddy bear?" I asked quietly over their heads, slowly started to disentangle myself from Sookie's body.

"We went to the fair earlier, I won it for her." Godric explained as he disentangled himself from Ata, his emotions told me how pleased he was to see her cuddling the stuffed toy.

"I guess we need to go and speak with the others, find out exactly what happened this evening and start planning for the future." I sighed quietly as we both made our way to the door. I was hating that fact that once again Sookie's life was in danger and that I was yet to come up with a way to make it go away, to keep her safe and to stop her from getting hurt once more.

With a remorseful look my Maker glanced back to the sleeping fairies safely tucked into the bed. "Yes, I'm afraid so, my Childe."

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**A/N Ata is not a fan of Pammy...oh dear!**

**Amisi = Egyptian, meaning 'Flower' - I thought it would be cute for the boys to have a nickname for Ata :)**


	30. Forgive Me

**A/N Will say now, I'm not Swedish, don't speak a word of the language (though I am learning!) and my Swedish friend is off galavanting around the UK so I'm sorry if the translations aren't correct - blame google translate!**

**I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

* * *

**PAM'S POV**

_Can you forgive me again? I don't know what I said but I didn't mean to hurt you  
I heard the words come out; I felt that I would die it hurt so much to hurt you  
Then you look at me, you're not shouting anymore, you're silently broken, I'd give anything now to kill those words for you  
Each time I say something I regret I cry "I don't want to lose you" but somehow I know that you will never leave me, yeah.  
'Cause you were made for me, somehow I'll make you see how happy you make me, I can't live this life without you by my side  
I need you to survive so stay with me, you look in my eyes and I'm screaming inside that I'm sorry.  
And you forgive me again; you're my one true friend, and I never meant to hurt you  
~ Forgive Me, Evanescence_

My flight had been a rather boring one; thankfully due to the late hour there were no teacup humans on the plane to irritate me. Once again I was so pleased that I had never had any of them in my human years. Having gathered my bags from the carousel in the arrivals hall I had made my way towards the crowd, unsure as to whom was collecting me.

What I hadn't been expecting was for two rather large and rather attractive male vampires to be stood holding a sign with my first name on it. One looked rather similar to my Maker, he was tall, muscular and blonde with dark green eyes. The other was slightly shorter but with a fair build on him, his hair was a light chocolate colour and his hazel eyes stood out against his alabaster skin.

"Miss Pamela?" The shorter of the two addressed me as I approached them. Giving a nod the taller of the two took my suitcases from me so that I wouldn't have to carry them. At least they had manners. Although men were not my cup of tea there was nothing better than a true gentlemen.

"My name is Riei, this is my brother Agmund, and should you ever need anything during your stay with our Mistress then please feel free to ask us." The one named Riei told me. Obviously my Maker and Grandsire had found themselves staying with another vampire and her nest. Perhaps she'd keep me entertained for a few nights.

Giving a gracious smile I thanked both males before tottering behind them towards a rather lovely looking black limo, a private plate adorning the front. Clearly the vampire and her nest were well situated financially. The blonde vampire opened the back door for me and I elegantly slid myself in. My belongings were stowed in the trunk of the car and the two vampires who had been sent to collect me slid into the front seats. "Could one of you dear boys tell me where we're heading?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at their reflections in the rear view mirror. Perhaps if I sweetened up the nest my Maker would be more welcoming of me and forgive me quickly.

"Caesar's Palace, Miss Pamela." Agmund informed me as we pulled out of the airport and onto The Strip. I'd been to Caesars Palace once, when Eric had set me free and allowed me to travel by myself. I'd wanted to see the bright lights of Vegas and Caesar's Palace had been the only place at the time that had accommodated vampires. Now I could understand why.

"And your Mistress owns Caesar's Palace yes?" I fished for more information. I could tell the two males sat in the front of the car were older than me. Agmund was probably around the same age as Eric, a Viking in his time too no doubt, and the other, Riei, was even older. If this woman was the Maker of these boys I could only guess at her age. She was probably as old as my Grandsire. Riei confirmed my suspicions, their Mistress owned the hotel and casino.

I'd been expecting to see the magnificent marble drop-off of Caesar's Palace, the beautiful statue and fountain in the middle of the courtyard; instead I was greeted with the sight of nothing short of chaos. "Quid in infernum?" Agmund hissed, pulling the car rather violently into a spot.

"Irrumabo, Ata!"Riei cursed, leaping out of the car. I had no idea what was going on so I exited the car with the speed my immortality had given me and stopped in my tracks as I took in the scene before me. The drop-off zone was blown to pieces, bits of marble scattered across the parking lot, crushing cars and people.

In amongst all of the chaos I could easily spot my Maker and Grandsire, the telepath and another woman. Both my Maker and Grandsire were ripping into bags of donor blood; the two breathers were shaking and holding one another to keep themselves steady. Rolling my eyes, I sighed at the scene.

"I leave you alone for two days and all hell breaks loose. You're having all the fun without me, that's so not fair." I drawled once I was close enough for them to hear me.

"You think of this as fun?" the other woman standing with the telepath my Maker was so enthralled with turned to me, her voice unmistakably icy as she squared up to me. Really, who did she think she was? She was a blood bag while I was a vampire, she didn't stand a chance. Quirking an eyebrow I looked down my nose at the blonde woman before me, there was no denying she was pretty and that she looked similar to the gash my Maker was so enthralled with, but other than that she was nothing to me.

"Death and destruction? Why yes I do believe that's fun." I responded in my usual drawl.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening to me I was pinned to the ground by my throat, the woman's face looming over mine, her features set into hard lines. Her hand was around my throat and it was pulsing with both gold and white light. My throat felt like it was on fire but her firm hold on me stopped me from being able to scream out in pain. Thrashing around beneath her she was easily able to overpower me and keep me still.

"Eric." I heard my Grandsire command Eric. "Let them sort this out between them." He informed him and I tried to growl out in frustration. Godric was my Grandsire; he should be helping me by getting this woman off of me!

The woman moved her face closer to mine and I inhaled sharply, the scent of fae and of Godric flooded my nostrils and I found myself confused with the situation, but the pain in my throat was still there, reminding me of my current situation. "My home and livelihood were just blown up by a fucking Werewolf for God knows what reason and you find it funny? I'm spoiling for a fight right now and if you don't keep those pretty little lips of yours firmly shut I shall do far worse than pin you to the ground. You picking up what I'm putting down?" The woman spat in my face.

The vampires in the car had said their Mistress owned Caesar's Palace, they were serving a fucking fairy! How demeaning! Her threat however felt rather serious and my eyes widened as I took in her ethereal features, looking down to the hand holding me in place, before looking back up at the woman the vampires who had collected me served. I was fuming at being spoken to in such a manner, confused as to how this woman's strength was so great and slightly embarrassed that she had taken me down so easily. I was losing my touch, and that thought angered me further.

Wanting the blonde off of me I locked eyes with her, trying to draw her into my mind to glamour her to get out of my fucking way. "Pam, no." I heard Eric mutter under his breath. The woman's hand tightened around my throat and I gasped as the pain increased further.

"That shit doesn't work on me sunshine, so I'd stop right there." She spat, finally letting go of me and taking a step back. Sunshine? What the fuck? Did I look like a child in need of a nickname? The moment I was free Eric was by my side, helping me up off the floor. At least some of his anger and annoyance towards me had subsided.

"Another fucking fairy? What is it with you guys; do they have magical vaginas or some shit? She absolutely reeks of you, Grandsire." I looked between both Godric and my Maker, quirking a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"She's my twice bonded, Pamela, and please show some respect towards both of our mates." Godric chastised me, gesturing to both Sookie and the other woman.

Were my ears deceiving me or did my Grandsire just tell me he was twice bonded to the bitch who'd just tackled me to the floor? "Both of you are twice bonded to fucking fairies? Ha, that's just priceless!" I shook her head. "I was attacked by the way, a couple of Were's broke into my home looking for me, I led them out to Monroe before turning back towards Shreveport to get my flight here. I'm guessing the wolves already know where we are though." I informed them nonchalantly.

Eric showed concern and my emotions gave away my surprise, unfortunately I was unable to seal off our bond so he no doubt felt my emotions at that moment. "They didn't harm you, did they?"

"Of course not, I out ran them." I flashed my Maker a smug smile. Even though he and my Grandsire could fly I was just as quick as them when on the ground. I felt Eric's pride in our bond and relished in the feeling for a moment.

"How did they find your resting place, Pamela?" Godric spoke up in a disapproving tone.

"I have no idea, I assume they bugged my car or something. I had to leave it behind and now I'm going to have to destroy it." I pouted, frustrated at having to ruin my mini van. After my ever-growing shoe collection it was second most prized possession.

The two males before me turned to observe the two fairies and I couldn't stop myself from eavesdropping. If there was one thing on my mind right now it was about how best to approach making amends with Sookie in order to please my Maker and about being on the other fae's good side.

"Thank you Miss Stackhouse for helping to free me from the rubble. If you ever need anything please feel free to ask me, I am in your debt." One vampire I was yet to be introduced to dropped his head a little in a show of both submission and respect. I could feel Eric's jealousy at the show. I wasn't use to my Maker feeling jealous; perhaps he truly did care for the breather.

The vampire turned to the fae woman who had pinned me down. "How are you, amisi?" he asked her gently, rubbing her knee affectionately.

"You do realise another vampire is feeling up your fairy, right?" I broke the silence around us, giving my Grandsire a warning stare. If this woman was his twice bonded then why on earth was he allowing some other vampire to have his cold hands all over her?

"I know, Pamela, but he has taken care of her for the past 2000 years while I have not, he is entitled to care for her. Just because she is claimed as mine doesn't mean I am going to force her away from those who love her." He explained to me in a monotone voice.

I was stunned into silence; the fairy was as old as my Grandsire? They knew one another in his human years? Clearly I was missing out on the whole picture and I couldn't help but feel angered about once again being left out.

"If you overlook the fact the front of our home and our casino have been blown up then I'm perfectly peachy." I heard the little fae respond, her words of course sarcastic and yet the sarcasm was missing from her tone.

"You two girls go on back up to the penthouse and try and get some sleep, the main structure of the building is fine thankfully. I'll sort out the clean-up crews down here and get in contact with the insurance company to start getting the place fixed up." The vampire instructed, rising back up to his full height before dropping a kiss to the top of my Grandsire's twice bonded's head before giving Sookie a respectful bow. Handing the mask to the paramedic, I watched as the two girls rose to their feet, still cocooned in the blanket that someone had provided for them. Shame, perhaps pneumonia would make them disappear and I'd have both Eric and Godric to myself, they'd give me all of their attention.

"Our women are tired, my Childe. Shall we get them settled for the evening?" Godric spoke to Eric, an affectionate smile on his features.

Eric turned to look at me, his eyes finding mine and I couldn't help but feel under scrutiny. "Do you have your belongings? We can take them up to your room for you." He offered.

Eric was going to carry luggage up to whatever room I was in? Was he mad? He's a Viking vampire God, not a servant! Examining my perfectly manicured nails, I sighed. "Don't they have a porter for that kind of thing?"

"Pamela." He addressed me sharply, I could feel his irritation rising. "The front of the building was just blown up and so was the casino, I do not think a porter is the most important thing at this present moment. Now, where are your belongings?"

"In the limo that picked me up." I responded quietly, feeling a little guilty that I was giving him such attitude when he was clearly stressed.

"I have a few things in the limo that Sookie and I bought earlier this evening, if I go and grab those could you please get Pam's things?" Eric asked Godric, who nodded his consent and disappeared off to gather my numerous designer trunks from the car. We all reconvened in front of the hotel and started to make our way down the narrow path that had been cleared through the rubble.

Silently the three of us entered the lobby, the two fairy women were stood together, looking over the rubble. "I vow to drive a stake through the heart of whoever was behind this." My Grandsire's bonded spoke.

Sookie pulled her into a sideways hug, holding her close. "I vow to be the one to sharpen the stake for you, cousin." She added, earning herself a small laugh from the other fae. Already they had bonded, great, now it would be harder to get into their good books.

Glancing around I took in the damage; whatever had happened it would take some time and resources to put everything right. Letting a low whistle slip between my lips, both girls to turn in our direction. "I've seen a few explosions in my time, caused a few myself, but this takes the cake. Sweet lord someone must want something from you, little fairy." I turned to the older of the two fae, forcing a small smile. The fae's face remained expressionless as she turned back to face her destroyed lobby, letting out a long sigh before moving towards the stairs.

"Elevators are out of service, fucking health and safety." She muttered as a way of explanation as she started to ascend the staircase with Sookie by her side. Following up behind her, we all trudged upwards, arms laden with bags.

Upon entering the penthouse I took a moment to look around before three vampires immediately bombarded us, one of which I had never met before. "Ata, my dear, are you okay?" Riei inquired. I remembered him from my journey to the hotel. Ah so the breathers name was Ata. Not very old world sounding but it wasn't bad either. Perhaps I'd be able to do something with it. I'd bought Sookie one of those awful sundresses she loved so much; perhaps this fairy would like a little gold necklace with her name on it. Yes, I could see her being a fan of trinkets and treasure. All fae were, apparently.

"I'm fine, Riei, honestly." Ata reassured him, giving his arm an affectionate rub.

"I've left the windows open in your room, the hot air from the explosion downstairs had travelled up here and it was unbearably warm." The vampire explained.

"I've doubled security for the foreseeable future, Ata. I won't rest until we can find whoever did this." The tallest of the three spoke up, he was the other one who had collected me, Agmund if my memory served me right.

"Thank you, Agmund." I heard Ata sigh, leaning into Sookie for some support. I suddenly had a wonderful vision of the two women toppling over and falling flat onto the floor, oh that would make my night!

Riei observed both my Maker and Grandsire before his attention moved to me; he finally took in my attire. "You dress very well. Come, let me show you to your room." He complimented me before heading off down the hallway. I couldn't help but feel proud. I'd always loved fashion, even in my human years, and if this vampire knew his designers, well, he'd definitely be someone I'd want to associate with.

Godric and I followed after him and after dumping my bags in the room I made my way back to the living room. The room they'd placed me in was actually rather beautiful but I would fully explore it later. It seemed that in two days I'd missed out on an awful lot.

A rather lanky vampire was crouched in front of both of the fae women and he cracked a joke, causing Sookie to smile and laugh. While I usually found cheerful breathers a nightmare I had to admit that the better the mood Sookie was in, the better mood my Maker would be in.

"Are you hurt, my dear?" he asked Ata.

Stifling a yawn, Ata responded. "Just a little battered and bruised, and a little tired too. I should feel better by tomorrow afternoon though."

"Are you sure you don't need any of my blood?" The vampire offered and I couldn't hide my smirk at his mistake.

Godric, who had sat quietly and allowed other men to tend to his bonded for most of the night, was up off the sofa standing defensively in front of Ata, looking down at the other vampire. "The only blood _my _bonded will be taking should she require it is mine!" he snarled, baring his fangs at the other male in a show of dominance and possessiveness.

Instantly the other male was up on his feet, holding his hands up in a surrendering posture, a calm expression on his features. "I meant no disrespect, for the past 2000 years I have been Ata's personal physician and it's second nature for me to offer her blood to help her heal." The vampire explained, dropping his hands down to his sides.

The eldest fae female batted Godric's side, pushing him out of the way and I couldn't help but smile at her actions. There were few people who could get away with such a move towards my Grandsire. "Thank you for the offer, Oeri, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. While I'm grateful that for the past 2000 years you have shared your blood with me when I've been hurt I'm afraid I can only take my bonded's now for fear he'll throw a hissy fit." She graciously declined, defusing the situation. She was eloquent and seemed to respect vampire customs. Perhaps I'd been a bit quick to slander her.

"If I cannot aid you with my blood then let me aid you with advice. You need to rest, and it would be best if you were to sleep beside your cousin this evening. The Fae have the ability to heal one another emotionally when they are close together, by sleeping beside one another your bodies and minds will be eased allowing you both a pleasant nights slumber." He informed Sookie and Ata, both of whom looked surprised by the information. Exchanging a glance they both nodded. "May I also suggest that your respective bonded's stay beside you until you fall asleep? An influx of calm will help ease you both into your slumber." He added as an after thought, glancing from Eric to Godric and back again.

Giving a nod Eric rose from his seat as both of the women rose from their seats. Glancing towards me, Eric gave me a small nod. It wasn't much but I knew I would hear the rest of the story later, and I'd final be able to inform him of my feelings and my choices. I wasn't much for emotions and feelings, especially considering the fact that Eric liked me cold and heartless, but it was time I felt to tell him how I was feeling.

As Eric left, I slid across the sofa to Riei, curious as to the males view on fashion. "Your shoes, Alexander McQueen Ebony Gable Double Lace?" I inquired casually, keeping the smile off of my face. Unfortunately, the moment the male vampire smiled I found myself unable to hold back.

"Of course," he glanced down to my own shoes, his smile still on his features. "Jimmy Choo Cosmic, I believe." He responded knowledgeably.

"Ah we're going to get on great." I purred, already knowing that this vampire would be my shopping partner while I was staying in Vegas.

"As long as you don't challenge my Mistress again, I'm sure we will." He replied coolly, catching my gaze to give me a meaningful glance before his head snapped towards the door.

In walked three other vampires, one of which had been the one speaking to both of the fae women when they had been sat outside the ambulance. Riei took it upon himself to introduce us all.

"Miss Pamela, this is Ari." He gestured to the male who had been dealing with the two women earlier; he was easily 6'5 with broad shoulders and sharp collarbones. His hair was a jet black, his nose slightly crooked and his eyes were a dark chocolate brown eye.

"This is Khai." He gestured to another vampire who was easily 6'5 also; he too had broad shoulders and sharp collarbones. His long hair was a glossy black colour and his eyes were a bright green. Already I was starting to see a physical pattern.

"This is Oeri." He gestured back to the vampire that my Grandsire had challenged earlier. Now that I was able to get a proper look at him I took in all of his features, he was shorter than the rest at 6'3; he was pretty lanky with blonde hair and knowing emerald eyes. His jaw line was sharp, as were his cheekbones, and his broad shoulders didn't match his lithe frame.

"You've already met Agmund, but this is his twin brother from his human years, Egor." He gestured to the two boys, they were identical in the sense that they were both 6'6 with broad shoulders and long blonde hair. The only difference between them was their eye colour. Egor's eyes were hazel while Agmund's were dark green. Just looking at them and their similarities to my Maker I confirmed my earlier suspicions; they had been Viking's in their days too.

"Pamela Swynford de Beaufort, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you beautiful men." I purred, eyeing each one in turn. Although I wasn't a fan of the eldest fae in the building she had good taste in those who kept her company, and that was saying something considering my lack of feelings towards those of the opposite gender.

"Pam." Eric's voice broke my train of thought and I pouted at his interruption. He always spoiled my fun. Realising that there was probably a lot to be said I took my seat on the sofa once again, Eric and Godric sat opposite me, Ari and Riei sat either side of me, Khai and Oeri took the two single armchairs on either side of the sofas and the two Viking vampires stood guard by the elevator doors.

My Maker observed all the faces in the room, finally settling his gaze on me. "As I'm sure you are all aware, there are people after my bonded. Russell Edgington and probably William Compton to be precise." The other males in the room hissed at the two vampires names, clearly they had few fans in Vegas.

"Compton is still alive?" Egor snorted from the door, shaking his head. "Should of killed that bastard the moment he tried to take Ata."

My Grandsire's head snapped towards the blonde male, "He tried to take my Ata?" he growled out, the anger evident on his features.

Nodding his head slowly, Egor gave an unnecessary sigh, "Yeah, he came after her because of her heritage, someone must have tipped him off. We managed to outsmart him though and sent him packing. Why's he a problem to your bonded, Eiríkr?"

I noticed Eric stiffen in his seat as his name slipped from the other vampires lips, his eyes leaving my face to look towards the blonde male. "Jag vet att du" he stated, recognition finally flaring in his eyes.

The other male chuckled, his smile softening his harsh features. "Ja, jag gjorde undrar hur lång tid det skulle ta dig att komma ihåg. Den har varit ganska lång tid. Jag har en känsla av att vi kanske måste slåss bredvid varandra en gang mer." Egor looked towards Agmund, whose smile matched his own. Considering the fact that the two vampires had spoken to one another in their own language, and seemed to recognise one another, I could only assume they'd been friends in their human years. The talk about fighting beside one another once more only confirmed my suspicions.

"I never knew you had a brother." Eric finally switched back to English, looking to Agmund with complete curiosity.

"I was sick a lot as a youngster, made defending myself difficult so I was forced to stay in bed. While you and my brother were off gallivanting around the globe I was stuck with the women. Not that I'm complaining of course." Agmund replied with a wink, earning laughter from his brother and my Maker.

My Maker's features were warm but of course I could still see the serious edge to his eyes. It seemed this trip was a little reunion of sorts. "Back to the original question, he is a problem to my bonded because Queen Sophie-Anne sent him to procure her because of her heritage also, he failed of course and I was forced to be the one to make him come clean to her. I'm amazed she doesn't resent me for it. Anyway I lost my memory recently, fucking Wiccan's, and she took me in and cared for me. When I regained my memories I realised how much I cared for her and she had to choose between Compton and myself. Of course she abandoned Compton and told me to go home with her." A smug smile crossed Eric's lips and I couldn't help but be thankful towards the little blonde breather for making the right choice for once. I may not be her biggest fan but the thought of her being Compton's pet didn't please me.

"The problem lies in the fact that Compton killed Sophie-Anne and is now King of Louisiana, he was never one to take rejection well and suffers from extreme jealousy. He fed my bonded lies about me during their time together and only thanks to my state of amnesia did she finally see the real me. I have a feeling he may be trying to get her back." Eric growled, shaking his head at the prospect. Of course the moment Bill placed a hand on Sookie my Maker was well within his rights to rip Compton to shreds as they were twice bonded. A third bond would of course be best but Eric had stated that he wouldn't complete this bond until he was sure Sookie and I would get along. Maybe now that she's away from Compton she won't be so bad. Only time will tell.

"And what of Edgington? Last I heard he went medieval on TV and was then killed off." The vampire named Ari spoke up from beside me.

Eric grimaced as he recounted the tale to the other vampires present; of course I had already heard the story. It had taken me weeks to get all of the fucking cement out of my hair.

"Back in my human years he slaughtered my family and I wanted revenge. He became interested in Sookie and her heritage and went after her one evening. I ended up staking his husband and Childe, Talbot, in order to cause him similar pain to what I felt and to get him to return home and leave Sookie alone. I also reclaimed my father's crown at the time, which Edgington had kept in his vast collection of historical items. That's why he went medieval on TV, he was after revenge for my revenge." Eric rolled his eyes and I tried to suppress my amusement at the action. He'd always told me it was the least attractive of my qualities and yet here he was mimicking me.

"I had to use Sookie as a bargaining chip. I'm sure you're aware of the ability that fae blood holds, that it makes us able to day walk. Well I informed Russell of this and he drank from Sookie, forcing me to do so at the same time. We walked outside during the day and I handcuffed us together with silver. It was the only way I knew to end him once and for all and to stop his stupidity from killing our entire kind. Sookie recovered from the blood loss and came out to save me and I realised my mistake in killing Russell so quickly. I had Sookie bring him indoors and tie him up with silver. That night Compton and I went to a car park that was being constructed and chucked him in a pit, covering him with cement. Compton then tried to do the same to me however I called for Pam to come and save me." He looked towards me at that moment and I felt the affection he held for me rush through our bond. Perhaps we wouldn't need to talk so much about our own issues later on.

"And now he's free from the cement?" Khai spoke up, quirking an eyebrow as he lent back into the plush sofa. Eric gave a grave nod.

"You do realise that only bonded mates of the fae can day walk properly, yes?" I heard Oeri casually comment from the sidelines. Both my Maker and Grandsire's heads snapped in his direction at the statement. "Yes, your plan was wonderful but wouldn't have worked entirely. I assume you burned much slower than usual?" he inquired. Eric nodded in affirmation.

"Are you suggesting, that should we complete a third bond with our respective mates, we would be able to day walk all the time?" Godric asked, his eyes wide with unspoken glee. It had been over 2000 years since he had witnessed the sunlight, I couldn't imagine what that would feel like though I assumed I would be around enough to find out. I could feel Eric's own excitement and glee in our Maker-Childe bond too, however I also felt his trepidation. Last time he'd been out in the sun it hadn't been a pleasant experience.

"In theory, yes. You have to remember that it's very rare for a vampire and a fairy to bond thrice. It's even rarer that the two fae in question are from the same bloodline and the two vampires in question are from the same bloodline. Don't you think that perhaps it's not just a coincidence?" the doctor questioned, looking between both Eric and Godric.

"It is a little strange, Master." I finally spoke up, feeling like I had kept quiet long enough. "If you believe Sookie is your true mate, and Godric believes Ata is his, then it all seems a little odd. What are the chances?" I asked hypothetically.

Eric seemed pleased with my formal address of him and allowed his emotions to tell me so as he mulled over the thought that perhaps there was a little more to this.

"Do you still have the Were downstairs?" Eric finally broke the silence, looking towards Godric.

"Yes, he didn't seem very chatty while I was throwing him in a cell. I hope you don't mind that I locked him away." My Grandsire turned to Ari, who was starting to look and sound more and more like the leader of this nest once Ata was sleeping.

"Not at all, bastard deserves it for taking a swipe at me. Fancy telling me what those marks on the Were's back were though?" he lent forward, clearly enticed by the story.

"Operation Werewolf." Both of my family members spoke.

"Edgington's wolves?" I asked in slight shock. "He did all of this?" I asked once more, remembering the destruction downstairs. If it was his wolves that did this then clearly Russell had tabs on Sookie, and subsequently Eric's, whereabouts.

"Yes they're his wolves, but we don't know if he did all of this. Did the wolves that followed you home have any brands?" Eric answered my questions, firing one of his own back at me.

Shrugging my shoulders I pursed my lips together, "I was trying my hardest to get away, I didn't particularly wish to stick around and examine their bodies while they were clearly trying to hurt me, or kill me. Sorry." I apologised, knowing it would score me some brownie points.

"It is not your fault, my Childe. We will find out soon enough." My Maker gently reassured me, letting me feel his love for me through our bond. Although a proud woman I would grovel and apologise to Eric when needed.

"I shall send the girls down tomorrow with their Were guards to see what they can get from his thoughts and memories. Perhaps they might even enjoying throwing in a punch or two until we rise and take over." Egor grinned at the vampires in the room. Clearly he was far from a pacifist.

"I'm sorry to say but Sookie is not the violent type." Eric shrugged. Although to most it would be strange to have a lover who hated violence I felt like Eric enjoyed that aspect about the young fae. He was violent enough for two people when his emotions got the better of him.

"Ah, well, Ata will no doubt throw in a few kicks and punches on her behalf. The animal will probably be screaming for mercy by the time she's done with him. She takes attacks and threats on herself, on us, and on her business empire rather seriously." Egor chuckled, clearly a fan of his Mistress's ways.

"It may also have been Felipe de Castro." Khai spoke up, drawing our attention back to the main topic of conversation.

"The King of Nevada, why would he want to destroy this place, surely it pulls in tons of money and tourism for him?" Eric asked the older vampire, a frown etched onto his features. I too couldn't see the connection.

Godric sighed beside Eric; clearly we were missing something here. Not having all of the pieces of the puzzle was starting to piss me off. "Ata is the Sheriff of Las Vegas, she held disputes earlier and Felipe was there." He started to explain.

"A fairy is the Sheriff? How does that work?" I interrupted, were they letting just anyone have such positions now?

"Felipe fears our Mistress because of what she is, and because of who she is. By giving her the position he hopes to keep her sweet but we all know she'd be better if she were a Queen once again. She's satisfied with the Sheriff position though, for now." Khai spoke up, wearing a smirk that could rival Eric's.

"A Queen once again? Because of who she is? I'm sorry but I don't follow." I scowled, feeling irate that I still wasn't clued in on everything.

"Her surname is Caesar. Ring any bells? Y'know, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. Ata's their daughter, she took her mothers throne when she died but decided she needed to vanish when she stopped ageing and when she was being forced to marry someone she didn't love." Khai explained as if it were obvious.

"Well I'm sorry, I was kind of distracted by the destruction and blood out front and then suddenly being thrown to the ground like a rag doll. I didn't have time for a meet and greet." I sassed.

All of the vampires from the nest laughed heartily at my comment, even Godric tried to suppress a smile. Eric was not amused however he wasn't displeased either. He let out a sigh and shook his head. Giving him my best smile I sent him all my love through the bond and eventually got a smile in response.

"He's weary of the fact that she has all six of us also," Khai continued, gesturing to the other vampires in the room excluding my Maker and Grandsire, "under her command."

"You make it sound like she can order you to do anything, like you're here progenies or something." I snorted, the idea of that was rather ridiculous.

"We are." Ari's voice met my eardrum, his tone utterly serious.

"That's not possible." Eric stated quickly, I could feel his confusion and curiosity in our bond and Godric must have felt it too as he spoke up, looking towards Oeri as he did so.

"Ata mentioned you switching the Maker of the young boy, Oscar, back when we were settling disputes. Is that how this happened?" he asked, genuinely curious about the answer. Both Eric and I lent forward, curious also. If word got out that anyone could become a vampires Maker our world would become an undead hell.

"Yes, it's similar to that. It's an ancient practice that very few know of. When vampire Makers are changed nearly all of the blood of the previous Maker is drained out before that of the new Makers is fed to the vampire undergoing the change. In our case, because of the difference in species, we had to have ¾ of our blood removed and replaced with Ata's. We still have the vampire blood in us, which keeps us in our undead state, but the fae blood overrules it and essentially makes Ata our Maker, especially considering the fact that she staked our real Makers." Oeri continued, flipping his hand as if the fact Ata murdered their real Makers was an everyday thing. I couldn't even imagine staking Eric, even on a really bad day when he was being a broody bastard. Kicking him in the groin with my 5" stilettos? Yes. Killing him however? No.

"You had your own Maker's murdered?" Eric's eyebrows shot up at the admission.

"Yes, we couldn't have them forcing us to hand Ata over to them. We promised her mother and father we would guard her until her death and, seeing as how she was going to outlive us, we had to find a way to keep our promise. I must admit, I wasn't overly keen on this state of being for the first century or so but its grown on me." Ari explained with a soft smile. Clearly being a vampire suited everyone in the room at that moment.

"That explains why you're so affectionate with one another…" my Grandsire mused aloud, he obviously hadn't liked the idea of the other males taking care of his twice bonded but if she was technically their Maker then their affection was well meant.

"Yes. Don't worry; we're not going to take her from you. If anything we want you to take her from us! Do you have any idea how boring shopping with a woman is every other night?" Khai pulled a face and I shot a glare at him, the whole room erupting into laughter.

"If there is one thing my Pamela does better than anyone else, it's shopping." Eric stated proudly and I couldn't help but let a smug smile rest upon my lips.

"Ah, well I'd like to see her take Ata on in a shopping spree. It's Ata's favourite pastime and if it were a sport then she'd have a black belt in it." Khai continued, shooting me a grin. Perhaps the older fairy wouldn't be so bad. She liked expensive things and could shop a lot; at least we had that in common.

"Back to the main point once more. Felipe was there and started trying it on with Ata, offering her a position as his royal consort. She refused him stating that Godric was her true mate and that she was more than happy with him. Felipe didn't seem too pleased with that. He informed her of some sort of party occurring on Friday and made it abundantly clear that those not in a position of power weren't allowed to attend, thus making it clear that Godric couldn't attend to watch over her." Ari steered the conversation back onto track, reiterating the dispute session I had clearly missed. At least the breather was loyal, that I couldn't fault her for. Sookie was loyal too, that I had to admit. Perhaps the two would be good for my Maker and Grandsire in the long run.

"So who's going with her? I'm in a position of power so I could attend." Eric offered.

"And that's the problem." Agmund stepped forward, obviously wanting his turn to speak. "You can't go. If someone there knows about Russell, or Compton, and is on their side then they could go back and tell them that you're here and that could open up a whole new can of worms. It's best if you and Miss Stackhouse keep a low profile for the next few days until we can completely determine who's behind the bombing downstairs. It's bad enough that Felipe knows Godric is here. Ari is really the only one who can go with her as he's her second in command." The blonde vampire turned to face the current leader of the nest who sat beside me.

"While I know I can take care of her I cannot do that and socialise so as not to appear that something is amiss. I'm going to speak with the King of California tomorrow night and see if he is attending and if so how many he has in his entourage. He's always been a fan of our Ata ever since she ousted his human companion as a gold-digger who was planning on staking him in his day rest and taking all his money, so I think he owes it to her to offer some protection for the night." Ari responded before turning to Godric. "If you agree, that is. She is your bonded and therefore you have just as much say in this as any of us."

My Grandsire's features lit up as he was being included and he gave a nod of consent. "I agree, though I also wish for her to be guarded by one of my close friends. She works for The Authority so it's safe to say that she's in a position of political power. Eric and I rescued her three hundred years ago in the Swiss Alps. She became trapped by a pack of wolves at the peak of the mountain and she had no means of escape, she was relatively young at the time so we flew in and saved her after hearing her cries for help. She's owed us a favour ever since and I think it might be time to call it in." My Grandsire stated with a pleased smile.

"Nora?' my Maker spoke quickly, Godric's nod of confirmation was just as quick. If I had of been human I wouldn't have heard the exchange, but thankfully vampire hearing and vision enabled me to notice every detail of the short conversation.

"What's going to happen downstairs? Will you rebuild the casino, lobby and drop-off zone? If so then I am more than willing to contribute financially." My Grandsire spoke up, offering his assistance. It didn't surprise me.

What did surprise me were my Makers next words. "I also offer financial assistance should it be needed." He added, offering a smile to Ari. Clearly my Maker had grown fond of Godric's bonded over the past day or so. What the heck was going on?

The vampire beside me seemed genuinely stunned by their offer. "I'll ring the insurance company before I die for the day and see what they have to say, I thank you for your offers however and will be sure to get back to you regarding them." He graciously responded.

"How are we doing on the security front, Agmund?" Riei turned his attention to the two vampires stood by the doors still.

"We'll double up the day security for Ata and Miss Stackhouse. We have the local Were pack on call and Ata is a friend of the pack so there shouldn't be a problem there. We'll also call in more vampires from the area for the night shifts, just to be on the safe side." Agmund efficiently responded. Clearly the organisational skills these men had was great. Perhaps I could convince them to help me out at Fangtasia when all was said and done. I could never get to grips with the staff schedules.

Speaking of Fangtasia. "I left Thalia in charge of the area, Eric. I know she's the equivalent of keeping a badly trained pit bull tethered in the yard but she's efficient and knows what she's doing. I've also asked Chow and Clancy to keep Fangtasia running during our absence so that no one will suspect on first glance that we aren't there." I informed him of my decisions. They had been last minute decisions and the three vampires were the only ones I trusted enough to leave Eric's little piece of Louisiana to for the time being.

"You did well my Childe, thank you." He praised me and I couldn't hide my smile. Urgh my emotions were all over the place recently, I was never this forthcoming with my feelings!

Khai rose from his seat, as did Oeri, "We'll go and check on the salvage work downstairs, see if any humans require our help or if any giant pieces of marble need chucking into the back of dump trucks. I hope you all rest well during the day and we'll see you at first dark." The two males bowed to us all before disappearing from sight.

Ari rose from his seat, stretching as he did so. He was quite an attractive male if I dared to say so. "Riei and I will get in contact with the insurance people, we have a rough idea of the cost of everything. I want work to start straight away in the morning. The last thing Ata needs is the mess downstairs and the closure of the casino denting our finances, especially with Felipe's ridiculous taxations." The older male sighed, shaking his head. Riei rose to his feet, taking my hand to place a kiss upon the back of it before disappearing off with Ari.

"Well, Ata certainly has very strict standards regarding her progenies. Notice they were all of similar height and build? The complete antithesis of you, Grandsire." I teased playfully.

With a role of his eyes, my Grandsire rose to his feet. "I'm going to retire for the evening, I understand the pair of you have some talking to do." He excused himself, slipping out of the door that led to the hallway.

Finally left alone with my Maker I dropped my gaze to the floor for a moment, unsure what to say. It wasn't like me to be left short of words but the last thing I wanted to do was to fuck this up. We'd been by one another's sides for over one hundred years. "How much damage did you do to my card?" Eric finally broke the silence, his tone light.

"I only bought two pairs of shoes, I paid for the rest on my own card." I responded truthfully, looking up at my Maker.

In an instant he was before me, cupping my face in his large hands. "You should have used my card for that, Pam. I wouldn't have minded, you know that." He reassured me gently, brushing his thumb across my cheekbone.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight; I would never hurt her because I know how much she means to you, I just wasn't willing to let you meet the true death because of her. I need you to stick around." I whispered, knowing that he would hear me. Apologies pained me. In my human years it was expected of a woman to be subservient and apologise for everything and I had gone against the grain. I'd looked up to women such as Miss Nell who had chained herself to the railings of Downing Street in 1908 in an attempt to earn equal rights for women and I had supported Emmiline Pankhurst as she staged protests for equal treatment. In a way I suppose it was one of the reasons Eric chose to turn me. I was rebellious, but loyal.

"I know, my Childe. As I said in my letter to you it was a rash decision. I **will** die for her however Pamela, if I must, but I do hope it never comes to that." He informed me and I couldn't help but feel saddened at the news. "I would never truly leave you though, you must remember that. Tell me, why aren't you a fan of my bonded?" he asked me gently. It was a rare thing for Eric to ask questions regarding my feelings or emotions. Usually his high-handed nature meant he did whatever the hell he wanted and didn't consider my feelings, believing that a few new pairs of shoes would calm me down later. Usually it worked.

"You've changed since she walked into the bar. We travelled the world together, killin' and fuckin' and laughin', you use to take women into the office and see to your needs but the moment you saw her all that changed. All of a sudden you had morals and your emotions started coming back to you." I explained, knowing I wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"You don't like that I've changed." He stated.

Giving a small nod I couldn't stop myself from meeting his eyes, the cerulean orbs that had kept me grounded for the past one hundred years, the cerulean orbs that belonged to the one person who had freed me from a life of servitude and extreme obedience, who had given me a second chance at life.

"I've changed for the better, Pam." He reassured me softly, slowly taking a seat beside me and pulling me into an embrace. "I still do all of those three things, but now I have a reason for them. I will kill to keep you and Sookie safe, I'm only ever going to take my bonded to my bed with me and I can still laugh y'know. I'm not completely devoid of emotions." He chuckled as if to make his point and I could feel his chest vibrate underneath my cheek. It was comforting.

Brushing my hair in methodical strokes, he continued on. "I'm sorry too for the way I handled the situation, it was cruel of me to say such a thing to you when you've been nothing but loyal to me." He dropped a kiss to the top of my head after his apology.

"I said I wouldn't complete the third bond with Sookie until you and her have settled your differences, but I want you to know that I will be completing the bond with her some time in the future anyway because I love her. I just want you to feel a part of this as it will affect you. I don't want you to think I'm abandoning you because I'm not. You are my greatest creation and the best choice I have ever made. Never forget that." His words rang in my eardrums and I couldn't stop the red tears from welling up in my eyes. "I don't say it enough but I appreciate you, and I love you. I love Sookie too, but that will never negate how much you mean to me." He pressed another kiss to the top of my head and I couldn't stop a tear from slipping down my cheek. He was the only person I would ever allow to see me cry, I'd glamoured Ginger into forgetting my little sob in Eric's office after he threatened me.

"You make me very proud, Pam. Go and unpack, dawn is approaching. I'll see you at nightfall." He whispered to me, helping me up to my feet before pulling me into his embrace once more, holding me for a minute or so as I wiped at my eyes before sending me off on my way.

"Eric," I paused at the door, turning to my Maker. He looked up at me, a smile playing on his lips. "I didn't cry okay, I just had something in my eye." I lied, hoping he wouldn't tell anyone about my few tears.

His face suddenly became very serious, "Oh of course not, my Childe. You never cry. Did you get whatever it was out of your eye?" he played along, suppressing his smile.

I could never stay mad at him, not after everything he had ever done for me. Nodding my head in silent thanks I trotted into my room, shutting the door behind me. Wiping my eyes once again, I moved over to my trunks, opening them and starting to unpack the clothes and other items I had bought with me. My fingers paused over Sookie's dress and I felt a little guilty for the way I had thought and spoken about her. She might not exactly be the best breather in the whole world but my Maker loved her, that much was evident, and if she made him happy then that would be enough. Tomorrow I would go and grovel to her. This Ata was another thing entirely though, I had a feeling she wouldn't be as easily swayed. Perhaps a conversation with my Grandsire would help me come up with a way to deal with her and win her over. Never in my undead life did I think I would need to be in the good books of two breathers.

With all of my things packed away I pulled on the pretty purple La Perla nightie Eric had bought me for my birthday last year. Using a make-up wipe to remove my cosmetics and the blood tracks down my cheeks before slipping in under the Egyptian cotton sheets. I had to suppress a laugh at the irony. Falling into downtime I allowed my brain to process everything that had happened in the past forty-eight hours. Finally, an hour later, the sun claimed me for the day.

* * *

**A/N**

**"Quid in infernum?" (Latin) - What the hell?**

**"Irrumabo, Ata!" (Latin) - Fuck, Ata!**

**"Jag vet att du" (Swedish) - I know you**

**"Ja, jag gjorde undrar hur lång tid det skulle ta dig att komma ihåg. Den har varit ganska lång tid. Jag har en känsla av att vi kanske måste slåss bredvid varandra en gang mer" (Swedish) - Yes, I did wonder how long it would take you to remember. It has been quite some time. I have a feeling that maybe we have to fight side by side once more**


	31. Beautiful Messed Up World

**A/N I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE TODAY. OMG. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I'm off to Uni in three months, that's so scary!**

**Ohhh, did anyone see the photos from the season five premiere! ASkars was as beautiful as always! My favourite thing about the night though? ALLAN HYDE WAS THERE! I was fangirling so much when I saw the photos! I watched a video of his arrival, he's so lovely! Talented, beautiful and lovely - he's like, the perfect man. Anyway, anyone else who managed to see the photos, don't you think that ASkars and Allan could pass for brothers now that Allan's hair looks a little lighter?...**

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_Oh, people say, people say that the world is so cruel but I just don't buy it  
There's in beauty in everything life throws at you if you're looking for the truth  
I'm tired of all this pain and negativity, I know it's tough for us all  
There ain't no guarantees but I'm dumb enough to dream, whether I wake with a smile or a scream  
Life's like music, I won't turn it down, gotta live it loud and love's a groove that keeps us spinning round  
In this beautiful messed up world, in this beautiful, in this beautiful messed up world  
In this beautiful messed up world, in this beautiful, in this beautiful messed up world  
Keep your head in the sky and your feet on the ground, let your voice become part of the sound  
So be right, so be wrong, be whatever you are, in this beautiful messed up world  
~ Beautiful Messed Up World, Anastasia_

The room was pitch black; the light tight shutters having closed over a couple of minutes before sunrise in order to protect my ancient vampire. Slowly I opened my eyes, instantly greeted with the sight of my vampire's glorious chest. He may have been young when he'd been turned but he was still exceptionally beautiful in my eyes. My eyes felt puffy and I could tell immediately that they would be bloodshot and sore for the rest of the day. Under one of my arms, clutched in my hand, I had one of the teddy bears Godric had won for me the night before. I hadn't slept with a teddy bear in over 2000 years.

Reaching my free hand upwards, I traced the blue ink around my loves chest and neck area, relishing in the comfort his physical presence granted me. One of his arms was thrown over my waist, keeping me close to his body; the other arm was under the pillow we shared. He didn't have to worry about me cutting off his circulation. In his day rest he reminded me so much of his human self, his boyish features completely relaxed and his wise yet pale blue eyes shielded from the world.

"You're awake." The whisper behind me drew my attention away from Godric. Turning over slowly and wriggling slightly under Godric's arm, my blue eyes found those of my cousins. There was little space between us as Eric had taken up the space behind her. The two vampires were effectively shielding us, protecting us, even in their day rest.

"How long have you been awake?" I whispered back in response, my throat felt like sandpaper and my voice was husky.

"About fifteen minutes." She continued on in a whisper. Both of us were well aware of the fact that nothing would wake our vampires during the day, but we still liked to treat them as if they were human by whispering around them and not turning the lights on. Silence consumed the pair of us and my thoughts wandered away from me, away from the current moment and to the events of last night. The mental pictures of my beautiful casino in ruins, damaged, people screaming for help, all of it came back to me. Screwing my eyes shut, a strangled cry slipped from between my lips.

I felt Sookie's hand on my bare arm, rubbing it in a soothing gesture. "Come on, it's a new day, we'll sort this out and make it better again. You could even get rid of all that marble you hate so much." She teased, causing me to laugh a little. Maybe it was time to give the lobby and casino a makeover after all. We hadn't changed either of the rooms since we had built the place in 1962.

"You're right." I agreed quietly, moving my hands to Godric's arm, which I gently shifted off of me. He was a dead weight when he was asleep, just like every other vampire out there. Shuffling out of his grasp, I slid out of bed, leaving my teddy behind as I moved over towards the bathroom in order to clean myself up. Sookie was hot on my heels and as neither of us had our shields up yet I knew she wanted to be there to support me should I have a mini breakdown.

Turning on the shower to allow the water a minute to warm up I steeled myself for the next part of my morning ritual. Spinning on the spot I allowed myself to face the mirror and immediately regretted it. My eyes were red and puffy, my skin blotchy from the salt in my tears, the mascara I'd forgotten to wipe off last night had run down my face in several black streams and the shine my blue eyes usual had was long gone. My blonde hair was also a wild mess from sleeping on it whilst it was still damp.

Sighing, Sookie appeared at my side, a small smile on her features as she once again rubbed my arm in a soothing gesture.

Stripping out of my PJ's I moved back to the shower. After 2000 years on this planet a lot of my inhibitions had vanished and nudity no longer bothered me, not that it bothered most fae in general anyway. A lot of Supes had a different approach and feelings towards nudity and sex. It's natural, it's nature, and the human body is something to be admired and shown off, not hidden.

Stepping into the shower, I allowed the hot water to wash over my body, to eradicate the events of the previous day once more and to try and tame my wild mane.

"Ata, you have a note here." Sookie's voice floated over the sound of the spray.

"Can you read it to me, please?" I asked her, raising my voice a little so it could be heard over the water.

"_My sweet,_

_You have no idea how horrible I feel knowing that I cannot be with you when you wake for the day, but I want you to know that although physically I am not with you the whole time, mentally and emotionally I am._

_Please eat something today, I know how stressful last night was for you and all you had to eat at the fair was one of those cotton candy sticks. I don't wish for you to become sick, even though I would have no qualms about nursing you back to health._

_As soon as sunset is upon us I will come and find you and shower you with kisses and cuddles, take it easy my darling and remember that I love you so very much._

_Yours eternally_

_~ G xxx"_

I was grateful for the sound of the running water; it covered up the sound of my tears. My beautiful vampire had worried about me, worried about my health and had told me that he loved me. I'd never woken to a sweet note before and the fact he took the time to write one and place it in a location why I would not miss it spoke volumes about his level of care. Taking a minute to compose myself I made quick work of washing before turning the water off and stepping out.

Grabbing a fluffy towel I wrapped myself up, looking at the note that Godric had left for me, which was placed on the side of the sink. In Sookie's hands was another note; one I assumed was from Eric and therefore none of my business. Picking up my note from my vampire I moved out of the bathroom to allow Sookie the privacy to bathe alone. Last night she had joined me in the shower for comfort more than anything, but she had kept her bra and panties on as she had felt uncomfortable removing them.

Putting the bedside lamp on, I shuffled into the wardrobe, grabbing a pair of panties and my sports bra, both of which I pulled both on not caring that they didn't match. Chucking on my favourite pair of Abercrombie and Fitch jogging pants I grabbed one of Godric's shirts from a hanger and threw that on also.

As I emerged from the wardrobe, Sookie stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped up in her own towel. "Help yourself to my clothes." I offered her, moving to wooden box in my room. Opening it, I placed my first note from my vampire in there for safekeeping. All of my memories were contained in that box, all of my favourite things in the world, even my old diary. It was my history, and I allowed very few people to peak inside the box.

As Sookie dressed herself I crossed back to my bed, observing both vampires as they slept. I could see why my cousin had fallen for the Viking, last night he had been kind enough to return my well-meant goodnight gesture. I hadn't done that since my human years, it had been my special goodnight to my mother and to my two guards - Ari and Khai. I could see the love he held for my cousin and the way I often caught him thinking about her always managed to make me smile. To him she was the light, she was everything good and pure and on occasion, over the past forty-eight hours, I had caught him wondering what he had done to deserve her. I suppose it helped that he was physically attractive too. There was no use in denying it, and I'm sure my cousin loved it, but he wasn't my type anyway. My type was his antithesis, whom just so happened to be slumbering in the bed too.

Looking at my vampire I couldn't help but smile, 2000 years of separation and now we'd found one another, our love for one another was still strong. I couldn't bear to think about the first thousand years of his life which he'd spent all alone, without Eric there for companionship. It had to have been lonely for him. Reaching out I brushed his bangs away from his eyes, his boyish features illuminated by the soft glow of the bedside lamp. Leaning down I pressed a light kiss to the corner of his lips, nuzzling my nose against his. "I love you too, never forget that." I whispered in his ear, dropping a kiss on his shoulder blade. Pulling the sheet up, I covered my vampire up to his chest. The sheet wouldn't offer him any warmth but I liked that it made him appear more human. I would never change his state of being for the world, but there was nothing wrong with thinking of him as human every now and then.

Rising from my spot on the bed I moved to the other side, sitting beside Eric. "Thank you for taking care of my cousin, God knows she probably wouldn't be around anymore if it weren't for you." I thanked him quietly, leaning down to drop a motherly kiss to his temple before pulling the sheet up around him too.

"Shall we go and get breakfast?" Sookie's voice broke the silence as she emerged from the wardrobe. Giving a nod, I rose from my seat on the bed, crossing the room to Sookie who offered me her hand. Taking it, we left the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind us to offer some protection to our vampires.

Padding down the hallway, Sookie opened the door to the kitchen before we both stepped into the room. Flo had already arrived for the day and was busy cooking breakfast for us. Upon seeing me however she stopped what she was doing, rushing over and collecting me in her arms, causing me to let go of Sookie's hand. "Oh my dear girl! I am so pleased you are okay! I was so worried about you when I heard about it on the news!" she pulled back, grabbing my face in her hands. "You are a little bit of a mess sweetie pie, but once we get some food in your system you'll be on the road to recovery." She patted my cheek affectionately, leading me to a barstool.

Flo returned to Sookie, embracing my cousin too. "I'm glad you weren't in that nasty explosion either Miss Stackhouse, Ata needs you around!" she gave her a warm smile, moving her over to the seat next to me.

"Ari and Khai left you notes this morning Ata, and someone delivered you a beautiful bunch of red roses earlier!" Flo gushed, gesturing to the formal dinner table. Turning around I looked over my shoulder, a huge vase full of red roses sat in the middle of the table, all of them studded with what looked like Swarovski crystals. Flo slid two folded pieces of paper across the bar to me. Turning my attention back to the pieces of paper I opened the first one, the scribbled writing on the front informing me that this one was from Khai. It seemed like it was my day for getting notes.

_Ata,_

_I hope you are well this morning, please spend the day relaxing and do not worry about last nights events, the boys and I will deal with all of that when we rise._

_After you retired for the evening Oeri and I returned downstairs in order to help the clean-up crew. We have been able to shift a considerable amount of marble off of the premises however there are a few more chunks that we will have to deal with when the sun sets this evening. Only having limited hours to work with was somewhat of a nuisance last night. The lobby has been cleared yet the casino has been blocked off, as it is still a little bit of a mess. The structure of the building is fine and residents have been allowed back to their rooms but unfortunately many checked out early this morning as they were worried there would be another bombing._

_On a brighter note, I'm pleased to say we managed to free all of the humans and have had no fatalities. There are a few who are in a serious yet stable condition at Sunrise Hospital – yes I am aware of the irony – and I have instructed our day man to take flowers to each of them and offer to pay all of their medical bills. The last thing we need is for people to start thinking we are neglecting those who were hurt._

_Eternal love,_

_~ K xoxo_

I couldn't help but laugh at Khai's 'xoxo'; he'd watched Gossip Girl with me far too many times. There was no use in denying the fact that I was upset about most of my customers checking out, but then I couldn't exactly blame them. If I were in their shoes I would've checked out also. It would mean a drop in revenue for a short time however; maybe I'd have to dip into my personal funds to ensure the finances remain stable. The thought alone caused me to groan internally.

At least no one was dead though, that had to be a bonus.

Flo placed two plates down, both of which contained waffles, bacon, eggs and sausages. "No one died last night, thankfully." I sighed, passing the letter along to Sookie who took it gently, letting her eyes scan over the page as I picked up the second letter. Flo was busy pouring both Sookie and I an orange juice. The elegant script on the front gave away that this letter was from Ari, he'd taken calligraphy classes over the years so whenever anything had to be handwritten he would be able to make a strong first impression.

_Amisi,_

_I hope you feel better this morning, I recommend that have a large breakfast, top up your tan, watch a movie, do whatever makes you happy. However please, please, take your guards with you wherever you go. I'm worried about your safety and that of Miss Stackhouses'. It might be useful for both your cousin and yourself to carry on training, just to be on the safe side._

_Riei and I got in contact with our insurance providers earlier this morning and they're sending over the first round of repairmen this morning in order to start work on the lobby. I've had our day man give them a list of the items that were damaged yet they will most likely want to speak with you in order to discuss renovations and decorations. I have told them to follow your instructions to the 'T' or I will see to it that they won't wake up one morning – I know you disapprove but I do not want them to cause you any stress._

_I'm sure Khai has already informed you that the structure of the building is in perfect condition; the damage done is purely cosmetic. You'll do anything to get rid of the marble eh?_

_Khai, Egor and Agmund will clear out the casino this evening and then we can start working in there too. Thankfully we have just paid Felipe last month's taxations so we have another month to sort things out and start pulling in some more money to pay his ridiculous fees._

_It may also interest you to know that the Were who set off the bombs is detained in the basement. Godric threw him into a cell last night and I've had members of the local pack guarding him while you've slept. I wouldn't ask this of you if I could help it, but I'd like for you and your cousin to go down and ask him a few questions, see what you can get out of his mind. We need to know who sent him so that we can hunt them down and stake them. I've doubled the daytime security for both you and your cousin, please don't throw out about it._

_Anyway the sun is about to rise, so I will see you later._

_Eternal love,_

_~ A xx_

Sighing once again, I passed the note along to Sookie so she could read it as I pulled my plate of breakfast towards me, tucking straight into the delicious meal. I was utterly famished.

"At least your boys have sorted nearly everything out for you." Sookie offered gently, placing the second note down once she'd read it before tucking into her own meal.

"I guess. I'd like to go down and give the Were a piece of my mind after we've spoken to the repair men. While I'm interrogating him, could you dip into his thoughts for me please? I'm afraid I'll be too engrossed in giving him a piece of my mind to be able to focus on listening in." I explained, popping a piece of bacon into my mouth.

"Mhm." Sookie agreed through her mouthful of food. At least we might be able to get some information out of him.

We continued our meal in companionable silence and both finished at the same time, draining our glasses of orange juice before rising to our feet. Flo would clear the dishes away for us. Crossing to the roses I plucked the note out from the small holder embedded within the bouquet. Tearing the envelope open I read the message.

_Miss Caesar,_

_I am deeply saddened to hear about the horrendous events of last night and the damage done to your home and business. I hope that the damage done can be repaired quickly and cause you little stress. If there is anything I can help you with, be it financially or emotionally, then please do not hesitate to contact me. You know I am always here for you, even in this difficult time._

_~ Felipe_

My anger flared to life and I threw the small card down onto the table before letting out a scream of frustration. How dare he try to use the damage done to my hotel as a method of coercing me to accept his offer! I couldn't wait for the day someone would manage to stake him.

Sookie plucked the card from the table, her eyes scanning the words before she looked to me with a curious expression. "The vampire King of Nevada?" she inquired. With a sigh I nodded, pinching the bridge of my nose with my left hand. Grabbing Sookie's wrist with my right hand I let my left hand fall back to my side. I allowed my cousin to see my disputes session the night before through our touch - touch heightened a fae's ability to share memories and thoughts. The memory filled her in on everything that had transpired. "He's playing with fire if he thinks you'll be his, Godric would probably stake him if he even attempted to take you. I've seen the way Godric looks at you, I can tell he'd kill to keep you safe." My cousin commented. I couldn't stop the smile from crossing my lips as I agreed completely with her words, my vampire was indeed possessive.

The sound of the elevator doors opening drew my attention and my four daytime guards stepped out, another four following closely behind. Ari wasn't joking when he said he'd doubled my daytime security. "Good morning boys." I greeted them politely, all of them nodding their head in greeting. "Are the repairmen here yet?" I asked, not minding which of them answered.

A rather built, dark haired man stepped forward. "The repairmen are downstairs awaiting instructions from you, ma'am." He informed me. I cringed internally at his form of address, while it was polite there was no denying the fact it made me feel my age.

"Thank you, sweetie." I responded, adding a term of endearment onto the end of my sentence in a hope it would show that we were all friends here and that there was no need for him to address me so formally. "You ready to go, Sook?" I asked my cousin, turning to look at her over my shoulder. With a nod she moved to my side and the pair of us entered the lift, the eight guards close on our heels.

As we travelled down, I steeled myself for the sight of my lobby. Stepping out on the ground floor I took a deep breath before looking around. All of the marble pieces that had littered the floor and every other surface the night before were gone, the floor had been scrubbed and the statue in the middle of the room that had been destroyed had been removed completely. There were still huge chunks missing out of the walls and ceilings but my boys had covered them with tarpaulin so I wouldn't have to look at them. They had also boarded up the windows and doors, they would no doubt end up being the last thing to be repaired, the large spaces left behind would be needed to get building materials into the lobby and casino.

There were a few people milling around the lobby and several members of the press were out front being held back by members of the local Were pack. I didn't want the press getting photos of the interior of my ruined business just yet. Among the people milling around were several repairmen, distinguishable by their work belts and plaid shirts. What was it with men and plaid shirts?

A rather large bald man came dashing over to us the moment he saw us, sweat covering his brow and a large folder clutched in his huge, grubby hands. "Miss Caesar, it is a pleasure to meet you! My name is Tim and I'll be in charge of the repairs and renovations here. We were wondering if you could please spare us a few minutes of your time to go over some plans and ideas for the new designs for the lobby and the casino. Mr. Seti-Nekht informed us that the drop-off zone should be rebuilt to the specifications it was originally built to. Is that to your liking Miss?" he asked, wiping his brow with his free hand. I had to resist the urge to gag as his sweat was smeared over his forehead.

"It's nice to meet you Tim, I'd be more than willing to spend a few minutes going over plans and ideas with you. While the original plans for the drop-off zone were brilliant at the time, the renovation of that area will largely depend on what we decide is best for the lobby." I explained, not wanting Tim and his team to go barging in and agree to everything Ari said. While my guardian had helped finance the hotel originally, he had told me all of the detail and decoration was my area.

"Is there anywhere we can go to discuss the renovations, Miss?" Tim asked me. Nodding my head I gestured in the direction of my favourite bar within the complex, Cleopatra's Barge. The bar wasn't open for business at this time in the morning however the manager had no qualms in letting Sookie, Tim, the guards and myself in. Taking a seat on a barstool, Sookie sat to my left and Tim took the seat to my right. The eight guards took positions around the room, always maintaining a visual on Sookie and myself. I had designed this bar to best replicate my homeland. In the centre of the room was a replica of a barge, on this barge sat numerous amounts of tables and chairs, allowing guests to sit, chat and drink. In the middle of the barge sat a huge DJ deck and a large dance floor, encouraging those sitting to get up and dance. The bar was located off of the barge, on one side of the room, and numerous tables and chairs decorated this area also. The other side of the room was another dance floor, designed just in case the club became busy. It was busy almost every night.

I had painted the room in an earthy yellow colour, dotted statues of my Gods around and even painted hieroglyphics onto the walls. To the customer these markings would just look like they were there for fun, random markings even, but I had chosen them carefully, all of them were wishes for this place. Good fortune, good health, to have fun, everything I could possibly wish upon my guests.

Tim spread out a bunch of plans on the bar surface, all of which described the size of the lobby, the location of certain objects such as the check-in desks and even lists of the previous materials used. "What kind of thing were you looking to do with the space, Miss Caesar?"

Three hours later and after several shots of vodka for myself, and several gin and tonics for my cousin, we said goodbye to Tim, the guards escorting him out of the club. "I don't think I can handle seeing the Were yet, perhaps we could get some of your training in?" I offered, turning to look at my cousin as the manager took our empty glasses away. I had made sure that the quantity of gin in each of her drinks had been rather low in order to keep her brain clear. I couldn't say the same about myself, yet over the years I had become somewhat immune to the effects of alcohol.

"That sounds like a good idea, we still have the three other types of light to work with, toppling large objects, attacking and healing. I think we should start with toppling large objects this afternoon." She agreed, sliding from the barstool and onto her feet. I did the same and I could see that I was a lot more stable on my feet than she was. I'd only given her a little alcohol so that she would still be able to work during training. The pair of us made our way out of the bar, our guards close behind us. Taking the elevator back up to the penthouse we ventured into the living room where I once again moved a book from the bookshelf, revealing the passageway to my training room. The pair of us entered into the large space quietly, leaving the guards in the living room to watch the entrance.

"Okay, we're going to start with simple objects to topple, such as wooden and metal crates" I explained, crossing the room. Grabbing a panel on the wall I heaved it backwards to reveal a medium sized storage room, I kept all of my training equipment there. With 2000-year-old vampire blood circulating through my veins, it took little effort to set everything up. I started with small towers of two, both wooden crates and metal ones. I also set up a few towers of three and even some of four just incase Sookie managed to get the hang of her power quickly. Making a pit stop at the boom box I hit play, the sound of Set Fire to the Rain by Adele sounding out around the room.

"Right, I want you to place your right hand on the bottom box, imagine yourself toppling it, feel the energy flowing around you and then give it a light shove." I instructed her, watching as Sookie moved towards the wooden crates. I could see the apprehension on her features.

"I know you can do it, you did it when the maenad took over your home." I pointed out, having found that memory inside of her head on the first night. It was amazing how quickly you could learn about someone's life when you had free access to his or her memories and thoughts.

"What if I shove too hard though? Won't the boxes shatter or dent the floor or something?" She voiced her concern, looking over to me as she nibbled on her lower lip nervously.

"If it shatters I'll get someone to clean it up, and if it dents the floor then we'll replace the battered panels. This floor has been replaced so many times, don't worry about it." I wafted my hand through the air nonchalantly. Sookie's powers were more important than my floor.

We stood in silence for a moment, Sookie's eyelids fluttering shut. I could see her drawing in a deep breath and then screwing her eyes tightly together as she concentrated. Within seconds the wooden crates had toppled, landing on the floor and splitting into several pieces. Sookie's small shriek caused me to laugh. "You did it, well done! Don't worry about the mess, just focus on the fact you did it." I beamed at her, wanting to help her build up her confidence in herself.

"I didn't shove too hard did I?" she seemed genuinely worried though I couldn't understand why.

"You could never shove too hard. If something needs moving then the more you can shove with your mind and your hands then the better." I reassured her. "Metal boxes next yes?" I moved across to the metal crates, knowing they would be a little harder to topple than the wooden ones.

"Is this how you pinned Pam down last night?" Sookie questioned, pausing in her actions to look over at me.

With a sheepish smile I nodded, biting my lower lip gently. "Think I overstepped the mark?"

"Nah, she needed it, but an angry Pam ain't a pretty one so perhaps you could try and be nice to her this evening?" Sookie shrugged, returning her attention to the metal boxes.

Snorting, I shook my head. "I refuse to play nice with the woman who detests you, Sookie, especially when said woman tried to blow you up." I hissed, feeling my blood boil as the memory that I had captured from Sookie's mind flickered into my thoughts.

Grimacing, Sookie didn't reply to my comment, instead she focused her attention on the metal box and within seconds the two boxes toppled to the ground, crashing against the wooden flooring. "Well done! Now onto three." I informed her, steering her in the direction of the three wooden crates I had piled on top of one another.

"How come I wasn't this powerful before I came to Vegas?" My cousin inquired as she placed her hand against one of the wooden boxes.

"When those who aren't full fae are surrounded by those of their bloodline their powers increase. They become even more powerful and start to smell, taste and look more like full-blooded fae. In Feary lots of our kind live together, almost like vampire nests, as it creates a mass of energy that they can feed off of and increase their power. Few of us on the human plane associate with one another due to the changes such association brings around. While our powers increasing would be useful, the increase in smell, taste and appearance would bring us to the attention of the other Supes here, including the vampires, and the more attention the vampires give us the quicker our numbers will dwindle. As our taste becomes stronger so does the potency of our blood, and you've witnessed first hand what happens when a vampire losses control." I sighed, silently mourning for Claudine.

"How much would my power increase just being around you?" Sookie asked, closing her eyes as she focused on the boxes.

"I haven't a clue, but it'll probably be a fair amount given that I've had 2000 years to perfect my powers, plus the addition of Eric's blood in your system." I explained, watching as Sookie focused on the boxes. I could feel the energy in the room swirling around her and I could feel her moulding it, shaping it to use against the boxes. I held my breath, however after a few minutes nothing had happened and Sookie's eyelids snapped back, frustration evident on her features.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, cousin. Give yourself some time, you've already achieved far more than most hybrids do in their entire lifetime." I reassured her gently, giving her arm a soothing rub; similar to the type she had given me earlier in the day.

"Why didn't it work?" she pouted, clearly upset with herself.

"You're moving a larger and heavier object, it requires you to call upon your spark more and access the masses of power it can give you. It isn't an easy process, but I believe you can do it. Plus you've had a few drinks." I gave her a reassuring smile before adding a playful wink. Nothing like alcohol to muddle the mind.

Glancing to the clock, I worked out how long it would be until sunset. "We have around an hour and a half left until sunset, Sook. Why don't we take a break for a while? If you have any questions regarding any Supes or your training or whatever I could try and answer them for you?" I offered, remembering how curious I'd been when I had first learnt of my powers. Unfortunately I hadn't been able to turn to anyone and had therefore had to learn everything myself. It had been a long and tiring process but my boys had supported me throughout, now it was time for me to offer that support to my cousin.


	32. Now That I Found You

**A/N Some interesting information in this chapter for ya! :)**

**Also, is it just me or did anyone else think ASkars covered in cement in the Season 3 finale was super duper hot? You know the man is a dreamboat when he can make you want to fuck him while he's covered in icky cement and wearing a tracksuit with flip flops...**

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_How can I believe that my heart would find someone like you, you see me, the real me, no in betweens  
I had nowhere to hide, you took away the walls around me, made me feel safe to share my truth, I see the heavens open  
A heart that once was broken is holding nothing back, now that I found you, you hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere  
A lifetime just ain't enough to love you true, now that I found you, now that I found you I do believe we're meant to be  
Our chemistry will last forever and through the years we'll see some tears, we'll conquer fears and together we will grow  
Looking in your eyes they tell me I no longer have to feel alone  
~ Now That I Found You, Terri Clark_

I couldn't help but feel dejected about the fact I was unable to harness my powers as quickly as I wanted to, that I wasn't able to topple over the wooden crate tower. Ata's words soothed me a little but I was still annoyed with myself. Sighing heavily, I agreed with Ata's suggestion.

"It's private up here, so we'll discuss everything in this room." She informed me, moving across to the boom box. Ata turned the volume down a little before disappearing into the room she had retrieved the crates from. She emerged holding two bottles of cold water, one of which she handed to me before she sat on the floor in the centre of the room.

Sitting down opposite her, I twisted the cap off of the bottle before downing half of it in one go. It wasn't particularly ladylike, and Gran would no doubt be ashamed, but the alcohol from earlier had dried out my throat and I was in need of relief. Ata followed suite before placing the cap back on her bottle and placing it on the ground beside her.

"So, fire away." She started.

Falling into silence for a moment, I pursed my lips together as I contemplated the first thing I wanted to ask her. "Can you explain blood bonds and blood ties to me, please?" I asked, wanting to have answers. I'd always wondered what exactly the difference was, given the very little information Eric had given me the night he had turned up on my porch covered in cement after Bill's failed attempt to silence him.

"Okay. A blood tie is created when a vampire feeds a human copious amounts of their blood. It allows them to control the emotional reactions of said human and can make them more pliable. The vampire can also feel the humans emotions and track their location." My cousin explained.

"Wait, you're saying the vampire can manipulate feelings?" I asked in shock, feeling my ire rising by the second. Bill had fed me a large amount of his blood the second night I'd met him and had been feeding me large quantities throughout our entire 'relationship.'

"No no! They can only work with feelings that are already there! Say for example you're curious and attracted to the vampire, they can amplify these feelings, making you want to know more about their kind or potentially fall in love with that vampire." She corrected, though it did nothing for my anger.

"But that's like manipulation!" I protested

"It's not manipulation, it's similar but it isn't manipulation. They play on feelings that would have evolved naturally over time. They simply speed up the process. So, rather than it taking three months for the human to fall in love with the vampire, they can bring it down to three days." She explained in more detail.

"Bill fed me loads of his blood throughout our 'relationship', on the second day I knew him I was nearly beaten to death while waiting for him to meet me after work. He fed me loads of his blood. Turns out the Queen of Louisiana wanted me as her pet and it was his job to take me to her, so he tied himself to me." I stated miserably. "He would take my blood too though, how come we never formed a bond?"

"I know, Cousin. You forget that I saw it in your mind the night I met you. I'm glad you've left him behind and now have Eric. Even though his method of getting his blood into you was less than pure, it did the intended job. It booted Bill's blood down a few notches and allowed you some more of your freedom back. I think that's why you went up onto the roof to save my Godric, because he meant a lot to your Eric and you couldn't stand to see someone end his or her own life, regardless of their past. By kicked Bill's blood down a notch or two you were able to return to your former self, the concerned and caring woman." Ata smiled and I could see the gratefulness in her eyes.

"While Eric wanted his blood in your system for a more selfish reason, in the sense that he wanted you to be his, he was actually doing you a favour and it only made him care for you more. His little plan backfired on him." Ata shook her head, chuckling quietly. "You never formed a bond with Bill because you didn't take blood at the exact same moment. You have to take one another's blood at the exact same time for a bond to be formed and that never happened in your 'relationship' with Bill." She went on to explain. Her explanation didn't add up though.

"Eric and I formed the first bond during his amnesia, but we didn't feed from one another at the same time, so how does that work?" I frowned, not entirely understanding it.

The indulgent smile on Ata's features told me she would enjoy explaining this to me. "Eric is over 1000 years old, so his blood is incredibly strong. There was about a thirty-second gap from the moment he finished feeding on you and the moment when you started to feed from him. Due to the extreme potency of his blood, combined with the slight potency of yours, there was no need for you to be taking from one another at the exact same moment." Ata informed me, causing me to grin. At least I hadn't formed a bond with Bill, now I was grateful he was so young in terms of vampire years!

"Is there only the bond between a vampire and a human?" I inquired, finding myself curious about bonds even more.

"No." Ata shook her head. "There are three different kinds of vampire bonds. There's the Maker-Childe bond, similar to the connection Godric and Eric have, the one Eric and Pam have, and the one I have with my boys." She started to explain, but I held my hand up for her to stop.

"How can you be the Maker of those six vampires if you're fae?" I asked, both in surprise and shock. Surely that wasn't possible?

"It's an ancient practice that very few know of, Oeri learnt about it a couple of hundred years after he was turned. When vampire Makers are changed nearly all of the blood of the previous Maker is drained out before that of the new Makers is fed to the vampire undergoing the change. In the case of my boys, because of the difference in species, they had to have ¾ of their blood removed and replaced with mine. They still have the vampire blood in them, which keeps them in their undead state, but the fae blood overrules it and essentially makes me their Maker, especially considering the fact I staked their real Makers." Ata stated nonchalantly.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with that information, I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to know the rest of it so I allowed that area of the conversation to be dropped. I was curious as to whether Eric knew, or even Godric. Such an action probably wasn't common knowledge; I could only imagine the chaos it would cause should humans learn they could become Makers. "What are the other two bonds?" I asked, moving the conversation along.

"The second type of bond is a marital one, it's only practiced between two or more vampires and is usually only brought into play when vampire monarchs want a larger area and more power. It's a contract of sorts. It lasts for one hundred years. Usually the bond involves limited physical contact and limited exposure to one another. Vampires are notoriously known to grow tired of one another if they are in each other's company all the time, unless of course they are from the same bloodline. Usually the monarchs only see one another yearly, and this is to discuss the goings on in their states. A contract is drawn up between the monarchs stating what is acceptable and what isn't, it can be petty things such as touching or more concrete things such as money. There was a case once where one monarch told the other he had to have sex with her at least six times per visit in order for the visit to be successful." Ata snorted, shaking her head. "The bond is created without physical contact. The blood of one of the monarchs is taken and placed in a sacred goblet, the blood of the other monarch, or monarchs, involved, are placed in the goblet too. The bloods are mixed together, some ancient words are spoken, and then the monarchs involved take a sip from the goblet. They ingest some of the other vampire's blood but it's not enough to form a strong bond, the weak bond they do create ends in one hundred years, thus ending the marriage." She concluded.

For a moment I was silent as I absorbed her words until finally I felt like I understood them. Giving a nod of encouragement, Ata continued for me. "The final bond is the one the both of us share with our vampires, these bonds are incredibly rare due to the traits of them. Vampires hate others knowing their secrets or how they're feeling. Their naturally selfish and possessive, which makes the kind of bond we have with them special. The first bond allows the vampire a wider scope of emotions when feeling the human and also allows them to track them, just like the tie. The human also starts to feel the vampire's stronger emotions. However, the first bond also increases the attraction between the pair, encouraging them to complete the second bond." Ata continued on.

"The second bond allows both human and vampire to experience the same level of emotional understanding as far as feelings go, it evens them out. The human can also start to track the vampire; this is why this sort of bond is so rare as vampires hate people keeping tabs on them. The third bond cements the commitment to one another; it binds their souls together for eternity. It's effectively marriage between the human and the vampire in the vampire world. If one dies, so does the other, that's why it's so rare. For example if Godric and I were to bond thrice and then I end up being shot and I die, he would walk out into the sun the following morning to join me. It makes it impossible for one to live without another in this realm; the pain is so great that it makes the other suicidal. For ancient vampires like Eric and Godric, such a bond isn't undertaken lightly." Her explanation rang in my ears. I'd of course heard the rest of the conversation but my mind had focused on one word. Marriage.

"I-It's practically marriage?" I stuttered. Why hadn't Eric told me that! I thought we were trying to be honest with one another!

"Yeah, in the vampire world. Of course you then have the pledging ceremony, which tells everyone that both you and your vampire are off the market to everyone, even monarchs can't touch you then without risk of the true death." Ata explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"But, it's marriage! I can't marry Eric!" I protested feeling rather flustered.

"Why not, Sook? He loves you, he takes care of you, he adores you and he takes bullets for you. Sure sometimes he's not been forthcoming with information but he's always done things that have ensured your safety. Sook, he'd give you the world. Why wouldn't you marry him?" I could see the shock on my cousin's features, along with her confusion.

"Marriage, Ata! It's so soon! I hardly know anything about him, I don't even know what his favourite colour is or, or what his favourite novel is! What happens if he gets bored of me too? It's not like we could get a divorce!" I exclaimed, starting to feel panicky. He wanted us to marry and he hadn't even run the idea past me!

"Ironically it's red, and also, Gone With The Wind. Ask him questions Sook; he isn't going to deny you answers. Also, he literally cannot get bored of you, so don't worry about that." Ata held her hands up to try and calm me.

I was stunned into silence for a moment. It was no surprise that Eric's favourite colour was red, but his favourite novel being Gone With The Wind? That was creepy, it was my favourite novel too. Trying to compose myself I took several slow and deep breaths, counting to ten before carrying on with my questions. "What do you mean he can't literally get bored of me?" I asked, focusing on the latter part of Ata's sentence.

"Vampire's aren't the only ones who have bonds, Sook. The fae do also. Remember when we had our discussion about soul mates?" I nodded in response to her question, remembering the day I had told her that I believed Eric to be my soul mate.

"When a fae finds their mate, it's instantaneous. The moment a fae locks eyes with their mate their souls start the binding process and they're pulled together. If it's two fae, or a fae and a human who are in love, then when they consummate their marriage the binding is complete. With a vampire and a fae, it's when the third bond is complete, or so I believe seeing as how we have rare relationships. Once the souls are bound together then there's no going back. You share a life force meaning that you can't break apart. The fact you're bound together stops you from getting bored with one another and lets be honest, Eric has 1000 years of history, it's going to take some going to get bored of all of that! Sometimes gifts are shared too. For example, a vampire once bonded thrice with a human and the human gained sharper senses and quicker speed. It was nothing compared to her vampires abilities but it's still something." Ata explained.

The prospect of acquiring some of Eric's vampiric traits, such as his speed and grace, sounded really appealing to me. Coupled with the new powers I was developing it may be able to give me a stronger chance of defending myself. "If Eric hasn't mentioned the third bond then don't worry about Sook, I'm positive he would never go ahead with it without your consent and a huge diamond ring. He loves you Sook, your souls are already binding themselves together. I didn't tell you during our chat the other day but I can feel that you're soul mates, the way you act with one another and the way he's so tender with you. I can feel your fae magic blending with his vampire magic and it's rather wonderful." My cousin's words soothed me slightly. Eric would never go behind my back. Sure he'd never been particularly forthcoming with information before, and the way he got his blood into my system originally was rather sneaky, but he'd never do something like that for something as serious as vampire marriage. The thought of a large diamond ring caused me to groan internally however.

"You spoke of a spark, what is it and what does it do?" I questioned, knowing that I would get straight answers to my fae questions from my cousin. I didn't want to contact Niall just yet, he still gave me the creeps and I wasn't too fond of him considering the fact it was partially his fault my parents were killed.

"The essential spark is what allows a hybrid to access their powers. Only the strongest of hybrids are born with it. Other hybrids may get a few small gifts, such as the ability to easily attract lovers. The spark is where your fae-ness resides. You can call upon this spark whenever you want and the depths of its power are truly unknown. Our great-grandfather, Niall, is the most powerful fairy out there and he claims to have not harnessed all of his sparks magic yet. The spark is connected to our emotions and our exposure to sunlight, that's why we can never be turned. The fae are natural creatures, from us come elves and brownies, angels and demons, water sprites, green men, the entire natural spirits, they're all some form of fairy. The stronger our emotions are then the stronger our powers, that's why when I was so angry and upset last night I was able to topple Pam and even channel some pain into the equation. For example, should Russell find you and Eric and start to hurt Eric, you'll be able to channel the anger you feel about the situation and the pain being caused to your mate and you can use it to hurt, potentially even kill, Russell." Ata answered.

The thought of Russell hurting Eric had my blood boiling, I felt warm all over and already itching to kill the psychotic vampire. I could only imagine all the different ways I could stake the bastard, I would make him pay for killing Eric's family, for fang raping me and for forcing Eric to walk out into the sunshine. I heard Ata's chuckle suddenly break through my thoughts and I scowled in her direction, someone hurting Eric wasn't a laughing matter!

"Look at your hands." She ordered me.

Looking down I gasped in surprise, jumping at the sight of my hands. They were surrounded by a bright golden glow that had appeared out of nowhere. "Cheese and rice!" I squealed, looking to Ata for an answer.

"That's the golden light I told you about the other day, the one to attack and harm. Your anger associated to harm befalling your vampire brought it out. It's a good sign; it means you're able to harness your emotions correctly. Attacking someone requires your strongest emotions however, and those are easy to succumb to during a stressful situation. For other lights, such as your healing one, you would need to have a clearer mind and during stressful situations this can be difficult to accomplish. This evening we'll work on both your gold light and your green light, but it will involve both of our vampires and perhaps even some of my boys." Ata continued on. I had to admit that I was feeling a little proud of the fact that I had managed to harness my strongest emotions correctly and so quickly.

"When I was in Faery, they were all so beautiful originally, but after I sent a blast at Mab they all changed. Why don't we look like that?" I inquired, shuddering as I remembered the way all of the beautiful fairies had changed before my eyes into these hideous creatures.

"It only occurs to full-blooded fae, so there isn't an issue with that happening to us. Full-blooded fae are naturally ugly creatures with beady yet bright eyes, grey skin, disheveled hair, pointed teeth and pointed ears. Remember I told you about the ability we have to cast illusions? Their beautiful appearances are just that, illusions. It enables them to travel around in the human world without drawing attention to themselves. Those with huge amounts of fae blood in their systems, like the full bloods, find their appearances compromised. Hybrids have fae blood, but not enough to give them the horrible appearance; instead they have an ethereal appearance and radiate beauty. Their human beauty is enhanced." Ata explained to me and I gave out a sigh of relief. At least I would never have to look like the full bloods.

"Fairies can be killed with either lemons, limes or iron. However as hybrids none of these things greatly affect us. I have no reactions to lemons and limes however I am susceptible to iron. It's similar to an allergic reaction; I get itchy and need special ointments to reduce the rash. It's rather unpleasant. We can test you later on to see what you're susceptible to?" My cousin offered. With a nod I accepted, knowing already that I was okay with lemons. I'd been drinking ice tea with lemon for years. Limes and iron, I wasn't sure about those.

"When a fairy dies a corpse is not left, just a sparkling powder, fairy dust if you will. The body just fades away and the spirit of the fairy goes to the next oldest family member to tell them of their death. The fae call their afterlife "The Summerland's" yet a lot of hybrid fae follow different religions and therefore may have a different name for their afterlife. For example, as I am Egyptian my afterlife is known as the Fields of Aaru and…" Ata explained and I interrupted there, remembering the conversation I'd had with Godric upon the rooftop of the Hotel Carmilla.

"You can only go there if your heart is lighter than a feather." I finished her sentence for her. A huge smile lit up her features and she nodded her head eagerly.

"You know of my peoples beliefs?" she inquired with a curious tip of her head. Regrettably I shook my own head, I was only aware of a few things such as mummification and the building of the pyramids. School had been difficult for me.

"I'll teach you some time, my people were quite interesting." A wistful expression crossed her features and I allowed her to fall back into her memories for a moment as I fell back into my own, allowing myself to remember how normal my life had been before the night Bill had walked into Merlotte's. I wouldn't trade it for the world now though. I was aware of my heritage, Eric was mine and I was learning how to defend myself against the cruelty in the world.

Ata seemed to snap back to reality and she returned to the previous conversation. "The fae are secretive about their race, customs, interactions, and world. There are portals and doorways between their world and the human world as I'm sure you're aware. Also, time works differently there, as you have experienced. There is no exact measure for how long the time difference is but it's safe to assume that the time scale varies from each person. For example, if I were to bond thrice to Godric and then return to Faery, the time difference would slow down considerably as I would have a blood tie to a being in the human realm, not only that but it would take into consideration bonding sickness." She explained, causing me to frown at her words. Bonding sickness?

"What's bonding sickness?"

Ata looked at me for a moment like I had two heads before schooling her features. "Bonding sickness occurs when a vampire and a human share a strong bond, sometimes it occurs after the second bond but most of the time it occurs after the third one. Because their souls are bound together so tightly, they can't physically be separated from one another for long periods of time. If they are separated for a long period of time both will start to experience excruciatingly sharp pains in their chest, they'll start to feel weak, stop eating and crave one another's company constantly. Eventually the separation will drive them mad and whichever one goes mad first will most likely end up killing themselves, thus taking the other with them." My cousin sighed.

The sound of bonding sickness frightened me; there was no doubt about that. If Eric and I were to bond thrice then I would have to literally be by his side forever. That was a rather large commitment. Not that I wasn't committed, if there is one thing I most certainly was it was committed, but it was such a huge thing and we'd been taking it so lightly. Perhaps I'd have to speak to him about it, get his views on the situation. I would most defiantly be raising the subject of the whole vampire marriage thing!

"How long can the vampire and human be parted before the bonding sickness starts?" I questioned, wanting to know what the effects would be on Eric should I ever have to go back to Faery.

"It varies between couples, some can only go four days without one another before it kicks in while others can go up to four months. It really does vary and unfortunately the only way to test the limit is to separate from one another for some time. The moment the symptoms start though the pair has to reunite. The longer the bonding sickness is allowed to go on for the longer it will take to go away when they see one another again." The way Ata explained it made me understand that bonding sickness really wasn't something I would ever want to experience, but would probably have no choice but to if we were to discover what our time limit was.

"How far away do they have to be before the sickness starts?" I queried, wanting to know what my safe limit would be before I would cause both Eric and myself any pain.

"That varies between couples also, once again it depends on the depth of their tie to one another. For some it can only be a couple of miles while others it could be hundreds of miles. The couple would have to experiment and test out the distance limit as well as the time limit." Ata shrugged, pursing her lips together as she grabbed the bottle of water at her side, unscrewing the lid to take a gulp. We'd been talking for some time now and a lot of my questions had been answered. There were still a few that had gone unanswered, but they could wait for later, or I could get Eric to answer them considering they involved his kind.

Grabbing my own bottle of water, I mimicked my cousin's actions, taking a swig from my bottle. As Ata finished screwing the lid onto her bottle she inhaled sharply, bending forwards before placing her hand over her chest. "The fuck was that?" she wheezed, looking up from under her bangs at me. With a frown and a shrug of my shoulders I set my water bottle down, leaning towards my cousin to inspect her physically. Nothing seemed out of place. Suddenly her eyes widened and she started to laugh. "What?" I demanded, worried that something serious was happening to her.

"I felt it! I felt him waking for the night!" She beamed, clambering up onto her feet before offering me her hands, her large grin still fixed onto her features. She'd felt Godric wake? Was that a trait of a vampire/fairy bond?

Taking her hands, I pulled myself up onto my feet, swiping both of our water bottles off of the floor. As we walked towards the door I felt a sharp pang in my chest and doubled over, placing my own hand over my chest exactly where the pang had occurred. "Cheese and rice!" I exclaimed, slowly unfurling myself to stand at my full height, my eyes widening in comprehension. "I just felt Eric rise too." I whispered mesmerised by the fact that I could feel the moment Eric opened his eyes.

"Come on! Our men await us!" Ata beamed, taking her water bottle from me before grabbing my free hand with hers, leading us out of the door and down the stairs to the living room.


	33. Nightmare

**A/N I've been getting quite a few pm's/reviews saying that this story is labeled as an 'Eric and Sookie' story when it isn't…well it kinda is. Mamma has always told me that I don't have to explain myself to anyone but I'm going to anyway, so here are the reasons why:**

**1. This story isn't just about the relationships the characters share, it's also about the plot (e.g. Sook being trained/fighting Russell/fighting off some other people I'm gonna throw in/some deaths/emotional pain etc) while their relationship is important it's not the main factor of this story. I know I've spent quite a lot of time building up the past between G/A but that's because none of you knew anything to do with them. We all know the background with E/S. Plus this carries on from the end of season four, which was in all honesty an E/S fest, so that needs to be padded out a little now.**

**2. Their relationship is the one that will change the most. G/A already know one another exceptionally well, their love has survived over 2000 years, they were going to getting married in their human years, etc. The focus of relationships growing will be on E/S and on the friendship between S/P. The relationship between G/A will give examples and lessons to E/S on how to act/what to say/what to do etc with one another. G/A are 'like a science project' as Isabelle would say!**

**3. I had four main characters to pick from when creating the summary – Eric, Sookie, Godric and Ata. I picked the two most people know well. Please don't kill me for it.**

**Anyway, I don't wanna dwell on that, so it's time to move on. **

**Once again thank you to everyone for the reviews/favourites etc, it means the world to me :) please continue to R&R!**

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_Dragged ya down below, down to the devil's show, to be his guest forever, peace of mind is less than never  
Hate to twist your mind but God ain't on your side, an old acquaintance severed, burn the world your last endeavor  
Flesh is burning; you can smell it in the air, 'cause men like you have such an easy soul to steal  
So stand in line while they ink numbers in your head, you're now a slave until the end of time here  
Nothing stops the madness, turning, haunting, yearning, pull the trigger  
You should have known the price of evil and it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah  
Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare  
~ Nightmare, Avenged Sevenfold_

I was pleasantly surprised that the room was pitch black the moment my eyelids slid back. Ata had left the bedside lamp on the night before and while the thought was sweet, the light had hurt my eyes for a moment before my eyes had adjusted. What was an unpleasant surprise was the lack of my mates' warm body beside me; instead lay the cool body of my Childe.

Eric's eyes opened seconds after mine did and I watched as his bright blue eyes focused on me. With three rapid blinks he was suddenly alert and offered me a smile as a greeting. "Our women seem to mother us." Eric commented, noting the sheet that had been pulled up to our chests.

"My woman mothers us, Eric." I corrected him, not entirely sure how much I wanted to reveal to him about my experience during the day.

"Will you elaborate?" my curious Childe asked. His curiosity caused me to smile, true I had turned him because of his skill on the battlefield and his lust for life, but also because he had also been world-savvy, eager to learn and curious. I couldn't have asked for a better Childe.

"During our day rest I felt an extremely large amount of love flood my bond with Ata, it was enough to rouse me from my rest." I explained, frowning slightly in contemplation. If Ata could rouse me from my day rest then should a potentially harmful situation come up I would be able to wake and, perhaps, help her. Whilst I hadn't tried to move from my position on the bed earlier on it was still a useful advantage. I could feel Eric's shock in the bond and the look on his face was priceless. Very little could surprise Eric and I these days. "I wasn't completely with it, it was as if my eyes and my brain were functioning but nothing else was. It was rather strange." I continued.

"That's impossible though, do you think I would be able to wake in the day too?" Eric's eyes lit up at the thought. While we could fight the pull of the sun it gave us the bleeds and once we had succumbed to our day rest there was no way we could wake until sunset. It was indeed a strange and rather unique situation.

"Perhaps, my Childe, only time will tell. Back to the reason why I mentioned it however, I watched as Ata sat beside you, she spoke to you, thanked you for taking care of Sookie and then pressed a kiss to your temple." I informed him, watching his physical reaction and his emotional one closely. Eric had mastered the ability to cloak his emotions on his features around strangers, but around myself, Pamela and Sookie he let his guard down. We were allowed to see the real Eric Northman.

Shock, curiosity and a tinge of worry came through our bond yet the only thing visible on my Childe's face was a small frown. I couldn't understand the worry, was he worried that Sookie would be upset about it? Did he think I would be angry about it? If anything I was happy that Ata had taken so fondly towards Eric, he was in need of a female role model. I could see her helping him with his queries regarding Sookie. Of course Eric had Pam and she was a wonderful help at times, but she would never be able to understand human females properly.

Raising a hand to his temple, Eric wiped at the skin before holding his fingers under his nose, inhaling deeply. "I can smell her, you're right." He commented quietly.

"You know that I would never lie to you, my son." I reassured him, leaning over to give his cheek an affectionate stroke. Retracting my hand as I heard two heartbeats approaching, it was no surprise that the bedroom door was flung open a moment later and the excited faces of both of our fae women appeared. "Good evening, ladies." I greeted, sitting up slowly to watch as they both crossed over to the bed, clambering up to join Eric and I. As I had sat up so had Eric and as soon as Sookie was close enough my Childe had pulled her onto his lap, planting a passionate kiss upon her lips.

Gently grasping Ata's hands in my own I pulled her onto my lap, wrapping her up in my arms and holding her close before dropping a chaste kiss to the top of her head. Eric may have mastered the art of hiding his emotions from the world but he felt so much strongly than others of our kind, even more so than myself, so when he did let his emotions flow freely, such as his love for Sookie, it was indeed a spectacle.

"What did you do today, lover?" my Childe asked his mate, holding her body close to his own as he brushed her blonde locks out of her face.

"Ata and I met with some construction guys and discussed the new lobby and casino before we went to the secret room and trained for a little while. We took a break though and Ata answered some of my questions regarding the fae and blood bonds…" Sookie explained, her eyes narrowing in Eric's direction. "You never mentioned that being bonded three times was effectively marriage." She accused him.

Eric's eyes widened and he seemed to struggle to find words as Sookie scrutinised him. I could feel his inner turmoil and I had to admit that I was impressed with the fact a young fae woman could cause my mighty Viking Childe to clam up. "I..urm…I was…" he spluttered, running one hand wildly through his messy hair as he shot me a glance, silently begging me for help.

As much as I loved to see Eric squirm it was unfair for such a personal conversation to be raised with others present. "Perhaps you could discuss the issue of bonds with Eric later, Sookie? I'm mighty curious as to what you've learnt today." I smoothly digressed, fighting off my urge to pin Ata down to the bed and ravish her, she knew full well what emotions she was stirring up in me as she gently stroked her fingertips over the blue ink across my chest. I'd realised it was her favourite, though I couldn't understand why.

Sookie frowned for a moment, obviously displeased with the fact I was moving the conversation to another subject, however her Southern manners stopped her from complaining. Instead she latched onto the new topic I had opened up. "We were toppling heavy objects, large wooden and metal crates. We started with towers of two and I was able to move those however the towers of three were a little more difficult and I couldn't get them to budge." I could hear the sadness and disappointment in Sookie's voice and it was truly a terrible thing. She was just starting to learn to use her powers and she was already beating herself up about it.

"Lover, you've only just gained your powers, no one expects you to get everything right first time. I do believe there is a saying that practice makes perfect, is there not?" Eric consoled her, verbal stating everything I had been mentally thinking.

"I know, but someone tried to blow this place up yesterday. If I can't even knock over three crates then I can't defend myself, or you!" she sighed, clearly frustrated with herself and the situation.

"Lover, there is no need for you to defend me should we end up in a fight. I'm over 1000 years old, and a Viking, there are very few who can harm me." Eric pointed out proudly. His statement was ever so slightly flawed however, Edgington was nearly three times Eric's age and he would no doubt want to cause my Childe some harm. Even I wouldn't be a match for Edgington, he had nearly a thousand years on me.

"I'd like for Sook to start learning how to attack people this evening. We've worked on toppling large objects, dream infiltration and dealing with peoples emotions and while all of those are useful skills to have they won't get her out of a sticky situation. We were just waiting for you to wake up as we're in need of a large moving target." My mate grinned at Eric, batting her eyelashes.

"You want me to hurt Eric?" Sookie squealed, a look of pure horror on her features as she rounded on her cousin, her eyes wide in surprise and shock.

"You seem to have forgotten my previous words, lover. There are very few who can harm me." Eric reiterated, a smug smile on his features.

"But Ata said the gold light to attack could seriously hurt or even kill!" she exclaimed, her head whipping back to look at Eric, silently pleading with her eyes for him to protest against her practice.

"Sook, your powers aren't strong enough yet to kill. You may be able to harm Eric a little but then at least you'd be able to practice with your healing light. Two birds, one stone." Ata explained with a shrug. I could feel Eric's resolve with the situation, he wanted Sookie to practice and my mate did too. In all honesty I wanted her to practice also, it would be good for her to be able to stand her own ground. Eric had been through far worse in his time, both as a human and as a vampire.

"I'll be fine, lover. Trust me." Eric rubbed her arm, offering her a gentle smile and another heated kiss.

"Guys, you can do that later. We need to go down and see to the Were before starting some more training. We didn't go down and deal with the dog because, well, we didn't want to have you missing out on all the fun." My mate practically purred, a mischievous sparkle to her blue eyes.

"You said we were just going to get information out of him, Ata. You said I'd have to read him for you." Sookie pointed out, raising an eyebrow in question.

"My methods of information extraction are, different." My mate declared, fluttering her eyelashes at Sookie.

"You can't hurt him! That isn't fair!" she started to protest, her eyes wide and panic filled at the new information.

"Sookie, he set off bombs in Ata's home and business, he tried to take blood from Ari when he was injured. She has every right to hurt him because he has hurt her." Eric explained calmly, trying to make Sookie understand.

"Just because he hurt you doesn't mean you should hurt him back, two wrongs don't make a right!" Sookie further protested. I could feel both Eric's and Ata's patience wearing thin. Using that as my cue I once again stepped in to diffuse the situation.

"Sookie, while we all respect your good Southern upbringing and the morals it instilled in you, you must remember that we are all deep inside the supernatural world and the way things are done is much different. While it might be difficult for you to accept right away we wish for you to understand that such a crime as the one the Were committed will not go unpunished." I explained, hoping to sway the young fae into our way of thinking. If she was going to survive in the supernatural world she was going to need to toughen up a little as far as punishments and justice were concerned.

With a petulant pout, Sookie relented a little. It was obvious from her expression that she wasn't keen on the idea but she was outnumbered "Well whatever you decide to do to him I don't want to be there to witness it, okay?" She compromised.

With a nod we all agreed with her compromise and Ata clambered off of my lap, wandering towards the door. "I want both of you boys up and dressed within the next five minutes. Meet us in the living room." She ordered, motioning over her shoulder for Sookie to join her. The young fae clambered from Eric's lap, but only after planting another kiss to his lips, and then followed her cousin out of the room.

Making sure the door was shut behind them, I clambered out of the bed, Eric mimicking my actions. "You always did like to pray on the innocent." I teased my Childe, a smile flickering across my features.

"She's different, Godric." Eric responded. His expression was blank yet his words carried a heavy weight to them. I was well aware of how dear Sookie was to my Childe; I could feel the love he had for her. It was one of the reasons I asked her to take care of him on the hotel roof, I knew she wouldn't leave him be to dwell in his negative emotions and she would be able to heal him. Even though I was still on this earth I could see her healing Eric. I'd taught him all those years ago to shut off his emotions and while he had survived he'd been cold and empty inside. Sookie had taught him how to feel, how to open up to people, and because of that my Childe was reacquainting himself with his human emotions, his reasons for living a full life were pilling up, and he was gaining more and more to fight for.

"I know. I must admit it was quite a shock to my system when I first found out you were in love with her. It's beautiful, my Childe, and I'm proud of you for embracing your human emotions once again. I regret making you rid yourself of them completely." I expressed solemnly, offering Eric a small smile. I could feel how much my words had affected him, through our bond I could detect his happiness, his affection towards Sookie and myself and I could also feel a tinge of contentment. I had known for a while now that he was seeking my approval and that he was in need of some form of self-esteem boost from me. Eric was naturally quite cocky however underneath it all lay insecurities, insecurities he tried to hide from the world.

The night I had been rescued from the Fellowship he had prepared an AB- human for me, he'd been trying to show me how much he cared for me by providing for me and that I was still needed in his life, he'd gone out of his way to try and make me happy. It hadn't been necessary of him but he had still done it. I'd chosen my Childe well, I was very proud of him.

"I worry that our world will corrupt her and she'll run from it all, either that or I'll do something to upset her and she'll run from me. I couldn't stand it if she ran from me." My Childe whispered, the fear evident in his voice. It was times like these, when we were alone together, that we allowed ourselves to be stripped off the facades we put on in front of other vampires. The bond between Maker and Childe was incredibly strong, especially between Eric and I.

Moving to the wardrobe I pulled out my clothes for the evening, a pair of light grey cotton pants and a dark grey t-shirt. It wasn't exactly the most colourful combination but it was the comfiest. "Sookie won't run from you, Eric. She's had plenty of opportunity to do so and yet she hasn't. I do believe you'll be stuck with one another for quite some time. Speaking of our world however, she'll have to get use to the idea that she cannot look at it through rose tinted glasses. It is what it is and I only hope that Ata's presence in her life will help ease her transition. Apparently during difficult times women seek comfort from other women who understand their situation, or so Isabel once told me anyway." I responded with a shrug, not understanding the ways in which women worked.

The silence from my Childe was troubling but I could soon sense a feeling of determination from him, I could only guess that he was telling himself that he needed to help Sookie's transition into our world also rather than relying solely on her cousin. He vamped from the room a moment later to change, giving me a moment by myself to adjust my t-shirt to showcase the ink across my chest, check my reflection in the mirror and then head out into the living room.

The sight that greeted my eyes was perfect, my immediate family and extended family all in one room together. Ata and Sookie sat beside one another on one of the sofas, Ari and Khai were sat on the floor at their feet and the four of them were locked deep in conversation. Agmund and Egor were on guard by the lift doors, as per usual, however they were sharing a conversation with Eric who had changed into his usual dark jeans and tight black wife beater. The elation and cheerfulness radiating from my Childe was infectious and I could make out their conversation; they were reminiscing their human days together. Pam sat on the other sofa, chatting avidly to Riei and Oeri about the latest fashion trends and the closest shopping mall. It was the first time I had ever witnessed Pam visibly happy and holding a long conversation where she was required to speak frequently. Pam was usually a woman of few words.

I took a moment to observe everyone and the way they were all getting along with one another. My enhanced hearing enabled me to dip into conversations and grasp the subjects at hand. It was a strange feeling to know everyone in the room meant something to me, for so long I had been by myself and then it had just been Eric and I. We had travelled the world together and I had taught him everything I knew, just as I had promised. It had been lonely though, just the two of us. The whole room was filled with our new family however, and that thought alone reminded me that we'd deal with whatever Russell threw our way, or whatever Felipe had planned. We were a team.

Gracefully moving through the room, I wormed my way into Ata's group, sitting on the arm of the sofa. The group was discussing the new renovation ideas and the meeting the girls had been to this morning. "I told him I wanted it all in golds and creams with a huge mural of Rome painted on the ceiling and a massive chandelier with lots of crystals and diamonds. He asked me if I wanted marble again and I was tempted to say no, but I know how much you love polishing it all up for me so I agreed to it." Ata informed her boys, fluttering her eyelashes at them. I watched their expressions as they shifted from ecstatic to grumpy within seconds.

"Thanks for that." Khai grumbled as Ari shook his head.

"No problem! Anyway," she turned to face me, acknowledging my presence before looking towards Sookie and then back to her boys, "We need to go and interrogate the Were, I'd be super grateful if you could start clearing out the casino or continue talking to insurance companies or whatever." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she recalled all of the work yet to be done.

"It'll all be sorted for you by the end of the night, don't worry amisi." Ari informed my mate, rising to his feet with his brother before both pressed soft kisses to Ata's forehead. Rather than offering the same show of affection to Sookie, and risking a very angry Eric, they instead bowed lowly for her before venturing from the room.

"Amisi?" Sookie questioned.

"It's Egyptian, it means flower." I answered for her before Ata could get a word in edgeways. She turned to me, narrowing her eyes at me for stealing her thunder before Sookie harboured her full attention once more.

"They gave me the nickname over a millennia ago and its stuck ever since." She explained flippantly before rising to her feet and crossing over to the other sofa. "Riei, Oeri, why don't you go shopping with Pamela tonight? I'm sure she'd love to see Vegas all lit up and experience all of our designer stores. We have a Dillard's you know." I could spot her forced smile in Pam's direction and it didn't take a genius to work out Pam's smile in response was forced too. The illusion of a perfect happy family was shattered temporarily.

"What a wonderful idea, you really must try on the new Prada dress they just got in, it would look wonderful with your hair colour!" Riei exclaimed, clearly missing the tension between the two women. I could feel the underlying need for Ata to get Pam out of her house for the night yet I couldn't understand why. Ata had been known to hold a grudge during her human years but surely after living for over 2000 years she'd learnt to let go of things. Besides, Pam had never done anything to her personally apart from her little stunt last night, and my mate had firmly put her in her place. Unless of course she'd been inside of Sookie's head and witnessed Pam's treatment of Sookie over the years. Perhaps I would need to have a conversation with both women, the last thing any of us needed during this high-tension time was for two key members of the group to fall out with one another on a colossal scale.

Pam rose to her feet, Riei and Oeri following her actions. "Don't stay out too late, we'll all need to come back together and discuss the information we gather from the Were." Ata informed the trio before waving them off as they disappeared into the elevator, but not before Eric handed Pam his Amex. Sookie, Eric, Ata, Egor, Agmund and I were all left in the penthouse.

Casting my eyes around the room once more I spotted a large vase of red roses in the middle of the table, glittering stones decorating the centre's of them. "Your boys brought you flowers this morning, my sweet?" I quizzed, looking over to my mate. Her body language was rather off and it instantly put me on alert. Her back was ramrod straight, her shoulders tense, eyes wide and her lips pressed into a tight line. Not receiving an answer I moved to the pretty arrangement, spotting a card next to it. Picking up the card my eyes flickered across the writing.

_Miss Caesar,_

_I am deeply saddened to hear about the horrendous events of last night and the damage done to your home and business. I hope that the damage done can be repaired quickly. If there is anything I can help you with, be it financially or emotionally, then please do not hesitate to contact me. You know I am always here for you, even in this difficult time._

_~ King Felipe_

Throwing the card back onto the table I let out a deep growl, my fangs snapping down in anger. "He dares to think you would go to him for anything! Does he not understand that we are twice bonded?" I spat, whipping around to observe the few remaining people in the room.

Ata darted to my side, an expression of both fear and worry on her features as she approached me. Her fear wasn't there because of me, was it? "Sweetie, it's okay, I'd never go to him for anything and you know that. I love you." She reminded me, cautiously resting her palm against my cheek, the contrast of her warm hand against my cold skin was blissful and soothed me. "Retract them, he's not worth your anger. If it would make you happy I'll throw them out." She whispered gently, rubbing her thumb over my cheekbone. Struggling with myself internally I felt a huge wave of reassurance and calm come over me, both from Ata and Eric. Giving my Childe a thankful look I returned to my gaze to Ata, sliding my fangs back into place before grabbing her roughly, pulling her against my body before I clamped my arms around her, pressing my lips to hers in a fierce and claiming kiss.

"Get rid of them, I'll buy you better flowers. You're mine." I growled out, more to reassure myself than anything else.

"I'm yours. Now lemme go, you might not need air but I do." Ata reassured me, her sweet laughter met my eardrums and with a sheepish smile I let her go.

"Right, we need to go down and get some information from the Were. Egor, Agmund, can you come with us please and stay outside the cell door? The last thing I want is for it to somehow get past us all and return to whoever sent him." My love started ordering people around. Both vampires nodded their consent and Ata turned to Eric, offering him a warm smile, "Before we dish out the punishment, would you be able to take Sookie out of the room and bring her back up here please?" she asked, clearly wanting to prevent Sookie from seeing too much at the moment.

"Of course I can." My Childe responded happily, offering his hand to Sookie who took it. In one fluid movement Eric pulled Sookie to his side, stepping into the now empty elevator. Ata was close behind and I followed in after her. Egor and Agmund stood closest to the doors, sheltering us behind them. The doors slid shut and we made the silent journey down to the basement.

Of course I had been down to the basement the night before, so the layout and the décor was something I already had knowledge of. Egor and Agmund stepped out first, allowing the rest of us to follow them. Ata took charge once more, leading us all through what I now fondly thought of as 'The Throne Room.' Eric and I were silent; we had been to so many homes belonging to the rich, the famous and the noble that the room wasn't a shock to our systems. Sookie on the other hand seemed at a loss. "You have a huge room with thrones in? And I thought Eric was bad having a throne in Fangtasia!" She exclaimed, eyes wide as she took in the red walls and carpet, the golden drapes and tapestries and the two gold and red thrones sat on the raised platform at the far end.

"You forget that I'm Sheriff of the area, Sook, and that I was a Queen in my human years. A throne is a necessity, just like it's a necessity for Eric to have one." My mate explained to her cousin with a gentle smile. "I conduct business down here so everything has to be fancy and expensive. Vampires are proud creatures, enchanted by riches and wealth and strong believers of politics and hierarchy. You have to play the game if you want to get anywhere in their world." She continued to explain, moving to a door at the side of the room. It lead to the cells where I'd thrown the Were the night before and it had taken me a moment to locate them. Thankfully my sense of smell had helped me.

Pulling the door open Ata stepped inside, motioning for all of us to join her. "Stand guard outside, please." She asked Egor and Agmund who immediately took positions either side of the entrance, their backs poker straight and their faces the picture of concentration. The four of us took the steps down into the dungeon area, rows of cells lined one wall and in the one at the far end sat the Were, silver chains around his wrists and ankles. Three Were guards stood outside the cell and as we approached they nodded curtly, excusing themselves before leaving.

We all took a moment to observe our prisoner. His clothes had been non-existent thanks to the fact he had changed form however someone had provided him with a pair of tattered shorts to give him some sense of modesty. His body was covered in multiple cuts and bruises, his left eye was black from a punch someone had thrown and a few of his ribs looked to be broken. His eyes were hooded from lack of sleep and his frame was thin with some form of deprivation though it was hard to state what sort. Perhaps he hadn't had his V fix in a while, I could vaguely remember something about Russell's wolves being fed his blood to keep them under his control. The stench of frying flesh hung in the air, causing me to wrinkle my nose in disgust. The silver around the Were's wrists and ankles were keeping him weak. Silver had a similar effect on Were's as it did on vampires in the sense it weakened them, but it didn't burn Were's.

Ata grasped the bars of the cell in her hands, placing her face between the silver bars. Eric and I were able to smell the silver content of the poles and therefore kept our hands to ourselves. "Rise and shine!" Ata chirped in a high-pitched voice, causing all of those, including myself, with sensitive hearing to flinch at the sound. "You're going to tell me everything you know or else I'll end your miserable little life, okay?" she continued with a smile, batting her eyelashes at the Were.

Raising his head, he locked eyes with my love. "Fuck you." He spat.

"Oh you won't be doing that my dear, I'm not into bestiality." Ata responded coolly, flipping her hand through the air. Pulling a key from the far wall and two sets of gloves she moved to the cell, unlocking it and throwing the door aside so we could all enter before handing Eric and I a pair of gloves each which we quickly pulled on.

"You fuck dead'uns instead. Necrophilia ain't pretty on ya." He hissed, fighting against his chains to try and get closer to us.

"I'm surprised you even know what necrophilia is if I'm honest." Ata mused, taking a dig at the creature's intelligence before she pursed her lips together. "Sook, will you listen in for me?" she turned to her cousin, quirking a perfectly shaped eyebrow. Sookie had placed a far amount of distance between herself and the Were and I couldn't blame her for it, the man was a savage. That was saying something coming from me, considering that for the first 1000 years of my existence I too had been a savage. With a quick nod Sookie agreed.

"Wonderful." Ata purred, turning to look back at our prisoner. With cat like grace she stepped forward into his line of sight. "Who sent you?" she demanded. Straight to the point as per usual, it was a trait I admired in people. It was another reason why I had turned Eric; he wasn't one to pussyfoot around.

"The Kings." The Were responded with a sneer.

"Plural? How many kings?" Eric demanded, taking a step forward to flank Ata. I took up position at her other side, the three of us blocking the Were's only chance of an escape route.

"I can't tell you that." The Were growled, fighting against his chains once again. Ata turned to her cousin.

"He's telling the truth, there's a blank spot there." She frowned.

"The half-natured cannot be glamoured, Sookie. Are you sure it's a blank spot?" I questioned, frowning at the concept. No werewolves or shape-shifters had ever been glamoured before as it was impossible, their minds were far too complex.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm not lying!" Sookie's angry response permeated the air.

"Godric wasn't suggesting you were, lover, he just wanted you to double check. We need to make sure all the information we receive is accurate so we can plan accordingly." My Childe stepped in to defuse the situation smoothly.

Sookie visibly relaxed at his words. "Sorry, carry on." She mumbled, focusing her eyes on the Were in a hope, I assumed, to get a better read on him.

"You're brand, whose pack are you from?" Eric enquired; his tone of voice was even yet I could feel his underlying anger. We were well aware of the fact the brand represented a member of Russell's pack; this would be a test of the creatures honesty.

"Edgington." The animal was quick to respond, licking his lips. Clearly my earlier conclusion that he hadn't had his fix in some time was correct.

"True." Sookie chimed in, our own personal lie detector.

"What do these kings want?" Ata asked the one question we needed the answer to, if we knew what they were after we could plan accordingly.

"I'm not telling you, fangbanger!" He spat angrily, struggling in his chains in an attempt to get up in my mates face.

My fangs snapped down as he insulted my bonded however she raised a hand in my direction, stopping me from acting out. She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "I was so hoping I wouldn't have to do this." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head in disappointment. In a move so quick that only a vampire would have caught it she pulled her fist back, slamming it into the creatures broken ribs with impressive force. The Were's strangled cry echoed around the room and Sookie let out a squeak of both surprise and horror as the dog coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"I'll ask again, what do these kings want?" she repeated, keeping her hand in a fist ready to strike again.

The Were raised his head once more, locking eyes with my mate before looking at Sookie, a slow smirk crossing his features. "Both of you, they want both of your pretty blonde heads on their pillows, your bodies beneath them and your blood in their veins. There's no point in running little girls, they'll find you and they'll take you when you're least expecting it. They'll stake your fangers and then make you theirs, they'll turn you and you'll be forced to serve them." He cackled. My own possessive nature was rising to the surface quickly at the thought of someone forcing my beloved to be theirs, and my own feelings were adding to those of my Childe's. Soon both of us were overcome with our possessive feelings. My Childe's growl was the first sound I heard after the Were's admission of what was planned to happen, my own growls melded with his a moment later.

With vampire speed Eric struck the animal, landing a blow to the side of the creatures body, the crunching of its bones reverberating off of the walls. A howl of pain was ripped from its throat and my Childe looked rather smug. "How many more of you are there?" I demanded, moving at vamp speed to stand behind the creature, grabbing a handful of its matted hair to pull its head back sharply, growling in anger.

"I'm not answering you, fanger." The Were snarled in response to me.

"There's a whole pack of them, at least thirty. He's thinking of a party or something, on Friday night." Sookie interrupted us, a light frown on her features as she searched further into his mind.

"Hey bitch, get the fuck outta my head!" The Were shouted at Sookie, instantly earning himself another slam in the side from Eric.

"Never refer to my lover with such a derogatory term!" He hissed venomously in the animal's ear.

Ata turned to face me, a slight look of worry crossing her features. "Felipe invited me to the party at his on Friday night, remember?" she whispered, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Whatever was going to happen, Felipe was planning it for Friday night.

A cackle from the wolf drew our attention back to him, "He's gonna get ya, ya won't leave his place in one piece! You'll be stuck with him for eternity!" he smirked. I'd had enough of his talk, first Felipe had sent my beloved roses and told her he was basically going to give her money and sex as if she were some nasty whore from the street corner, and now he was apparently plotting to take her from me. If the Were returned to him he would be able to report back, fill Felipe in on what was going on here at Caesar's Palace, at least if he never returned the King of Nevada would be in the dark for a little while longer.

Deciding that enough was enough I grabbed the Were's head and in one fluid movement I snapped his neck, just like I'd done to Gabe in the FOTS church when he'd been trying to rape Sookie. "REALLY! WAS THAT NECESSARY?" Ata screamed at me as the Were's body slumped, the chains being the only things holding him up.

"We know what Felipe is planning, there was no need for him to be around any longer." I responded, reigning in my growing temper.

"We could have kept him as a bargaining chip! Used him to get other members of the pack to speak! He was our only link to Felipe and his plans and you fucking went and killed him!" She stomped her foot, her eyes narrowed into a glare towards me as her hands balled into fists at her side.

From the corner of my eye I could see that Eric had moved to Sookie and both were keeping a distance as Ata and I had our little disagreement. A wise move. Over the years I had managed to contain my emotions and anger to a reasonable degree, but I had a feeling Ata had never had to learn that, not with her boys protecting her.

"I was not about to allow this disgusting creature to live and keep telling us everything that Felipe has planned for you!" I finally raised my voice, the first time I had done so in over two hundred years.

"We could have gagged him or whatever, killing him was rash!"

I growled lowly, never had any of my actions been called rash before. "He wasn't going to tell us anything else. His mind had blank spots. Sookie told us so! He was only going to go on and on about how much Felipe wants you!"

Ata snorted, a sound that wasn't pretty and didn't match her usually perky personality. "How do you know that he wasn't going to tell us anything else? Is that what this is all about, about the things he was saying? How fucking childish. You might look like a teenager but that doesn't mean you can act like one! Stop being so petulant and act your goddamn age!"

Ata's words were painful and felt like a knife stabbing me over and over again, she knew full well that my appearance would be a sore subject. Throughout my entire existence as a vampire people had commented on my youthful appearance, it had proved useful when luring humans towards me but it was the one part of myself that I hated the most. I had the mind of a 2000-year-old and yet it was trapped in the body of a seventeen year old. It had done a number on my mentality on more than one occasion, especially when people, and vampires, assumed that Eric was older than me, and therefore my Maker. Nothing was as emasculating as that, knowing your Childe was deemed stronger and more powerful than you.

Whirling around on the spot Ata grabbed at Sookie's arm, yanking her out of the cell, "Come, Sookie. We're going to start your training now." She ordered firmly, stalking back towards the door and out into the throne room, dragging Sookie the whole way.

As the door slammed shut silence enveloped both my Childe and myself. "I feel like that all the time, especially around Compton, the thought of him taking Sookie from me makes me so mad. Don't worry about it though, our women are hotheaded, she'll come back and apologise later. At least we know that one of the Kings after both Ata and Sookie is Felipe, that's a start." Eric tried to reason with me, to soothe my temper.

I remained silent for a few minutes, reigning in my temper and organising my thoughts. Ata's words had hurt considerably and yet she had been correct, I'd been rash and acting on impulse, something that usually resulted in the death of vampires. I'd taught Eric that from the very beginning. I was over 2000-years-old, I wasn't a child, and yet I had acted like one. "She doesn't need to apologise, Eric, I do." I declared quietly.

"We are vampires, Godric, we do not apologise." Eric stated firmly, as if the idea was completely absurd to him.

"At times we must push aside our pride, Eric, in order to be better men. If I weren't to apologise to Ata she would remain angry with me and nothing would be solved, if I were to apologise we would be able to put this behind us and get back on track. I am willing to sacrifice my pride in order to keep my beloved happy, you would do well to remember that for future reference should you ever have a disagreement with Sookie." I informed my Childe in a whisper, remembering all the occasions I had told him during the time he had been right by my side that we had no need to apologise, that we were above every other creature on the earth.

Turns out I'd told a lie.


	34. Chasing The Sun

**A/N I hated where the last chapter left off, me no likey G&A fighting :(**

**I really struggle writing from Godric's and Sookie's POV's. I don't know why! I feel so comfortable writing Ata's POV probably because she's a figment of my own imagination and then I feel so comfortable writing from Eric's POV…maybe it's because in a way I'm like him? Idk. It bugs me either way 'cause I feel like I'm letting you guys down when I don't write from a certain characters POV well :(**

**www . midnightopheliac . wordpress . com**

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_I'm better, so much better now I see the light, touch the light, we're together now  
__I'm better, so much better now, look to the skies, give me life, we're together now  
We've only just begun, hypnotised by drums, until forever comes, you'll find us chasing the sun  
They said this day wouldn't come, we refused to run, we've only just begun, you'll find us chasing the sun  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh  
You'll find us chasing the sun  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh  
You'll find us chasing the sun  
When daylight's fading, we're gonna play in the dark 'till it's golden again  
And now it feels so amazing, can see you coming and we'll never grow old again  
__~ Chasing The Sun, The Wanted_

My conversation earlier in the evening with the two other Viking vampires had been one of the best in my entire undead life. I had thought I'd seen them somewhere before and now that I had been able to get up close to them and hold conversation with them I could remember exactly where it was I knew them from.

During my human years my father had formed a close alliance with the Chieftain of the village in the next valley and I had fought most of my battles alongside his two skilled sons on numerous occasions. But I'd had no idea both Egor and Agmund had been turned! One day they were there and the next they weren't. I had assumed that the cold had gotten to them as it was winter when they had gone missing and that they had perished. Their village crumbled without them being there to rule and was soon overtaken by another clan. It seemed strange how over 1000 years later we were pulled back together again, fighting beside one another once more.

We'd gather some information from the Were before Godric had allowed his primal instincts to kick in and had ended the creature. While I agreed completely with Ata that we could have kept him around for more information or as a bargaining chip, I could also see my Maker's point of view about it. The longer the creature was around the longer he would be able to taunt us. The thought that someone was after my lover made my blood boil, she was mine, no one was allowed to have her but me! I'd fought so long for her, pretended to care nothing for her in order to save her life and yet I realised now that she was my life. The year she had been gone had been the hardest year I'd ever had to endure, and that was saying something given the 1000+ years I had to choose from for that title.

The little tiff between my Maker and his mate had thrown me, they seemed so solid and yet one little thing sent them into a shouting match. Godric hardly ever raised his voice, he demanded respect the moment he walked into a room and most were keen to give it to him for fear of what he could do to them if they did not. I had to admit to myself that Ata's comment regarding Godric's appearance had infuriated me; surely she of all people would know it would be a sore spot for him.

The silence that overtook us after the departure of our women was uncomfortable and my Maker's silent rage pouring through our bond was doing nothing for my composure. "I feel like that all the time, especially around Compton, the thought of him taking Sookie from me makes me so mad. Don't worry about it though as our women are hotheaded. She'll come back and apologise later. At least we know that one of the Kings after both Ata and Sookie is Felipe, that's a start." I tried to reason with him, wanting him to calm down a little. If the words from the Were turned out to be true we all needed to protect one another, to be on good terms. I had a funny feeling though that even if, Odin forbid, Ata were to kick Godric to the curb he would still protect her with his life. They loved one another and were twice bonded after all, as were Sookie and I, and I knew for a fact I would defend her with my life even if we were to part ways.

"She doesn't need to apologise, Eric, I do." Godric quiet declaration stunned me. He felt the need to apologise? Why on earth would he do that? He was a vampire and a vampire was never in the wrong. We were the top of the food chain, everyone else was beneath us, apologising was beneath us. That was one of the first lessons Godric had ever taught me after he had turned me.

"We are vampires, Godric, we do not apologise." I stated firmly, reminding him of the lesson he had once taught me.

"At times we must push aside our pride, Eric, in order to be better men. If I weren't to apologise to Ata she would remain angry with me and nothing would be solved, if I were to apologise we would be able to put this behind us and get back on track. I am willing to sacrifice my pride in order to keep my beloved happy, you would do well to remember that for future reference." My Maker responded quietly. Clearly his argument with Ata had affected him considerably. I was dreading my first proper fall out with Sookie; thankfully Ata had helped me avoid a major disaster last night when she had suggested we go out to dinner and then do a spot of shopping, but Ata wouldn't always be around to diffuse the situation.

For a moment I mulled over his words, was he suggesting that I would fall out with Sookie? Surely we were strong enough to survive any fallout without me having to apologise? I hated apologising and had only ever done so to those of my bloodline and Sookie. Even then it was a rare occasion. "Perhaps we should go and join them, Ata stated that we will be needed for Sookie's training." I offered, understanding that rather than running away from the argument that had just occurred my Maker needed to go and sort it out. If there was one thing being a Viking had taught me it was to never run from a fight, my beautiful mate had reminded me of that during my period of amnesia when I had told her we could run away together. She had told me I was a warrior, and that I'd never forgive myself if I were to run. She knew me so well.

With a small, almost imperceptible nod Godric agreed and the pair of us left the cell, not bothering to lock it up as there was no way its occupant would be leaving without the help of a coffin. Travelling back out into the throne room I took a moment as we were walking out to admire the décor, the colour scheme reminded me of Fangtasia. Perhaps I would be able to get hold of Ata's decorators and convince them to come and give Fangtasia a new lick of paint. The walls were starting to look a little tired and it was bad for business.

Egor and Agmund were nowhere to be seen and I could only assume they had travelled back up with the girls to keep watch over them. I was thankful for the other Vikings and their protective nature. Stepping inside the elevator we rode in silence all the way to the penthouse, the ping of the doors informing those in the room of our arrival. Godric was first to emerge and I followed close behind.

Ari and Khai were sat at the dining room table; papers spread out all over the surface, both were holding a pen and a phone. Khai was talking avidly to the person on the other end of his call about the cost of the repairs and Ari was just hanging up his own call. "I don't know what happened and I don't really want to know, but I do hope you'll go and make nice. She shut down all of our bonds before she got up here and then threw a terrible temper tantrum; it rivalled that of Elizabeth 1st in 1575. Poor Miss Stackhouse looked like she was going to run into a corner and hide there for the rest of eternity." Ari spoke up, scribbling down notes from his phone call onto a blank piece of paper.

"Where did they go?" I took the reigns, not wanting to risk Godric speaking. Although etiquette suggested that I let him speak when both of us were being addressed, I figured if Ata had thrown a temper tantrum then the last thing needed was for Godric to accidentally say something that could be misinterpreted by her boys. I was starting to trust the six vampires that kept her company, however I wouldn't put it past them to misunderstand or manipulate and change words in order to achieve their own goals. It was vampiric nature after all.

"They went up to the training room with Egor and Agmund. The bookshelf should be moved aside. Go up the stairs and you'll find them there." Ari informed us, throwing a reassuring smile over his shoulder in our direction before knuckling back down into his work.

"I could have handled that, my Childe." Godric informed me with a slight stern tone to his voice as we ascended the staircase, using my relation title in a bid to remind me of my place. It didn't go unnoticed.

"I know, but I was afraid that something could be said from either you or Ari that would hinder your reconciliation with Ata." I explained gently, not wanting to offend my Maker. The sound of heavy, bass music permeated the air and the loud noise was a little harsh on my eardrums. As we reached the top of the staircase the music was considerably louder. Reaching a hand out I pushed the wooden door open fully, revealing a large open space. The floors were made of wood and the far side of the room was one huge, thick pane of glass giving an incredible view over the whole of Vegas. The wall which housed the door Godric and I had just walked through was covered in floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

Ata and Sookie stood in the middle of the room, their backs to us as they trained. They were yet to realise our presence. Egor and Agmund were stood opposite them, around twenty yards away and although they had noticed us they didn't mention it to the two fae women. Sookie's hands were raised in their direction. "Think of something that infuriates you. Dillard's just sold the last diamond necklace or you ruined your favourite pumps." Ata was instructing Sookie.

My lover sighed and dropped her hands, looking to her cousin. Rolling her eyes she ruffled Ata's bangs playfully. "Those are things that would annoy you, try thinking up things that would annoy me." She pointed out, turning back to face the two male vampires. Raising her hands once again, I watched as Sookie took aim.

"Think about all those fangbangers that throw themselves at your Eric every night." Ata finally spoke, her voice low and lethal. Her choice of things that would no doubt annoy my lover was spot on. Almost instantly a small beam of golden light flew from Sookie's hands, hitting Agmund straight in the chest. I watched as the blonde vampire grimaced, raising a hand over to the spot where Sookie had hit him.

"Ouch. I wouldn't say that's enough to knock me off my feet or slow me down considerably, but it's certainly irritating. It's kind of like lots of little needle prickles." He explained, rubbing his chest before dropping his hands back to his sides.

"Well done!" Ata praised her cousin, giving her a warm smile. "You need to be in tune with your emotions for your light to be at its strongest, remember that concentration is also key, you cannot let anything distract you. Once you've harnessed this light we'll try to get you to act under pressure." She continued to explain as Sookie bobbed her head, acknowledging and absorbing everything she was being told. I couldn't help but feel proud of her.

My pride must have been bubbling through our bond as Sookie's head turned in my direction and a grin lit up her features. With one hand she gestured for me to join her and in several large strides I was beside her. Godric hung back however, remaining near the door. "I think you two need to have a chat. I'll carry on with her training if you want?" I offered, understanding how possessive Ata might be about being the one to train Sookie, after all I highly doubted anyone had taken the time to train her. With a tiny sigh and nod of her head Ata left us, heading over towards my Maker.

"That was wonderful, lover! Now, do think you can do it again?" I praised Sookie. Pam had once informed me that Dear Abby had stated that humans, and therefore I guessed human/fae hybrids too, were in need of compliments in order to build up their confidence. The more confident Sookie was in her abilities the more likely she would be able to use them under pressure and therefore she would be more likely to get out of a situation alive. Turning her attention to Egor this time, Sookie raised her hands, aiming them at his chest. As she mentally prepared herself I allowed my sharp hearing to pick up on Godric and Ata's conversation.

"I'm sorry about my actions, they were rash and I wasn't thinking properly. Please will you forgive me?" My Maker was first to speak; the regret and underlying pleading tone lacing his voice was painful to a vampire like myself. I had told myself long ago to never regret anything, that everything happened for a reason and to just let it be, to never beg for anything, including forgiveness.

"You don't need forgiving, I'd have done the same thing if someone had been saying such things about you." Ata responded quietly. "I'm the one that needs forgiving. I shouldn't have said what I did, my brain to mouth filter wasn't working and the moment the words left my mouth I so wanted to take them back. It wasn't fair and it was below the belt. I'm sorry." I heard her apologise in return.

There was silence for a moment before Godric spoke once again. "I-I won't lie, it hurt. I hate being stuck looking like a teenager, it's the one thing I wish I could change about myself if I'm honest." He confessed quietly.

Of course I couldn't see their physical actions, so the moment Ata gathered my Maker up in her arms for a tight hug was lost to me but I could feel comfort and affection coming from him through our bond and I could hear Ata's next words. "This is going to sound terribly cliché but you're perfect as you are, okay? I regret what I said and I'm so sorry. I promise to never mention that again. Forgive me? You know I love you and I hate that I hurt you."

Once again I missed the physical action as my Maker buried his nose in the crook of Ata's neck, inhaling her sweet scent which was combined with his, thanks to the vast amount of his ancient blood in her system due to their bonding. "Of course, my sweet. I could never stay angry with you, ever. Forgiveness is love. Love is all." My Maker responded quietly. I could hear the sound of his fingers tracing over her face.

"I need to hear you say it, please." Ata's voice cracked slightly during her plea. Dear Odin may I never fall out big time with Sookie! If she would ever need reassuring that she was forgiven and loved I would feel like I had let her down, not to mention the fact that if her voice cracked I too would crack.

"You know that you're forgiven and that I love you very much." Godric declared quietly. Of course the next sound I heard was of them sharing a tender kiss, though I had a feeling it contained a promise for later. I'd always heard make-up sex was the best. Perhaps I'd have to get my Sookie all riled up in the near future and then turn on the charm. I wouldn't want to upset her too much though; my lover was far more temperamental than her cousin.

Before I had time to come up with a plan on how exactly to rile up my little spitfire she let a shot of golden light loose, hitting Egor straight in the chest. The blonde vampire crumbled to his knees, grimacing as he clutched at the spot Sookie had just struck. "Okay, ouch. That was clearly much stronger than before." He hissed through clenched teeth. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. A 1000-year-old Viking vampire taken down by a young and relatively inexperience fairy!

"I don't why you're laughing, you're next." Ata's voice at my side broke me out of my chuckle and I instantly fell silent. Although I would willingly take any pain if it were to help my lover I wasn't completely fond of the idea. I guess it was a natural reaction.

"I don't want to hurt Eric though, clearly that hurt Egor and if my powers are getting stronger with each shot then I don't want to risk it." Sookie broke into our conversation, determination lacing her voice.

"Sook I hate to say this, and for your sake I hope it never happens, but there may come a day where you have to attack Eric. Bloodlust is a powerful thing and the more time you spend around me, and others of our kind, the stronger your scent will be. Also, the more you practice with your powers the more the toxicity of your blood will increase and if Eric goes for a long period of time without taking your blood his immunity to it could drop. As I said, I hope it never comes to that but you have to be prepared." Ata explained and I couldn't help but scowl at her, my control was impeccable. I would never harm Sookie, not even in the throws of bloodlust.

"She has a point, my Childe. I do believe you would use every ounce of your 1000 years of control to try and not hurt Sookie in bloodlust, but you forget that our kind are the natural enemies of their kind." My Maker interjected, my scowl falling as I realised he was correct.

"But you said my light could kill!" Sookie panicked, clearly not onboard with the whole idea still.

"Only if that's your intention, Sookie. If for example Edgington were coming for you then you would of course want to kill him and so you shall, but if Eric were coming for you then you would want to stun him for a moment so he can reel in his bloodlust. Oh and never run from a vampire when they're in the throws of bloodlust, because then you start a rather annoying game of cat and mouse and most of the time they win, and most of the time it ends with fangs in your body when you really didn't want them to be there." Ata explained further. I was reassured by her words, Sookie would never want me dead and therefore there was no harm in her practicing on me as much as she liked. The comment about being chased however piqued my interest, and that of my Makers. Another vampire had chased Ata down in the past during bloodlust? It was a tale for later perhaps.

"Yeah, I'm no stranger to unwanted fangs in my body." I could hear Sookie mutter under her breath as she turned back to face Egor and Agmund. I grimaced at the memory of fang raping her, as she so lovingly called it, with Russell in Fangtasia. The way she'd looked up at me, her eyes full of fear. I never wanted her to fear me. I'd tried to soothe her, tried to reassure her with a soft caress across her cheek, heck I'd even tried with all my might to glamour her in a hope that I would be able to remove some of the pain she was about to endure. Unfortunately my actions had failed.

The moment Russell had pulled her wrist across the table and sunk his fangs in I'd wavered; her screams and sobs had been horrible for me to endure. It wasn't a pleasant experience for either of us. I'd made my bite as gentle as possible, stroked her hair in a hope to ease her but it hadn't worked. I'd wanted the first time that my fangs were inside of her to be in the throws of passion, with her small frame underneath mine, my name tumbling from her lips as she writhed in pleasure, racing towards release.

I'd been so surprised when she'd come out to save me from the sun; I'd thought for sure that she was going to leave me there to burn. I guess in a way I'd have deserved it. My actions may have saved her life but I'd been a complete bastard about it and betrayed her trust. It was no surprise she was so reluctant at first to take me in during my bout of amnesia, especially considering the last time I'd had a proper conversation with her had been when I'd revealed Compton's procuring plans.

Taking that as my cue, I vamped across the room, standing between both Egor and Agmund awaiting my lover's strike. Sookie raised her hands once again, sinking her teeth into her lower lip as she aligned her palms with my chest. She was stalling, wavering. I could tell. "Lover, you won't have time to waver should someone be attacking you. Strike now." I ordered in a firm tone and right on cue a beam of golden light left Sookie's hands, hitting me square in the chest.

With an 'oomph' I skidded back across the wooden flooring, gritting my teeth at the sharp pain flooding my system. It only lasted a second or two and I could feel Sookie's worry flooding our bond yet her cousin held her back, stopping her from coming to my aid. Sookie would have to learn that I'd no doubt end up injured during combat and that trying to come to my aid would most likely get her killed.

"And again." I ordered, standing up tall and taking a few strides back to my original position. I'd keep this up until the pain was unbearable and long lasting, until I was down on my knees. It was the only way Sookie would learn.

Raising her hands once more, I could feel Sookie's confidence levels already on the increase as she focused her energy before sending another shot of light at me, managing this time to act swiftly and not waver. The beam hit me in the chest once more and this time I crumbled to one knee. It was rather incredible how quickly she was picking it up. Grinding my teeth together I hauled myself up, squaring my shoulders as I prepared myself for another blast. "Keep going." I ordered firmly.

This time Sookie shot a glance to her cousin who gave her a nod of encouragement. Putting her hands up she sent another bolt towards me but this time, even with my stiff posture and squared shoulders, I was forced down onto my knees, hissing in agony. Fucking fairy magic was strong stuff. I felt concern, guilt and worry flood my bond with Sookie as I landed on my knees and within an instant she was by my side, trying to help me back up onto my feet. "I'm fine, lover, honestly." I tried to reassure her, keeping my head bent low so she wouldn't see that my fangs had slid into place with the pain. This time the pain was lasting considerably longer than before and for a good minute or so I remained on my knees, head bowed, with Sookie stood frantically at my side, rubbing my arm in a soothing gesture.

As the pain subsided I gave a nod, sliding my fangs quietly back into place before rising up onto my feet. My Sookie looked up to me in complete concern and I offered her a reassuring smile, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "You're doing well, beautiful. Once more for me please." I instructed before giving her a gentle push back in the direction she had come to me from.

"But Eric, this time you were really hurt!" she protested, panic clear in her usually calm eyes.

"I'm fine, I'm over 1000-years-old. I doubt you could cause me any serious harm. Come, one more for me." I pushed, knowing it was needed for Sookie to try again. Slowly, so as not to draw attention to what I was doing, I gently closed off as much of our bond as I could dare to, not wanting Sookie to feel everything I would during this next shot. It was safe to say the next blast was going to do some serious damage.

Once back in her position, Sookie turned to me with a look of determination on her features. Raising her hands she aimed them towards me before giving me a pointed look. I gave her a nod, assuring her I was ready for what was about to come next. She took a second to gather herself and then screwed her eyes shut, though nothing came from her hands. For around thirty seconds we all stood waiting until she eventually opened her eyes. "I can't do it!" she huffed loudly, dropping her hands back to her sides. "I refuse to hurt Eric." She addressed her cousin, folding her arms across her chest like a little madam.

"Sook, you must." Ata ordered, flitting over to her cousin. Unfolding her arms she turned Sookie back to face me, raising Sookie's hands so her palms were facing me. "Just try again, don't give up. I know you can do it, and lets be honest, how many people would get to take down the old man and get away with it?" She teased, using humour to try and encourage Sookie as well as lighten her mood. I had to suppress my smile, though I would be sure to give Ata a gentle scolding later for her words. The last thing I needed was for Sookie, or god forbid Pam, to start referring to me as an old man. Watching as Sookie nodded once more, Ata's eyes locked with mine.

"_I don't know if she's going to be able to do this by herself Eric, so I'm going to give her an emotional push. I mean no offence by it and once again I'm sorry I had to witness it, but please do not take my words to heart." _Ata's thought breached my mind. Thankfully my years playing vampire politics had given me a perfectly flawless poker face.

"_It's fine, Ata. Do what you must to get her to learn." _I assured her.

"I still can't do it…" Sookie started to whine, but her cousin interrupted her.

"Sook, remember everything we saw yesterday, the redhead?" Ata started and I noticed Sookie's jaw tense. The redhead? Yesterday? My mind was working overtime trying to recall a redhead from yesterday but I was having no luck, unless…

The redhead servant girl! My Sookie was jealous of a servant girl? HA. I wouldn't have seen that one coming! But then a thought struck me; she'd witnessed my antics with the top-heavy servant during my human years? Oh dear Odin.

"She was looking at your Viking like he was the tastiest treat on the planet, the centre of her world, and he was looking right back at her with so much uncontrollable lust. Clearly he wanted her. Perhaps we could dye your hair red so you'd look similar?" Ata purred in Sookie's ear. Her words may have sounded vicious and cruel, mocking even, but the expression on her features told me it was hurting her far more to bait her cousin and to bring back up my memories.

With a ferociousness I hadn't been expecting, Sookie's light left both of her hands, hitting me with full force. I could feel the air rushing past my ears before my back connected with the wall and everything went black. I was lost, unable to move, unable to speak. I could still hear however, my bonds with both Sookie and Godric were still working and my mental tie to Ata was still firmly in place. She was feeding me a video of everything that was occurring in the room. It was such a strange sight, to see myself quite literally through another's eyes and I was horrified with the dent in the wall and my slightly crippled frame on the floor.

Sookie's shriek permeated my eardrums and I observed through Ata's eyes as she ran to my side. Her worry and guilt came pouring through our bond yet I was unable to send any reassuring emotions back to her. "And that, Sookie, is how it's done. Well done." I heard Ata inform her cousin proudly, my own pride filling me up.

"Why are you congratulating me? He's blacked out on the floor with lord knows how many injuries because you verbally pushed me!" Sookie's snarl at her cousin was impressive yet the Egyptian took it all in her stride.

"Use your healing light, Sookie. I wanted this to happen so you could practice with it. Two birds, one stone." Ata crouched beside me, raising a tentative hand to push my bangs out of my face.

"_Forgive me?"_ she mentally asked me.

"_Forgiving you would mean I was angry with you for something, and I am not angry with you. She needed to learn and this was the best way for her to do so." _I responded softly, something so out of character for me. I had a feeling it was something to do with the fact the woman beside me was bonded to my Maker, that she was related to my lover. If it had been anyone else baiting my love, causing me to become hurt in the process, I would have ripped him or her apart with one fang.

"How do I use my healing light?" Sookie's voice took on an edge of panic as she started to look for my pulse.

"Sookie, while I'm sure Eric would be flattered to know that you treat him as you would a human, vampires don't have pulses…" Godric gently interrupted and, as Ata looked over to him, I could see him trying to suppress a smile.

"Oh, right, yeah. I forgot, sorry." Sookie blushed, her embarrassment flooding the bond. If I had been fully aware I would have laughed.

"Place your hands over his chest, right here," Ata guided Sookie's hands to the spot right above my silent heart, "and clear your mind. Empty out all your worries, your panic, and just focus on the fact you want to heal him. That you want to rid him of his pain and pull him out of his black out." Ata instructed. I watched through the little mental video as Sookie closed her eyes, screwing her face up for a moment before her features relaxed. Ata's eyes dropped down to Sookie's hands and I could see a light green glow start to radiate from them.

A tickling sensation brushed against my chest and if it weren't for the fact I was unable to move and speak I would have been laughing. My feet were not the only ticklish parts of my body.

As soon as the tickling sensation started though it stopped, and the green light faded from Sookie's hand. "It's not working!" she screamed in frustration, her temper on the rise.

"Calm, Sookie. You need to be calm." Ata ordered and I felt the strangest sensation flutter through our mental bond. It was similar to the feeling I usually felt when I was pushing emotions towards Sookie, and suddenly Sookie calmed, her own emotions stifled by this new intrusion of feeling. Was Ata able to send emotions to others without a blood tie?

"Try again, once more." Ata demanded as Godric knelt beside her, fangs sliding down into place as he rolled his sleeve up, ready to bite and offer me his blood should Sookie be unable to heal me completely. I didn't expect her to get it perfect the first time.

Once again the green light came from her hands and the tickling sensation brushed against my skin once more. This time however it continued, starting on a journey across my body until I felt it engulfing all of me. I could feel her magic sink into my skin, penetrating through the layers as it sought out my injuries, knitting internal wounds back together, straightening out my spine and slowly clearing the blackness that had overtaken my mind.

I was reminded of the times, when I had been human, when my people and I had been sailing across the North Sea through the fog. One moment the fog was there and the next it was gone. It had baffled us at the time and we had believed that Freyr had been ridding the sea of the fog for us so we could see where we were going, so that we would be safe and that we could continue on our travels in the glorious sunshine.

The moment the black veil had been lifted my eyes snapped open, the harsh lights of the room were painful at first but soon I adjusted to them. I was still feeling a little weak but at least I could see now, I could talk and I could move.

Without warning, Sookie threw herself at me, wrapping around me and holding me close like I was her favourite teddy bear. "It worked, you're okay! I'm so sorry!" She babbled, pressing lots of urgent little kisses all over my face and neck. Still a little fuzzy, I took her face between my hands, effectively stopping her actions. Leaning forward I pressed a firm kiss to her lips as encouragement that I was okay. "Never make me do that again!" Sookie turned on her cousin, giving her a glare that, although serious, also held an element of playfulness to it.

Throwing her hands up in submission, Ata chuckled. "I promise I won't, but you needed to do that to prove to yourself that you can. I'll get some of my boys to set up a few targets for you up here that you can use instead. The more you practice the better you'll become and you might even be able to use only one hand. If you were able to use only one hand then you could take on two attackers at once." Ata informed my lover. It would be useful for Sookie to be able to defend herself from more than one person, usually vampires worked together when they were wanting to achieve a goal so there was no guarantee that she would only ever be under threat from one person.

Knowing both women were okay, I turned to my Maker who was still poised to give me some of his blood. _"Ata, could you take Sookie downstairs for a moment? I'm going to need some of Godric's blood but if I take it in front of Sookie she'll know that her blast has weakened me."_ I thought loudly in Ata's direction, unsure if she would hear me or not.

I didn't have to wait long to find out however. "Come on Sook, let's get some food in you. It's been a while since we last ate and I think it's the boys turn to pack everything away up here." She plastered on a dazzling smile, rising to her petite height before offering a hand to Sookie.

My lover looked over to me with a concerned expression however I assured her everything was fine and soon she was making her way out of the room and down the stairs with her cousin, Egor and Agmund close behind them.

"I'm proud of you, Eric. Not many would have willingly allowed themselves to be hurt for another." Godric smiled, biting into his wrist before offering it to me. Instantly I latched on, relishing in the taste. It had been several centuries since we'd last exchanged blood in any capacity and although our Maker-Childe bond was still there it had been growing weaker over the decades. I could feel it starting to strengthen once again though. Now that I had the ability to send my emotions I pushed my affection towards my Maker through our bond and received his love in return.

We sat in companionable silence for a minute as I greedily took my fill of blood, having to gentle pry open the wound a few times as it closed over. I could feel the fuzziness start to slip away and the moment my head was clear I released Godric's wrist, licking the wound instinctively before doing the same to my own lips, not wasting a single drop.

"Thank you." I gave a boyish grin, earning myself a smile in response and a fatherly kiss to my forehead.

"Come, I feel our evening is only just beginning." Godric rose to his small yet mighty stature and I followed suit, neatly rising to my towering height.

"Think I should ring around for a repair man?" I asked sheepishly, grimacing at the Viking sized dent in the wall.

"And what would you tell him? That you, a 1000-year-old vampire, were beaten by a young fairy and sent flying into the wall?" Godric teased as we moved towards the stairs.

"Yeah, you're right, the fewer who know about this the better. I have a feeling though you're never going to let me live this down." I chuckled, following him down the steps.

Grinning over his shoulder at me my Maker's eyes shone with mischief. "Never, my son. Never."


	35. Through The Glass

**A/N here you go guys, our favourite blonde vampiress! **

**Head on over to www . midnightopheliac . wordpress . com and have a mooch, follow it, leave me comments and tell me what you think! :)**

**I nearly called humans 'muggles' in this chapter…now there's an interesting crossover!**

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**PAM'S POV**

_I'm looking at you through the glass, don't know how much time has passed, oh God it feels like forever  
But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head  
How do you feel? That is the question, but I forget you don't expect an easy answer  
When something like a soul becomes initialised and folded up like paper dolls and little notes, you can't expect a bit of hope  
So while you're outside looking in, describing what you see, remember what you're staring at is me  
Cause I'm looking at you through the glass, don't know how much time has passed, all I know is that it feels like forever  
When no one ever tells you that forever feels like home, sitting all alone inside your head  
~ Through The Glass, Stone Sour_

The moment the sun dipped below the horizon my eyelids snapped back and it took no time at all for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. With my immortal state came the ability to see perfectly in the pitch black. Instinctively I checked my bond with Eric to find him awake and rather amorous. Clearly Sookie was with him.

Rising from my bed I crossed to the bathroom on autopilot, showering quickly before pulling on my outfit for the night; a pair of Thierry Mugler cream pants, a Roberto Cavalli ruffled cotton shirt and my favourite pair of Steve Madden taupe suede banndo wedges. I finished off the look with my favourite gold and diamond Cartier necklace. Feeling like my outfit was perfect I left my room, crossing the hallway and entering the main living space. I was greeted with the sight of all six of the vampires from the night before, plus the two female breathers. Egor and Agmund stood protectively in front of the elevator doors, Ari and Khai were sat on the floor in front of Sookie and Ata who occupied one sofa, deep in conversation, while Riei and Oeri were on the other spare sofa, also lost in conversation.

As if sensing my approach, Riei looked up from his spot on the couch, shuffling to make some room for me before patting the space. I granted him a small smile of thanks, not wanting him to think I had any positive emotions. Crossing the room I gracefully slipped myself into the space between the two beautiful men, instantly latching onto their conversation. "Dolce and Gabbana had their new line delivered this morning, our day man told me there were a few beautiful pieces. I might go and have a look, see if I can find myself something new to wear for the nights when I'm on the floor downstairs, not to mention they might have something for Ata." Riei gushed, clearly in love with his fashion. I could relate with the ancient vampire, I too adored my fashion. Perhaps I would join him this evening, after all, Eric did say I could spend more money on his Amex…

Speaking of my Maker, he chose that moment to enter the room, his towering height making it impossible not to notice him. Looking in his direction I gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, which he returned warmly before his attention shifted to Sookie, whom he gave a 1000-watt smile to. He crossed to her, dropping a tender kiss to the top of her head before moving towards the two other Viking vampires guarding the entrance to the penthouse. Although I kept my expression blank I was in a state of shock internally, Eric had just been openly affectionate towards Sookie with six other vampires present? He treated her like his equal, not a pet. While I understood his words from last night it was still a lot for me to take in. For over 1000 years he hadn't formed a romantic attachment to anyone. He'd had pets over the years of course, but he had never treated them like his equal. The only truly affectionate attachments Eric had were to those in our family - Godric and myself - and yet here he was fawning all over a human/fairy hybrid. While there was no doubt he looked a lot happier it was still troubling for me and it unsettled me, seeing him showing such human emotions.

"Apparently Chanel are releasing a new little black dress for the Christmas season, I say you see if you can order one for Ata as she'll no doubt be invited to a ridiculous Christmas party at Felipe's, or whoever is the King or Queen then, given that Felipe is getting a little bit too big for his boots." Oeri responded, both male vampires pausing for a moment, turning to look at me for my input.

Not missing a single beat I responded. "Personally I'm more of a Chanel girl, Dolce and Gabbana aren't quite as prestigious as they use to be." I stated nonchalantly, both male vampires nodding in agreement. By now Eric was chatting avidly with the two other blonde vampires, no doubt lost in memories of their human lives if his state of melancholy coming through the bond was anything to go by. Riei launched into conversation once more and I kept up effortlessly, allowing my eyes to trail around the room. The group of male vampires and their human/fairy charge had been far from what I had been expecting when I had landed in Vegas. Truth be told I had no idea what I had been expecting, all I knew was that it certainly wasn't this. Not that the current situation wasn't nice, clearly both my Maker and Grandsire were happy and that was all that mattered, but it just felt so surreal.

As if on cue, Godric entered the room and made a beeline for Ata, perching himself on the arm of the chair before listening in to the conversation. Thankfully I was sat in such a position that I was able to maintain conversation with Riei and Oeri while also spy on my Grandsire and the woman he had been enamoured with in his human years. It annoyed me somewhat that he was going back to his human days, his softness and gentle nature, especially when he was one of the oldest vampires in America.

There was a brief conversation on the couch where my Grandsire sat and soon Khai and Ari were up on their feet, giving an affectionate farewell to Ata and then a polite yet warm farewell to Sookie. They acknowledged Godric with a nod before disappearing from the room.

Ata rose to her feet and started in our direction. Usually I found myself able to deal with my emotions but I couldn't contain the nervousness inside. This human/fairy hybrid had taken me down last night with little to no effort, and it was obvious she wielded some form of power over Godric. I was still planning on winning her over, yet I wasn't exactly sure how. Perhaps I would be able to ask a few indirect questions with the two vampires sat either side of me later on. If I could find out the sort of things she liked then I could try and sway her.

Ata stopped before us, her posture authoritative yet dainty at the same time. "Riei, Oeri, why don't you go shopping with Pamela tonight? I'm sure she'd love to see Vegas all lit up and experience all of our designer stores. We have a Dillard's you know." Ata's focused shifted from her boys to me, and she gave a smile in my direction. I could of course see the force behind it, years of living with the English upper class in my human years had taught me well, yet it was obvious she was at least trying to put on a polite front. Not one to kick up a fuss and start something I offered her a forced smile in response. Smiling was so not my thing.

"What a wonderful idea, you really must try on the new Prada dress they just got in, it would look wonderful with your hair colour!" Riei exclaimed happily, his excitement bubbling over. It was oddly infectious. In some sense I believed I was being chased out of the building, but the sooner I could corner the two vampires the sooner I would be able to figure out what made the little woman before me tick. Then I could buy her something nice or, god forbid, perform a kind gesture, in order to make her like me. I had never once, not even in my human life, wanted someone to like me as much as I wanted the woman before me to do so. It wouldn't hurt to be in the favour of my Grandsires mate, especially as I had heard through the grapevine that she was rather important in vampire politics here in Nevada. Dear Abby always said to make friends in high places wherever possible.

Knowing that I was going to have to go, I rose to my feet, Riei and Oeri copying me. "Don't stay out too late, we'll all need to come back together and discuss the information we gather from the Were." Ata informed the three of us before waving us off.

As I was about to step into the elevator Eric stopped me, pulling his wallet from his pocket and handing me his Amex. "Gör snåla inte den här gången, unna dig vad du vill." He offered me a smile, which I returned affectionately, before he shooed me into the metal box. Ari and Khai emerged from one of the corridors, zipping over to join us in the elevator. The doors slid to a close and the five of us were surrounded by silence.

"Where's your first stop of the night?" Khai spoke first, giving his appearance a once over in the mirror on the back of the elevator doors.

"I'm thinking Crystals first," Riei responded to Khai before turning to address me, "they have Gucci, Vuitton, Tiffany, Cartier, Dior, Versace, Prada, Jimmy Choo etcetera." He informed me and I could swear that he was practically bouncing on the spot. Never in my 100+ years had a met such an easily excitable vampire, especially one who was over 2000 years old.

Ari was sorting out his own appearance in the elevator mirrors and I couldn't help but to admire the flexing of his muscles, his broad shoulders that tapered into his narrow waist and, of course, how delicious his behind looked in those figure hugging jeans. I liked women usually, but there was no denying the beauty of the vampire before me. Lifting my gaze from his behind, Ari caught my eyes in the mirror and the corner of his lips twitched upwards. SHIT.

As the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor, Khai and Ari both exited at the same time, chuckling quietly at the obvious happiness radiating from their brother who was almost bouncing on the spot. I had to bite the inside of my lip to try and quell my own laughter. The three of us moved towards the front of the building and I took in the lobby. The large chunks of marble were missing; the smaller chunks had been swept away during the day. Cream tarpaulins were up on the ceiling, blending in with the remaining marble; to hide the huge holes were the ceiling had caved in. The water fountain had been repaired though the statues that had stood in the middle were long gone. The check-in desks hadn't been affected and they were still in one piece. A few people were milling around, checking in or going out for the night. At least there was still some business here.

Outside was a very different story though; the carport had been removed completely as so much of it had fallen down that there had been no hope in salvaging it. Shards of marble still littered the tarmac and more tarpaulin was strung up to capture any other small-to-medium sized shards that might fall. It looked rather bare outside and far from the glamorous images that covered the glossy travel brochures and appeared on the television programs.

A black limo was parked out front and without saying a word Oeri held the door open, gesturing for me to enter first. Accepting his gentlemanly gesture I elegantly slipped into the leather trimmed compartment, both my male vampire companions joining me seconds later. Settling into their seats, Oeri pushed a small button on the inside of the door, "Crystals shopping mall, please." He asked the driver who responded by turning on the ignition and pulling away from the curb.

"Did I spot your Maker handing you his Amex?" Oeri started up the conversation, a knowing twinkle to his emerald green eyes.

"Yes he did, he's told me to buy whatever takes my fancy." I couldn't keep the indulgent grin from my lips, now that I had verbally gained his permission I would treat myself big time.

"I think you need to try that Prada dress, with your figure it would be perfect for you! It's skintight and it's bright red in colour, it'll really bring out your hair and eyes, not to mention would be suitable for the bar you run with your Maker." Riei complimented me, leaning over to gently take the ends of my hair in his hands as he examined the colour closely. "Golden beige in colouring, natural I assume?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, very well observed. How do you know so much about fashion?" I enquired as Oeri pulled his blackberry from his pocket. I caught sight of him responding to emails through the reflection in the limo window so figured Riei would be my conversation partner for the time being.

"It was my job, in my human years, to dress Ata for all occasions when those outside the palace would see her. Upon gaining my immortality I continued to dress her, thankfully now she is able to pick her own outfits however I pick up bits and pieces for her every now and then. Over the years I've kept up with all the fashion trends, educated myself in the ways of sowing and about the different cuts and fabrics, it's a bit of a hobby." He explained, a wistful smile gracing his features. I allowed him a moment of reflection, knowing I too went off into my own world every now and then.

"He means it's an obsession." Oeri's playful teasing broke the silence as he continued to type away on his phone. Riei regarded him for a moment, narrowing his eyes in his brother's direction before his features softened and he turned back to me.

"What kind of things does Ata like to wear then?" I went in for the kill, sensing this was an opportunity to delve for information.

"Anything sparkly and expensive. Riei has been indulging our Mistress for far too long." Oeri interrupted, looking up from his blackberry to smile warmly at Riei, whose face had morphed into a small pout.

"You indulge her too, we all do." Riei shot back before turning his back on his brother, giving me his full attention.

"She loves dresses with empire waistlines, a-line skirts, tailored shirts, soft and silky materials, Louboutin shoes and Cartier jewellery. Oh and Harry Winston rings! But she won't let us buy her one, says the only Harry Winston she ever wants to own will be her engagement ring." Riei scowled; clearly displeased with the fact he couldn't buy his Mistress her favourite brand of jewellery. I filed the information away in my vault though I highly doubted Godric would ever tie the knot, we weren't creatures known for long-term commitment and monogamy, but at least if he did plan on doing so I could help him out. Then he'd probably buy me a pair of Manolo's for my effort.

The car slowed to a stop and the driver was quick out of his seat, opening the door for us. Rather than offering his hand he stood still, clearly acquainted with the vampire custom of limited physical contact. Riei and Oeri allowed me out first, following close behind me. Although a vampire myself, and therefore able to defend myself, I felt somewhat safe with two ancient men having my back. Edgington was out there somewhere and would no doubt jump at the opportunity to take me in order to draw Eric out.

Wandering into the shopping mall I instantly relaxed. I was in my element. Immediately I took off in the direction of Fendi, the first store I could see. Power walking through the door I moved to a rail, immediately grabbing several items in my size that caught my eye. The beauty of being a vampire was the speed that came with it, it enabled me to venture into more stores and therefore buy more. I left the boys bickering over a white belted dress and popped into the changing room. I always took my time with this part of the process; time to appreciate the fabrics and the cut, to appreciate the detail. After several minutes I had my pile of clothing, which consisted of a pink contrast knit cotton dress, a black bow detail skirt, a black figure-hugging knitted puff sleeve dress, a brown single-breasted fine check jacket and a heathered moss green wool-cashmere ribbed knit cardigan.

Stepping out of the changing room I moved back to Riei and Oeri who were stood with a few items themselves. I took in the white silk lined wool coat, the belted dress they had been bickering over earlier, a black double breasted trench coat and a pair of blue, yellow and red patent leather t-strap peep toe platforms. "Is there something you're not telling me about, boys?" I teased, quirking a perfectly shaped eyebrow in their direction.

"What do you think of these shoes, Pam?" Riei inquired, totally ignoring my little dig while Oeri rolled his eyes in response, sloping off to the mens section of the store.

"They're rather bright, but quite interesting. They'd look good with a white gown, add a splash of colour." I critiqued, pursing my lips together.

"That works for me, we'll have them." Riei grinned, clearly having wanted my opinion first.

Together we moved to the cash desk, paying for our items before leaving the store, where Oeri met us. "I call Prada next, they have a jacket in there that would be perfect for the nights when we have to entertain the masses with our presence." He informed us, rolling his eyes dramatically before the corner of his lips quirked upwards into a small smile. It seemed like both he and I detested being kind to the vermin and yet we did so anyway in order to please our Maker's. There was no denying that Oeri, and the other Nevada vampires living under Ata's roof, were fond of humans, however it was embedded in vampire nature to dislike them, to see them only as a food source and nothing more. That was why it was so rare for a vampire to tie himself or herself to a mortal human.

The three of us sauntered into Prada and were pounced upon by a store assistant. Once again we were off in our own directions, after Riei had pointed me in the direction of the dress he had been harping on about, picking up bits and pieces until finally we regrouped in front of the cash register. In my arms I clutched a pair of beige vintage belted trousers, a cameo coloured tote bag, a pair of leather logo stirrup knee high boots, a mint and beige wool contrast piping cardigan and the dress Riei had suggested. At first I had been skeptical of the garment, the colouring was bright and the fabric form-fitting. The moment I had slipped inside the fabric, however, I had known it was meant for me. The dress crisscrossed at the bust and waist in order to accentuate my slight hourglass shape, the cap sleeves framed the crisscross neckline and the strap across the back of my neck would hold the dress up. It was mid-thigh in length and the taping along the back zip elongated my already long and slender figure. In short it was amazing, and I was more than a little satisfied with it.

Riei had hold of a pink and black silk lace print a-line dress, a pair of patent almond toe court shoes, a faille silk a-line skirt in mint green and a black poplin bow back jacket. "Do you ever buy clothes for yourself?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow, taking note of the vast quantity of female clothing he had purchased.

"Oeri shops for both my brothers and I. I understand women's fashion and he understand men's." The vampire grinned, handing over his card to the woman behind the counter. As if he had known he was spoken about, Oeri was back at our sides, his arms laden with clothing, all of which he dumped onto the counter after Riei and I had paid for our items.

"I picked you up a few new pairs of slacks, you've been abusing your current ones." Oeri gave a cheeky grin to his brother, earning him a playful smack across the arm.

We moved on to Macy's next, not really looking for anything in particular however once again we ended up with armfuls of clothing. I would no doubt have to pay extra in order to get all of my new clothes back to Shreveport, but I was positive Eric wouldn't mind forking out considering it was his idea to allow me to run wild with his Amex.

At the cash register Riei, Oeri and I regarded one another's choices; Riei had collected quite a range of clothing for Ata. In his arms he held a black Herve Leger heidi a-line dress with chain link detail, a black Allison Parris backless beaded shoulder dress, a red Nadia capped 3/4 dress, a red and white Haute Hippie ombre dress, a pair of black Exclusively Misook knit bootcut pants, a blue Eileen Fisher v-neck tunic, a red Eileen Fisher silk scoopneck tank top, an Exclusively Misook contrast-trim jacket and a ZoZo flower fields cardigan.

Oeri, on the other hand had stayed simple and bought several of each item in varying sizes. Clearly the men didn't have to try too hard to look presentable. It was one of the things that had got on my nerves during my human years, the need for a woman to look utterly fantastic all the time while the men could slouch around in hideous shirts and ill-fitting pants and yet still be treated better than their female counterparts. He held on to several pairs of black Hugo Boss tailored flat front wool dress pants, several pairs of khaki coloured Ralph Lauren pleated dress pants, a few black Polo Ralph Lauren custom-fit douglas shirts, a few Murano washed plaid blazers – the sight of which made me shudder, plaid wasn't good on anyone – and a few pairs of washed out denim Buffalo David Bitton Gilbert bootcut jeans. It seemed the males went for a more relaxed and casual stance on their clothing.

I'd flitted around the store, collecting items from every possible rail and gathered quite a selection myself. The cashier called me up and I placed my bounty on the countertop, watching as she swiped my items before placing them into bags. I'd chosen a black Calvin Klein sleeveless zipper dress, a bright blue Calvin Klein sleeveless zipper dress, a black Calvin Klein single-button blazer, a pair of Michael Kors pink skinny jeans, a pink Adrianna Papell ruffle blouse, an ivory Antonio Melani Bertie pencil skirt, a white Antonio Melani Patty lace & sateen blouse and a beige Antonio Melani Lola drape-neck blouse

With our purchases done I still felt the need to buy something for my Grandsire's mate. While a $35 sundress was perfect for Sookie I would need to think big for Ata. Sookie's dress was more personal, something she could appreciate on a warmer level as it showed that I had been paying attention to her and knew the kind of things she liked. I knew nothing of Ata though, other than the fact her boys bought her shiny, sparkly and expensive things. "Have you guys ever shopped in Cartier?" I inquired casually, pausing to look in the window.

"Yeah, Ata sends us in here frequently for pieces to wear to functions." Oeri replied with a shrug of his shoulders, giving the information willingly. I had the perfect idea for Ata's present. Shooing away my male companions I ventured into the store, quickly making my purchase before stepping back out. "I have a feeling we should return back now, Ata mentioned having things to discuss didn't she?" I quizzed, calling upon my perfect memory to remind me of the conversation earlier on in the evening. The fact I was running back to Caesar's Palace to try and please a human/fairy hybrid would have disgusted me yesterday, but the girl was a rather interesting character, so full of mystery and so guarded. Also it was difficult to forget the amount of power she had wielded over me the night before, knocking me to the ground as if I were nothing more than a feather.

The trip back to Caesar's Palace was peacefully quiet, I had always been a woman of few words and therefore the silence suited me fine, however it was apparent that Riei was use to talking for long periods of time as I caught him opening his mouth to say something several times, before he'd shut his mouth and frown, clearly unsure what to say. In the darkness the back of the limo offered, I took the time to properly survey the two fine men sat with me. During their human years they had clearly worked hard and their bodies showed it, both muscular and strong, and yet there was a soft edge to them. I assumed it was from the years in the presence of one certain woman, that Ata had taken their hard edges and blurred them slightly. Although I myself was a fan of sharp edges, it did make the male vampires in Ata's company an interesting bunch. They all seemed to absorb one another's best traits and fuel one another. It wasn't hard to miss the mixed scents in both of my companions; their veins were full of blood from Ata and one another. I had never heard of vampire siblings sharing blood frequently throughout their lives in order to maintain strong bonds, usually siblings cared for one another but never enough to stick together for long and to share everything with one another, usually that was saved for the Maker-Childe relationship.

I'd spent some time away from Eric. After eighty years together he let me go so that I could see America, travel alone and learn to fend for myself. Now when I thought about it I supposed it was a similar gesture to that of humans, when human parents would let their children go off at the age of twenty or so into the big wide world, to experience everything themselves. I hadn't gone very far, not wanting to stray from Eric too much in case I needed him or he needed me. I would forever be very independent but I had acknowledged a long time ago that a vampire would always be in need of their Maker at some point in their long life. I had been in Minnesota when the Great Reveal was announced to the vampire community and Eric had called me back to him soon after, wanting me by his side in case the humans lashed out. He had also wanted me to help him run Fangtasia and I could never say no to him.

I was fond of the old man; there was no doubt about it. Fond seemed too little of a word though. I couldn't say I loved him, vampires could not love, but I cared for him a great deal more than I had anyone else, ever. I had lived in London with my parents during the Victorian era, my father had been a wealthy London businessman and my mother his peerage wife, they'd groomed me to be a respectable young lady of society which bored me to no end. I spent most of my 20′s breaking engagements and young man's hearts, something I still found fun in doing so even now, though I had developed a little taste for females over the years, men were far too fussy. When I had come across Eric in 1905, I was only too happy to take him up on his offer of immortality. He'd drained me and put me back into my bed, after my funeral he'd dug me up and together we'd left London, heading first to the north of England until we eventually left for America, or the 'New World' as the older generation of vampires called it. About ten years after my turning I had spotted my parents through a window pane in a small restaurant, they had looked so happy together and for a moment I had felt bad about my choice of immortality, leaving them behind without me, but the realisation that although they would have been happy I never would have been sobered me up.

Immortality was something I was fond of; it felt right, like I was made for it. With Eric by my side it felt like home. I couldn't help but realise that in some ways I had gained a new family the night Eric had turned me, I had gained a father who cared for me properly, who watched out for me, ensured everything was fine with me and allowed me some sense of freedom. I had gained a grandfather in Godric, someone to whom I could aspire to be like. He'd been magnificent then, not that he wasn't now, but he'd been the ultimate predator, the perfect balance of viciousness and cunning. The only thing I'd been missing had been a motherly figure, but I'd never liked my human mother anyway. She may have carried me inside of her for nine months, gone through countless hours of labour to give birth to me, but then she'd handed me off to a nanny and left me be. All I could thank her for was my birth, as it had ultimately led to my re-birth.

Before I could lose myself in my memories, the limo pulled up outside Caesar's Palace and the three of us exited the vehicle, clutching our purchases tightly in our hands. No one would dare to steal from us, but this was Vegas and ultimately Vegas was full of dumb people. Dumb, yet rich, people. The elevator took us up to the penthouse and as the doors slid back I realised we were the last to return. Not that it bothered me; I was in no way embarrassed by our late arrival. Ari and Khai were sat up at the barstools in the kitchen area, scribbling away at notepads and chattering on their cell phones in languages I had no grasp of. Egor and Agmund had abandoned their usual place in front of the elevator doors and were instead sat on the floor looking up at the huge flat screen TV, a controller of some sort for a human entertainment system in their hands. Glancing to the screen I took note of the racing game they seemed to be playing. Boys will be boys.

My Maker, Grandsire, Sookie and Ata sat together on the sofas, engrossed in conversation. Eric sat on one of the sofas, leaning back against the backrest casually, an arm flung over the armrest and the other wrapped around Sookie, who'd curled herself up into his side, an arm snaked around his waist and her head resting on his chest. It was oddly intimate. Godric occupied the other sofa, sat sideways with his legs stretched over the cushions and his back to the armrest, his arms wrapped around Ata's waist. Ata sat in the gap between his legs, her back to his chest and her hands locked with his in front of her, her legs too were stretched out in front of her and she was the perfect height to fit snuggly under my Grandsire's chin. I had never been one for romance or to seek simple comfort in the presence of another, my contact with humans had always been for a fuck and feed, but I felt a strange sensation of loneliness as I watched my two family members with their respective mates.

Deciding it was time to bite the proverbial bullet I took an unnecessary breath in, "Sookie, can I speak to you for a moment, alone?" I asked gently, giving the young breather a small, and what I hoped was friendly, smile. Sookie seemed confused for a moment however she slowly extracted herself from Eric, who was looking at me curiously. I sent him a wave of reassurance through our bond and waited patiently for Sookie to join me. Risking a glance to my Grandsire and his mate I found Godric observing me with the same curious expression that Eric wore, clearly it had been something my Maker had learnt from him. Ata, however, had her eyes narrowed in my direction and the warning shining in her blue orbs was abundantly clear – _fuck with my cousin, and I'll stake you._

Usually I would scoff at anyone attempting to threaten me in such a manner, but the older breather had some power I still wasn't familiar with, plus she had six vampires under her command. I wasn't about to fuck about and mess with her as much as I wanted to, I would just have to find someone else to torment mercilessly.

As Sookie joined me, I led the way into the hallway that subsequently led to the room I was staying in. With a flourish I opened the door, placing my bags down on the floor in front of the wardrobe. Looking over my shoulder I caught sight of Sookie wavering in the doorway. "I won't bite, I promise." I teased, rolling my eyes.

"It's not that I'm worried about, I'd just rather not risk another rocket launcher being fired in my direction." The blonde telepath shot back. She had a point. She took the final couple of strides into my room and I shut the door behind her, composing myself for the coming conversation.

"I regret my actions, Sookie. They hurt both you and my Maker, and for that I'm, sorry." I forced the apology out of my mouth. Sorry flowed easily when it was aimed at Eric, but I had never felt the need to apologise to anyone else in my decade as an immortal. Of course my sorry was still sincere, but my mouth refused to cooperate. Sookie quirked an eyebrow towards me in a gesture that spoke volumes. She folded her arms over her ample chest and regarded me for a moment, a weary expression on her features and a distrusting gleam to her eyes. "I didn't want Eric to die, Sookie." I huffed, sitting myself down on the edge of the bed before patting the space next to me in a gesture distinctly human. I would try and get along with the blonde telepath, try and attempt to act a little human around her. It was apparent how much she hated all of the killing my kind partook in. "If you were in my position, what would you have done, knowing you were about to lose the one person in the world who meant the world to you, the one person in the world who protected you and loved you unconditionally, who saved you from a life of subservience and solitude?" I approached with a different angle, wanting her to see it from my point of view.

There was silence for a moment as she thought over my words, finally her arms fell from her chest and she took up the spot next to me, pursing her lips together in contemplation. "I'd have tried to stop him too." She finally answered, giving a nod of her head. "I'm not saying you went about it in a great way though, Pam. If I had of died I'd of come back and haunted your undead ass for the rest of your life, but I understand your need to protect him. I want to protect him too, but I get the feeling that most of the time he finds himself in difficult situations because of me." She forced a small laugh and I had to fight to suppress a smile. At least she could see that she was, in most cases, a danger magnet.

"When Eric was down on his knees waiting for Bill to shoot him, I was trying to come up with form of plan, some way to get out of it. I was considering forming some sort of distraction for Marnie though I was unsure what. I don't want him to meet the true death because of me, Pam, but I don't know how I can prevent him from ever doing so. I love him and I won't let him go, I can tell you that for nothing, but at the same time I know, by simply being with me, he's putting himself, and subsequently you, in danger. I won't apologise for the love I have for him, but I'm sorry if he's ever treated you badly because I've put him in a foul mood. You're his kid and he loves you regardless." She spoke, her voice quiet but filled with emotion. A human girl was worrying about my feelings? I was rather touched and it was an odd feeling. She was so accepting of our kind, of all kinds, even when we had all given her reasons not to be so nice. Compton had lied to her and almost killed her several times, the fairies had stolen her away to their land for a year to do God knows what with her and the werewolf, Debbie, had come for her the night Eric had staked Talbot. For someone like myself it was easy to accept and overcome anything and everything thrown my way, but for a human with all of their emotions it was much harder. I had to take my hat off to the girl; she was coping well so far.

Wanting affirmation, I asked the million-dollar question. "You really do love Eric, don't you?"

"Yes, Pam, I do. I love all of him, not just the puppy dog version of him who stayed in my home for a week. As much of an ass as he is, he's wonderful all the same. I find myself constantly curious about him and although he's annoyingly high-handed I know he does it out of care and affection, and that's why I'm no longer going to be a grumpy little bitch about it. Underneath his big, bad Viking vampire Sheriff exterior I know there's goodness in him, it's like this little ball of light inside of him and I see it every time I look at him. Over the years I've known him it's become a little brighter, a little bigger, and I know that he's a good man, an honest man. I hate to compare him to Bill, because they are quite literally the antithesis of one another, but during the day I use to think of Bill as dead, but I think of Eric as simply sleeping. I know to you that might not mean a lot but it does to me. Every opportunity that he got Bill would sink his fangs in, and I don't know if I should share this with you but, during Eric's stay at mine his fangs never came out to 'play', shall we say." She explained and I couldn't help but watch in fascination as a light blush swept over her features. Humans and their morals, it was rather cute.

"It was almost as if he were human. I would never wish him to be so, don't get me wrong! I love him for who and what he is and that will never change, but as a little girl I use to imagine having a lovely human husband, we'd live in a pretty house in the countryside with the white picket fence and have lots of cute little children. Of course the moment ya'll came out of the coffin and I met Bill, I threw that dream away. I guess a part of me still held on to it though. I know I'm never gonna have children but that's okay with me now, I don't want to give my curse to someone else, that would be cruel and unfair. I've accepted a human man is never going to float my boat because I would be able to hear all of his thoughts all of the time, and being intimate with someone while they're thinking that your thighs are a little bit flabby is not nice." Sookie pulled a face. I had to clamp my lips shut in order to contain my smile and laughter. Lord help the man who would dare to call any part of Sookie 'flabby', she was as skinny as a racing whippet yet had maintained those soft curves my Maker loved so very much.

"Y'know, I've kinda even given up on my dream of a pretty house in the countryside, too." She whispered dropping her gaze from the wall she'd been staring at during her speech, down to her lap. It slowly started to click together in my mind. Sookie was a kitten in the Supe world, she had little-to-no idea about anything because Compton had sheltered her too much and then suddenly she'd been thrown in the deep end and been forced to float, to fight for her life every single day. I wasn't one to give out sympathy but I felt for the girl, she was only human after all. The chaos that had occurred for the past few years hadn't done much to unsettle Eric and I, we still had our homes and our lives were still the same to some degree, we didn't have to give up our hopes and wishes. Sookie had been forced to give it all up though.

I'd heard from a few sources that her grandmother had been murdered because of her association with Compton, that her brother had ended up being raped and bitten by were-panthers, the fairies had wanted to use her as a brood mare and Russell wanted her as his chew toy, she'd nearly been raped in the FOTS church and the dog, Debbie, had been less than happy with her regarding her friendship with Alcide. It was no surprise that she clung to the small bit of humanity she had left. She may believe that she'd given up on her dream of a husband, a country house and children, but it was obvious to me that she still craved that. My Maker could give her a home in the country, heck he could even take her to Vermont and marry her, but he couldn't give her children. Perhaps they could adopt one? Personally I hated children, but if it thought of Eric as its father and Sookie as its mother than I would make an exception. Although I wasn't fond of Eric being tied to a mortal, if she made him happy and he made her happy, then I was happy.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this, you probably don't care anyway." Sookie muttered angrily to herself under her breath.

Deciding it was time to share, I opened up to my fellow blonde. "I was born in England, during the Victorian era, my father owned several business across London and we had quite a bit of my money. My mother was a trophy wife, but her and my father loved one another anyway. They groomed me, from a very young age, into a respectable young lady of society. Let me tell you now, afternoon tea in London is not all it's cracked up to be. I was bored and tired of the lifestyle, forced to be subservient to men, not allowed to work for my own money. I liked the independence of work; I still do, so I understand you there. I spent most of my 20′s breaking engagements and young man's hearts, it was cruel of me but it was the only way I felt I had power over the other gender. My mother wanted me to marry well and have children, live in a nice house with servants waiting on me hand and foot. You say you want the 'American Dream'; I was set up to have something like that, but I didn't want it. If I'd have known you back then I would have suggested we swap lives." I offered Sookie a small smile, taking in the curious expression and faint smile on her features as she gave me her undivided attention. I had never shared my history with anyone other than Eric and it was liberating to speak openly.

"I met Eric one night in 1905, I'd been seeing my best friends cousin, Theodore, for quite some time and I so badly wanted to marry him. My parents didn't approve, they stated he wasn't of a high enough social class. It was ridiculous; they were stopping me from being with the one man I was truly in love with. My parents threatened to disown me if I went near him ever again, I would never have a penny from them and I would have to change my name. Society would cast me out as a disgrace, and I would never marry well. I had to make a choice then, between my family and the love of my life, and it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make. But I was too scared to choose, Sookie, I didn't want to disappoint anyone and I know you're just like too, you do everything for everyone else when they do nothing for you in return. It's an endearing quality. I decided enough was enough, I didn't want to fight and take sides, so Eric took me and drained me one night, putting me back in my bed and then after my funeral he dug me up. We left London together, headed up towards the north of England, towards Yorkshire, and we stayed there for a while in a derelict old building before making the journey over here to America. About ten years after my turning I spotted my parents through a windowpane in a small restaurant, they looked so happy together and for a moment I felt bad about my choice of immortality, leaving them behind without me, leaving Theodore behind without me. It was the lesser evil though, to just leave them both be. I was too scared to choose, and although Eric is never scared of anything I don't want him to have to choose between us. I think he needs us both in his life. I can help him in the vampire world and you can help him in the human one, he needs the balance we can both offer him. He's become a better vampire with both of us around. So, I call a truce, Sookie. I don't want us to bicker and fight and pull Eric in either direction." I gave my opinion, watching Sookie carefully.

She too watched me for a moment, an unfathomable expression on her features and in her eyes. "Promise you'll never fire a rocket launcher at me again?" She finally spoke.

"Only if you promise to never hurt Eric." I responded, treading carefully. I didn't want to imply that she would, but at the same time Sookie needed to know I wouldn't stand it for her to jerk him around. As much as I was growing to respect the young telepath I would still drain her dry if she ever seriously hurt Eric.

"Deal." Sookie stuck out her hand towards me and for a moment I observed it, before cautiously placing my own in it, giving it a gentle shake. It wasn't vampire custom to shake hands, too much physical contact, but I would bend the rules a little for my new breather companion.

"I bought you a present." I declared, moving at a human pace to the gift bag containing Sookie's new dress. Handing it to her she seemed utterly stunned and her blue eyes widened in surprise.

"You didn't have to, Pam." She started to protest but I held my hand up for silence.

"You gonna open it little fairy? I promise you it's nothing nasty." I vowed, raising my hand up in a gesture I'd been told the little human's did when they were part of a Girl Scout group.

"I thought we weren't bound together by oestrogen or sisterhood or some shit like that?" Sookie sassed, a smile playing on her lips as she took in my hand gesture.

"I'm surprised you remember that." I commented, letting my hand fall back to my side as Sookie started to peel the sticky tape off of the gift bag in order to open it.

"I have a good memory, Pam." She shot back, looking up at me before returning her attention to the gift bag. With one final tug she opened it, delved her hand inside, pulling out the dress. She gasped as she caught sight of it.

"As do I." I responded smugly, watching the pure surprise and joy on her features as she took in the dress.

"This is exactly like the one I wore the first night I came to Fangtasia! My goodness! Thank you so much! That maenad destroyed my old one and I've been looking for a new one everywhere!" she grinned, clambering off the bed and yanking me into a hug. I stiffened in her arms immediately, not entirely sure how to respond. I tried to remember how all the girls in the movies acted at this particular moment and slowly wrapped my arms back around Sookie, patting her back a little awkwardly a few times until she pulled away. "I have something for you too, wait here!" She instructed, practically running from the room.

Curiosity overcame me and I frowned a little though it was short-lived as Sookie quickly returned, a Nordstrom bag in her hands. "I got these for you last night while Eric and I were out shopping." She explained shyly, holding the bag out to me. Pleasantly surprised at the name on the bag I took it from her, seating myself back on the bed. Sookie hovered in front of me, the door shut behind her. Dipping my hand into the bag I removed the plain white shoebox, the words MANOLO BLAHNIK were printed in black on the lid, and instantly my eyes lit up. She'd bought me Manolo's! I had the lid of the box off before Sookie could even blink, pulling the shoes out to look at them. I couldn't help but gasp and grin as the pink pumps came into my line of sight. They were made of leather, approximately 4" high and were Mary Jane style, they were utterly beautiful and would look perfect with some of the new clothes I'd bought, and with some of my existing clothes. Without even having to think about it I slipped my current shoes off, sliding the new ones on. They fitted perfectly. Admiring them in the mirror I couldn't help but smile over my shoulder at Sookie, who looked on a little nervously. "They're beautiful Sookie, thank you." I offered, crossing over to her and pulling her in for a hug similar to the one she had given me moments before, but this time there was no awkward pat on the back, I was expecting this.

"You really like them?" she asked me nervously as I pulled back.

"I love them. My Maker is lucky to have you." I complimented as her face broke out into a large grin. Moving to my bed, she picked up her new dress, holding it against her frame. "Don't think that means I'll start calling you my sister or something though, or mother for that matter!" I playfully wagged my finger at her.

Laughter tumbled from Sookie's lips as she moved to the door, "Don't worry, I wasn't expecting that from you, daughter." She grinned cheekily before disappearing off down the corridor. "Eric! Look what Pam bought me!" I heard her happy exclamation as she entered the living area. My bond with Eric was flooded with love and pride seconds later and I couldn't help but smile. Looking down at my new Manolo's I felt like Sookie and I had reached an understanding this evening. We weren't enemies; we had the same common goal - Eric's happiness. I felt a little bad that Sookie had bought me shoes worth hundreds of dollars and I'd bought her a dress that cost less than $40, but that was Sookie all over, she preferred the simple things in life, the inexpensive yet meaningful things. I could have bought her diamonds and pearls, but that wasn't who she was.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction overcome me I tidied away my new purchases at vampire speed before stopping in front of the mirror once again to straighten out my clothes and to admire my new shoes some more. "Yes, I think we'll get along fine, my little telepathic friend."

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**A/N if anyone wants to see the gorgeous shoes, google image search Manolo Blahnik Campy, it's so pretty! ^_^**


	36. Welcome to the Family

**A/N Here you go guys!**

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_Hey kid, do I have your attention?  
I know the way you've been livin', life so wreckless, tragedy endless, welcome to the family  
Hey, there's somethin' missin', only time will alter your vision  
Never in question, lethal injection, welcome to the family  
Not long ago you'd find the answers were so crystal clear  
Within a day you find yourself livin' in constant fear  
Can you look at yourself now? Can you look at yourself? You can't win this fight  
And in a way it seems there's no one to call  
When our thoughts are so numb and our feelings unsure  
We all have emptiness inside; we all have answers to find, but you can't win this fight  
Hey, I have to question, what's with the violent aggression?  
Details blurry, lost him too early, welcome to the family  
Hey, why won't you listen? Can't help the people you're missing  
It's been done, a casualty re-run  
Welcome to the family  
~ Welcome to the Family, Avenged Sevenfold_

I was instantly suspicious the moment Pam asked to speak with Sookie alone. Although the rooms in the building were soundproofed I was still able to dip into the minds of both females to discover exactly what was going on between them. I was somewhat surprised by Pam's show of care and the fact she felt like sharing details of her human life, but at least the two were starting to get along. In my opinion Pam still wasn't worthy of Sookie's friendship, but it wasn't my place to say such a thing.

During their absence, I continued my conversation with both Eric and Godric, discussing Sookie's training plan further and explaining to them both all of the powers she already has and the ones she may develop in the future. I even informed Eric of the two gifts Sookie would receive upon fae maturity, though of course only Niall would know what it was she would be receiving. Ari and Khai had finished up their phone calls and had moved all of the available chairs to the centre of the room, around the sofas. There was much to discuss.

"Eric! Look what Pam bought me!" Sookie's happy exclamation rung out from the corridor as she bounded into the living area, carrying with her the red and white floral sundress Pam had just gifted her with. It was the same dress that she'd worn the first night she'd met Eric, I'd witnessed it inside her mind, and I couldn't stop my small smile. At least Pam paid attention enough to note Sookie's style.

Eric quirked an eyebrow as Sookie stood before him, holding the dress up to her slender frame. "Pam bought you a present?" he took in the article of clothing as Sookie nodded her head happily. "Isn't that the same dress you wore the first night we met?" he suddenly remembered, looking up at Sookie as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

A blush blossomed across my cousin's features as she nodded her head. "Yes, the maenad destroyed it, I've been looking everyone for one and Pam found it!" She grinned. Pam took that moment to wander back into the room and instantly my eyes went to her feet. I had to admit, the shoes were gorgeous. Returning my gaze to my cousin and Eric, I watched as the blonde vampire turned his head to his progeny, a smile on his features before he too noticed her new shoes.

"I see you exchanged gifts. They look wonderful on you Pam." He complimented, earning himself a grin from his Childe. Pam took a seat on one of the barstools, crossing her legs neatly and tucking them beneath her. Clearly she'd been raised a lady. Looking up, I captured Pam's gaze and for a moment we simply stared at one another until finally I gave a nod, which Pam returned respectfully. I still hadn't forgiven her for every snide comment she'd made about Sookie over the years, nor had I forgiven her for trying to blow Sookie up with an RPG, but I was willing to work on it and put that to one side if Sookie was.

"I think we need to plan for Friday night, and discuss the information we gathered from the Were before he met an unfortunate end." I broke into the conversation as Sookie settled herself back into Eric's side, having folded her new dress neatly and placed it upon the coffee table. There was a brief commotion as everyone settled into place. Egor and Agmund ended their game, turning the TV off to give me their full attention as they settled upon the two remaining barstools. Riei and Oeri came out from the bedrooms, having placed everyone's purchases away, and took their seats on the remaining spaces on the two sofas. Khai and Ari had moved themselves to sit on the floor beside the sofa I was currently stretched out on with Godric and Riei.

"I don't know if you're all aware of this, but Felipe is holding a party at his mansion on Friday night and only those in a position of power can go. That means only Ari, Eric, Pam and myself could go. However, as we're keeping Eric hidden so that Russell doesn't find him, sending him in would be a mistake, which means unfortunately Pam can't go either. Ari and I have to go, as Sheriff of the area I'm expected to be there and with Ari being my second in command it would be expected of him to be there also." I started, looking around at the nine vampires and one fairy in the room. We were an odd bunch, and I couldn't help but smile about it.

"Felipe is getting a little bit too big for his boots, this morning he sent me a huge bouquet of red roses and basically told me that should I need money or sex I should go to him." I sighed, the sound of seven growls breaking through the air. I couldn't help but chuckle at the possessive nature of my boys and my Godric. "When I dealt with disputes on Monday night I took Godric down with me, and even then, after I'd introduced him as my twice-bonded, Felipe still suggested that I should be **his** Queen and sit on the throne of Nevada beside **him**. Of course I told him I am perfectly happy where I am and with who I am with, but if Felipe want's something he won't stop." I ran a hand through my hair, shaking my head at the situation that had presented itself.

"What do we do about it then?" Agmund broke in, a scowl on his features.

"I haven't a clue yet, but the Were we had in the basement said a few things of interest. We asked him who sent him and he said 'the Kings'" I quoted, even going as far as to raise my hands and make quotation marks in the air.

"Kings? As in, plural?" Pam broke in, her eyebrows rising towards her hairline. I decided then that this wasn't the time for anything personal between the pair of us, we needed to present a united front if we were going to be able to get to the bottom of this and end whatever was going on.

"Yes, but he wouldn't tell us how many there were." I responded.

"There was a blank spot in his mind when I went to go and get the information." Sookie mentioned helpfully.

The group broke into low murmur, not quite believing it. Clearing my throat, everyone settled down and silence fell upon us once again. "As we're all aware, Were's cannot be glamoured, however there was definitely a blank spot there. So, the only explanation I can come up with is that magic was used to remove the memory, and we're aware that can easily happen." I glanced towards Eric who rolled his eyes, clearly still frustrated with his mistreatment by the witches.

"Fucking Wiccan's." Pam muttered under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ah ah," I waggled my finger at her, "don't go slandering a religion because one group were acting out. We don't even know if it was Wiccan's, there are a lot of practitioners of magic these days, both in this world and other worlds, human or otherwise." I corrected, not liking the prejudice idea one bit.

"You should never wag your finger at a vampire you know, we bite." Pam glared at my finger, which was still pointed in her direction. Shaking my head I held back a laugh, dropping my hand back to my lap.

"Sorry sweet, you're not my type." I shot back with a smirk.

"No?" Pam leant forward, her lips pulling up into a smirk. "My Grandsire your type though?"

Placing my hands firmly on Godric's thighs I slid my hands down, turning my hands inwards to the inside of his thighs on the way back up, caressing him in front of everyone. "Oh most certainly." I purred, enjoying the fact my vampire was squirming behind me. Clearly my touch was having an effect on him as I felt him stirring too.

"What a shame," Pam leant back in her chair, watching my hands trailing across Godric, "for me." Her smirk broke into a small smile, which I found myself unable to not return. I'd never been with a woman before, and I never would be, but it was entertaining all the same. Before today I'd had to flirt with numerous rich men's wives in order to convince them to tell their husbands to spend more. The more they spent, the more I earned.

Khai cleared his throat and broke the silence that had filled the room. "As much as we're enjoying the show, can we continue now?"

Turning my attention to my second eldest boy, I gave him a warm smile. "Of course. Now, the Were had Edgington's pack brand on him, but it's common knowledge that Russell's pack dispersed when he was entombed in the ground. So, we don't know if he's back working for Russell or if he's simply moved from Mississippi to Vegas. If we can find more Were's with the brand in the area then there's a higher chance Russell is here and they're working for him." I surmised.

"I was attacked by Were's back in Shreveport, before I came here." Pam broke in.

"They didn't follow you, did they?" Ari quirked an eyebrow, looking at Pam with the look he usually gave me when he wanted me to back down about something.

"Don't be ridiculous. I ran them out to Monroe and abandoned them there. I'm not stupid." Pam looked down to her nails as if they were far more interesting than the conversation.

"I never said you were, Pam. I was just double checking." Ari responded calmly.

Taking over once again, I spoke. "Right, anyway, we eventually got some more information from the creature. Apparently this unknown number of kings wants both Sookie and myself for themselves. Urm, he said something about…"

"He said there was no point in either of them running, that they'd find them and take them when they weren't expecting it. Apparently they even plan on staking Godric and I before bonding themselves to our women and forcing them into servitude." Eric growled out, his grip on Sookie tightening. Godric's arm around me tightened too, and his other arm wrapped itself around my middle, pulling me tightly to his chest. I felt safe in his grasp, safer than I had in a while.

The room erupted into growls, every vampire present making some sound of disgust and hatred. Although the sound was meant to be threatening and angry I found myself enjoying it, it was a sign of the affection all of the vampires present held for my cousin or myself. "They won't lay a finger on either of you, we promise you that." Khai declared, looking between both Godric and Eric.

"Thank you, it's reassuring to know we have some support if it's needed." Godric graciously acknowledged. My boys were known to only protect those they deemed worthy, so it was heartwarming to hear them offer their protection to my bonded and Eric.

"And of course, Pam will be protected too." Ari added, looking towards Pam before giving her a wink. If I hadn't of known better I would have thought Pam was flustered with the cheeky gesture.

"We asked him how many more there were and he wouldn't verbally answer us, however Sookie was able to extract from his mind that he was thinking of a whole pack of them, at least thirty, and that he was thinking of this party on Friday night. Of course we don't know if it's Russell's pack or if he joined a new one, but it's still a concern." I continued on, knowing there was much to discuss. "The creature stated that apparently Felipe is gonna get me, that 'ya won't leave in one piece' and that I'll be stuck with him for eternity." I rolled my eyes, recalling the fleabags words. There was no denying the fact I was a little worried but I didn't wish to dwell upon that.

"He could only keep you for eternity if he turned you, and even then you'd meet the sun regardless of a Maker's command. The only way for you to be around for eternity is for Felipe to let you keep your heartbeat and allow Godric to live." Oeri broke in, frowning a little as he tried to work out the logistics of it.

"Back it up sugarplum, how can Ata be around for eternity only if my Grandsire is alive?" Pam interrupted, her hand up towards Oeri to silence him.

"The Fae live for 2500 years and then they die, or they live for eternity if they find their mate. You try to turn a sky fae and they'll meet the sun within a few days, they need the sunlight to strengthen their powers and to be at one with their element. Felipe is in no way Ata's mate, and therefore if he did take her, but didn't turn her, then she'd die in 400 years. If he did turn her she'd meet the sun." Agmund explained, raising his arms above his head to stretch, his shirt riding up a little to showcase his flat stomach and defined muscles.

Catching Sookie looking, I allowed myself a small smile. I wasn't the only one to notice her gaze however, Agmund noticed to and gave her a playful wink. Instantly Sookie's face flushed and she ducked her head into Eric's side. Eric of course hadn't missed a moment of the exchange and he looked towards Agmund with a glare that could probably kill a human. Letting his arms fall back into his lap, Agmund shot his fellow Viking a large grin. Relenting, Eric rolled his eyes in a very Pam-like gesture.

"You're kidding me, right? They get to keep their heartbeats and the sunshine and **still** get to have all eternity? That's not fair!" Pam scowled, glaring at both Sookie and I, to which I responded with a dazzling smile.

"Life's unfair." I shrugged.

"Good job I'm technically dead then." Pam deadpanned.

"Touché."

"Ladies, please, back to the matter at hand." Ari broke through our little tiff.

"Of course, sorry." I turned my attention back to the group as a whole. "Anyway, Mr. Rash here," I gestured behind me with my thumb towards my vampire, "snapped his neck before we could get anything else useful out of him. But that doesn't matter, the smell of dog is gonna take forever to bleach out of the basement anyway." I sighed.

"So, what precautions are we going to take for Friday night?" Egor broke in, slipping off of the barstool. Ari took his place moments later. Egor too stretched, revealing his flat stomach and muscles, however Sookie pointedly averted her gaze. Slowly he lowered himself onto the floor by the sofa I was sat on before stretching out, resting his head in his hands.

"Ari, did you contact the King of California?" I looked to my eldest, my second in command.

"Yes, he said that he'd be more than willing to keep an eye out for you, and to have a few of his guards keep an eye on you too. I told him to think of it as us cashing in the favour he owes us for outing his gold digging ex-girlfriend, however he told me he still owed us one, that he was doing this because he hated the idea of you being taken against your will." Ari informed us all.

"Naww Edgar is such a sweetheart." I cooed, unable to conceal my smile. The King of California was an exceptionally good man. He wasn't as old as some of the other monarchs but he ruled with a firm yet fair hand, he gave money to charities that helped the homeless and the abused and he helped with the rehabilitation of drug addicts, as he'd been one himself during his human years. He opened up his home to humans twice a year and threw many events for them too. He supported the film industry and helped the governor of California with his budget and the enforcement of state laws.

"I also wish to bring in a few people of my own to take care of Ata, if that's acceptable?" Godric finally spoke up, looking between Ari and myself.

Ari seemed to think the proposal over for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "The more people who can keep an eye out for her the better. Who did you have in mind?"

"Her name's Nora, she works for the authority. Eric and I rescued her from a pack of wolves at the top of a mountain a few years back, she's owed us ever since. I was also thinking of the Sheriff of Dallas, my old second in command, Isabel Beaumont." My vampire suggested.

"They're both in positions of power, that could work. Have you contacted them?" Ari inquired.

With a shake of his head, Godric answered. "No, not yet, I'll ring them when we've finished our discussion, though I'm sure they'd both be willing to come over and help out."

"Khai, did you manage to get in contact with Toni?" I asked, suddenly remembering my plan to mark my skin in a manner that would scream out to everyone whom I belonged to.

"Yeah, he said he'd be here five hours before the start of the party to mark you up, sort out your hair and apply your make-up for you." Khai was quick to respond. I'd mentally told my boys of the plan earlier and they'd loved the idea, they'd believed it to be the subtlest option available but it would have a major impact all the same. "He's asked to see what he's going to be replicating before he gets here, so that he'll be able to draw them up for you." Khai added as an afterthought.

"I guess we're talking about my markings, my sweet?" I heard Godric's whisper in my ear as he moved my hair from my neck, exposing the creamy skin, which he nuzzled gently.

"Yes, I've asked one of my friends to come and help us with it." I responded quietly, playing with his fingers.

"Not permanent I hope." He added gently, dropping a kiss to my jugular.

"No, you didn't want that so it won't happen. They'll last for a day or two at the most." I stated, reaching a hand up and around to hold his head in place. Turning my face I pressed a kiss to his cheek, nuzzling his nose before returning to the group conversation, my hand still behind me, playing with the short hairs at the nape of Godric's neck.

"Which ones are you having?" Khai pulled his phone from his pocket, bringing up the camera on it. "Toni wants images to work from." He explained.

Dropping my hands from Godric's neck, I turned on the sofa to face him. Picking up his left arm I traced the zigzag marks, "I want these," I stated softly, placing his arm back down again. Leaning forward I started to unbutton his shirt, my fingers tracing over the blue marks across his chest, remembering all those years ago how they had become my firm favourite.

"If you guys need a room, then there are plenty in the building. This is a hotel after all." Egor catcalled, a smirk gracing his features. Glaring in his direction as the final button popped open, I slid the shirt from my vampires frame before clambering behind him, my small hands moving across the vast expanse of his back.

"I want this one," I declared, tapping the sea serpent down his spine, "because I want a backless dress." My fingers hovered over his brand for a moment. "I want this too." I finally made my choice, running the pads of my fingers over the raised red bumps.

"I don't want you to bear my brand, my sweet." Godric spoke with a firm yet gentle tone.

"Tough, I'm having it. You forget that this is all about a show of ownership, and brands are just that, a show of ownership." I responded with an equally firm tone as Khai approached, gesturing for Godric to hold up his left arm so the zigzag tattoo could be photographed and sent to Toni. With that done, Khai moved towards me, taking a few shots of the serpent on Godric's back so that Toni would get it right.

"I would never wish to own you, you know." My ancient vampire finally broke the silence, looking over his shoulder at me. Raising a hand I caressed his cheek, laying a gentle kiss onto his shoulder blade.

"I know, but it must appear in front of others that you do." I reassured him, not completely seeing the problem with me bearing his markings. My father had forced him into slavery and had him branded, it was the least I could do. Khai took a few photos of the brand before emailing them all off to Toni, taking his seat on the floor once again.

Picking up Godric's shirt I started to fold it up but he held his hand out for it. Shaking my head, I placed it on the kitchen counter before sashaying back over to him. With a roll of his eyes, my vampire settled back against the arm of the sofa and I was quick to move to the space between his legs once more. This time however I chose to settle on my side, my legs stretched out between his and my head resting against his chest, right above the area where his silent heart sat. His left hand went to my hair, stroking it gently, while his right hand brushed against my cheek.

"We should keep a mental link open while you're at the party, Ata." Sookie finally spoke up. I'd thought for sure she'd drifted off to sleep snuggled up to Eric. It wouldn't have surprised me if she had of, her training today would have been taxing on her small body and her spark would have been surprised by its sudden usage.

"That sounds like a plan. I'll keep a mental link open with the boys too, because we're all family it shouldn't be difficult for us to communicate with one another over the large distance." I agreed, knowing it would be the safest option to keep as many people as possible in the loop.

"Keep me mentally informed too, my sweet." Godric insisted and I could feel his resolve in the bond. I gave a small nod against his chest as agreement, as we'd exchanged blood twice it shouldn't be too difficult for us to stay in contact with one another.

"How am I going to be able to hear what you're thinking?" Eric interrupted us with a quirked eyebrow.

"Wait." Pam interrupted Eric, earning herself a glare from her Maker. "Please do not tell me that you can hear vampire thoughts?" She turned her attention to me, watching me with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes, Pam, I can hear vampires. I can also go shifting through their memories." I responded honestly, plastering on a sweet smile and batting my eyelashes in her direction.

"You can get inside my head and you never told me!" She all but screamed, rising up quickly from her seat.

"Pamela." Eric growled out lowly, focusing his strong glare on his progeny.

"There's no point in getting angry about it sweet pea, I've seen everything. Don't worry though, I removed myself from your memories the moment you returned to Fangtasia and had your rant to the skeletal woman in the nurses outfit." I shrugged.

I could see the anger bubbling inside of Pam but I wasn't going to let this go. She may have smoothed things over with Sookie but I still wasn't convinced. A sharp breeze wafted over me and the next thing I knew I was sat on the sofa alone, both Eric and Godric stood in front of me, their backs to me, protecting me from Pam as she'd moved from her seat to attack me. "Pamela, as your Maker I command you not to hurt Ata."

"Eric! She's snooping in our minds, she's a danger to us, to our kind!" Pam hissed, glaring at me through the small gap between the two male vampires. The sounds of more growls broke out into the air and all my boys were up on their feet in defensive postures.

"Pamela, Ata's gift is incredibly useful, it has kept her alive for over 2000 years and will help keep **all** of us, that includes **you**, alive while Russell is on the loose. You should be grateful." Godric chastised Pam, who looked increasingly angrier by the second.

"Why didn't you tell me this before, Eric? You never tell me anything these days!" She turned her attention to her Maker, loosing her temper with him.

"Remember who you are speaking to, Childe. I did not reveal Ata's gift to you because I was unsure if it was wise to do so. Clearly I made a sound judgment." Eric shot back. "Now sit." He ordered her. The pair engaged in a visual showdown for what felt like eternity but eventually Pam gave up and took her seat once more, throwing glares in my direction. Sighing in annoyance I shook my head as the male vampires in the room calmed down and took their seats once more. In one fluid motion Godric had picked me up and placed me back down in my previous position, flaked out across his torso.

"Sookie, have you given any more thought to my suggestion?" I spoke up, remembering that I had asked Sookie if she wished to hear vampire thoughts too. I had a few reservations about it, over the years I'd had to work exceptionally hard to shelter myself from their stronger thoughts, but ultimately it would be a valuable gift to have. Isis knows it's saved my life on more than one occasion.

"What suggestion?" Eric looked down to Sookie, who had settled back into side now that he was seated once more. Clearly he was displeased that I had avoided his first question regarding his ability to hear my thoughts and now wanted some answers.

"Ata suggested that I think about, perhaps, being able to listen to vampire thoughts, in order to protect myself better." My cousin explained, nibbling on her lower lip as she looked up to Eric. I didn't need to have a bond with her to know she was nervous and somewhat worried about his reaction.

Silence settled on our group for a moment, I wasn't use to all of this silence. My boys had always been vocal and expressed their feelings, they'd mused aloud and bounced ideas off of one another. I was about to break the silence when Eric beat me to it. "It would make taking care of you a bit more of a challenge, lover. It would have to remain a closely guarded secret, no one outside of this room must know about it, but I cannot deny the fact it would prove useful, not only in our current situation but in the future too…" I could see the Viking was deep in thought. I had assumed Sookie would be terrified about the idea, terrified of knowing everything that was going on in vampire minds, yet on her face I could only read excitement. I guess she could see the benefits of it.

"How do we go about getting Sookie able to read vampire minds?" He directed his question towards me. Propping myself up a little further on Godric's chest so I could focus on the conversation and not on the silence from his chest, I pursed my lips together in contemplation. I loved the silence surrounding vampires; it was why for the past 2000 years I had always fallen asleep against one of my vampires' chests. Although my hearing was in no way as advanced as theirs, the smallest sounds would irritate me. I would wake to the sound of the clock ticking, the closing of a door or even footsteps in the room beside mine. I was a deep sleeper but it was easy to wake me, years of being constantly on alert had done that to me. It was why all of the bedrooms in the penthouse were soundproofed, so I could sleep easy.

"I have a feeling Niall suppressed Sookie's ability to hear vampires in order to keep her safe. I guess he wanted her to know as little as possible about the supernatural world until it was necessary. I was born with the ability to hear you guys, I guess Niall knew I would spend my life in your company." I gave an affectionate smile to my six boys, all of whom returned the gesture. "It shouldn't be too difficult to unlock the ability, but it'll take a while for Sook to develop stronger shields. The shields she has at the moment are perfect for humans and Were's but it's common knowledge you guys think more clearly and if I've learnt anything over the years it's that you guys are really strong broadcasters." I stated, biting my own lip in contemplation.

"Is this really the best idea? We're struggling to keep Sookie safe as it is." Pam sighed in exasperation.

"If she can hear a vampire coming, and hear what they have planned, then the chance of her survival increases. Yes her survival chances would decrease if they were to find out about it but as Eric stated, the information doesn't leave this room." I gave Pam a pointed look, for which I received a glare in return. One step forward, two steps back.

"Just, how do we go about this?" Eric broke in, his irritation shining through. I could see why my Godric had turned him, he wanted to get to the point and not pussyfoot around.

"It requires a ritual which I can perform for her if she wishes. It also requires her will. Sookie will have to **want **to hear our thoughts and have a valid reason for it. I believe she may only need to want to hear one vampire and all the others will just open up to her." Oeri broke in. He was my doctor and shaman, so I knew this area was his specialty. "I assume it will be you that Sookie will wish to listen in on?" Oeri addressed Eric.

With a nod of his head, Eric agreed. "Yes, what does this ritual involve exactly?" the Viking inquired, tipping his head sideways a little in curiosity.

"I believe a few incantations have to be spoken and she'll have to consume the blood of one who can already hear us. It would explain why Sookie has been isolated from those of her own kind for so long, if she knew she was able to break it herself with a bit of help, she'd have probably gone for it." Oeri turned to my cousin, giving her a warm smile.

"That predictable eh?" she rolled her eyes mockingly.

"I'm assuming it would be Ata's blood, yes?" Godric broke in, glancing down to me, then to Sookie and finally to Oeri.

Oeri's attention switched to Godric as he responded, he'd always been so well mannered. "Ideally, yes. As Ata is her kin, her blood would be readily accepted by Sookie's system. The age of Ata's blood may have an effect to; Sookie might be able to pull her new powers under control much sooner. The unlocking of her ability might cause some pain and the bombardment of vampire thoughts might give her a headache for a few hours until her brain catches up with the new information." he explained.

"I want to do this, I need to do this. I dislike not knowing what's going on, but I won't go snooping in anyone's minds without their permission. Oeri, would you be able to do this for me tomorrow night?" Sookie took charge, sitting up straight in her seat to look my boy straight in the eyes. She had guts if she wanted to go through with this, and it made me even prouder of her.

"Lover, once you do this you can't go back." Eric warned her gently, placing a cool hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Eric. I want to do this." She told him firmly, a nod of her head sealing the deal. I'd expected Eric to put up a bit more of a fight, kick up more of a storm, but it was obvious now just how much power Sookie held over him. She had him wrapped around her little finger.

Oeri rose to his feet, Riei following closely behind. "We'll go and set everything up in the training room for tomorrow night, we'll also read over some of our old textbooks and make sure everything is perfect. Goodnight everyone." Both of my boys gave respectful bows, blowing cheeky kisses in my direction, before disappearing off up the staircase behind the bookshelf to the training room and our private library.

"I'll contact Toni regarding these images and see what he can do, I'll also put in a call to the King of California and see what he can do for us." Khai informed us all, rising to his feet before bidding us all goodnight and disappearing off to his room.

"I need to feed." Pam stated loudly, drawing our attention to her.

"Donors are downstairs in the bars and clubs, they wear red cards on lanyards around their necks." I informed her with a small smile, not wanting her to kill anyone. With a curt nod she rose to her feet, giving a respectful bow to both Eric and Godric before disappearing off downstairs.

A comfortable silence fell over us all as we lost ourselves in our thoughts. I was worried for this party on Friday, but the last thing I wanted was for Godric to worry about me any more than necessary. Egor and Agmund suddenly stiffened, moving with vampire speed to the elevator where they dropped fang, taking a defensive posture just as the doors slid back. A male squeak could be heard seconds later. "Oscar isn't it?" Egor spoke up. I couldn't see past my two defenders but the mention of the young baby vamp caused me to smile.

"Let him in boys." I ordered. Egor and Agmund stepped aside and young Oscar took a few cautious steps inside my penthouse, he didn't enter very far though and seemed highly nervous. Sitting myself up, I smoothed out my clothes before giving the baby vamp a warm smile. "Oscar dear, what can I do for you?" I rose from my space on the couch, crossing the room to stand before the small blonde haired boy. He'd been such a sweetie when I'd freed him from his cruel Maker; he had such potential to do well in his new lease of life.

Oscar shuffled on his feet silently, dropping his gaze down to the floor, "Good evening Sheriff, I'm sorry to disturb your evening. I just wanted to, to thank you for freeing me from my Maker. No one wants me and I don't want to be a burden to you. I'm going to try and find a nest in the area or in Carson City and see if they'll teach me everything I need to know. I just thought I'd come and say goodbye." Oscar finally looked up, a small smile on his lips.

"You're not a burden sweetie. No one wants you? I'm sure there's someone out there willing to be your Maker." I stated with conviction.

"No, but it's alright. I don't mind. I'll take care of myself. I use to look out for myself in my human years, it can't be that much different, right?" he let out a nervous laugh, returning to shuffling his feet once more.

"Where will you rest in the day? How will you pay for things? Do you have any savings from your human years?" I asked gently, wanting to know how he planned to support himself.

"I'll probably sleep in the ground. I don't know how I'm going to pay for anything, I had savings but my old Maker wiped them clean with his gambling addiction. I guess I'll scrounge what I can." He responded honestly, giving a shrug of his shoulders. I approved of his honesty; he clearly had an honest heart and good intentions.

Making up my mind, I voiced my opinion. "You need a nest sweetie, and a Maker. I'll tell you what, why don't you live here, be part of my nest? And, if after a couple of months it all works out, well I'll gladly be your new Maker. I have six vampire children of my own, all of whom are the best they can be, and I promise to take care of you and look after you. You don't have to accept it right away, but the offer is there." I offered him, feeling the eyes of Sookie, Eric, Ari and Godric on my back. Egor and Agmund were stood off to my side a little, their eyes on me too.

Oscar seemed to think about it for a moment, his boyish features a picture of contemplation. His emerald green eyes moved from me to Ari, Egor and Agmund, he was clearly aware they were three of my vampire children. Dropping my mental shields, I allowed myself to pry, to gain an understanding of where he was currently with his thoughts.

_"What an offer. I'd get to live in this nice house, wear nice clothes, have a nice Maker and gain a big family. Just like my human days. Big family. But they might not want me, the Sheriff does, but will her children want me? I'd be too much trouble, she has plans and she probably doesn't need the stress I'd cause her. Yes. Very nice offer, but I have nothing to offer her back…"_

I took the opportunity to mentally run the idea past my children.

_"Boys, what's your thought on Oscar joining our nest, potentially being your younger brother. Be honest, I won't utter a word." _I sent to my children.

There was silence for a moment before slowly my boys' responses filtered in.

_"The young boy from the disputes session? He seems well mannered, a little misled by his Maker, but a good kid. I wouldn't mind." _Khai responded.

_"He was so distressed when he found out that no one wanted to take him in under their wing, he could be great. I wouldn't mind helping him learn our ways." _Oeri offered.

_"I'm seconding Oeri." _Riei chipped in.

_"I do not know if it's so wise given the current situation we find ourselves in. There is power in numbers however. I suggest for the time being that he is allowed to be a member of our nest but we withhold any conversations about him becoming our blood brother until all threats have been eliminated. The last thing we need is for him to feel all of our emotions and to be overcome by them. If Russell or Felipe learn of his attachment to our group he could well become a target, as he would be seen as the weakest link." _Ari's logical thinking prevailed.

_"I agree with Ari. A member of the nest but not a blood brother until all threats are gone. I've always wanted a younger brother." _I could almost feel Agmund smiling in my mind.

_"I concur. He's an interesting character, needs to work on his confidence a little bit but other than that I think he'd be a wonderful addition." _Egor chucked in his two cents worth.

Deciding there was one final person to include, I nuzzled my way into Godric's mind.

_"Sweetie, what do you think about Oscar joining the nest? As the daddy figure I thought it would be prudent to ask you." _I had to try hard to contain my smirk though I was positive Godric would have picked up on my teasing mental tone and my amusement through our bond.

_"I think it's a wonderful thing for you to do, and the young boy will make a great addition to the nest. He didn't need to come up and thank you and yet he did, clearly he already respects you. I will stand by you whatever choice you make." _Unable to help my smile at my mates words, I glanced over my shoulder to him, stretched out across the sofa, his shirt still off. I pushed love through our bond and received plenty in return.

Finally facing the young vampire, I gently took his hand in my own. He seemed shocked by my action and quickly glanced between my hand and my eyes, unsure how to react. "You can live here in the penthouse, we'll get you some nice new clothes and we'll teach you everything we know. I'm not going to promise that things will be easy all the time but my children and I will not give up on you. I want nothing in return but your loyalty, sweetie." I reassured him.

Oscar's eyes widened as I answered all of his mental questions. "It's true?" he whispered, leaning forward as if it were some massive state secret, as if no one else in the room would hear him. I had to suppress my scent even further; a baby vamp was dangerous to be around with my level of fae blood. "You can read my thoughts?" he asked quietly.

"Yes my dear, I try not to but I wanted to know what the matter was." I responded truthfully, knowing that if the young vampire was going to be living with us he would need to know everything.

"I'd like to join your nest, for you to be my Maker." He finally admitted in a whisper, dropping his gaze to the floor. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, I pulled the boy into my embrace, ensuring his face was against my chest and not my throat. I was still concerned over his level of control but he seemed to be doing well so far. "Thank you, Sheriff." He mumbled into my skin.

"It's Ata, sweetie." I corrected him gently, pulling back from the embrace to place a motherly kiss to his forehead before offering him a smile, which he returned shyly.

Agmund took a step forward, placing a hand on the young vampires shoulder. A grin decorated his features and after glancing to everyone else in the room I was pleased to see they were all in agreement over Oscar's decision. Reaching up, Agmund ruffled the boys' blonde bangs. "Welcome to the family kiddo."

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**A/N yesss little Oscar is back! I originally only intended for him to be a one chapter kind of character however I truly fell in love with him and I hated how lonely and frightened and mistreated he was, I like to think that Ata's kind heart will help nurture him and turn him into a fierce and loyal warrior! I also have some major plans for him later on in the story ^_^**


	37. Remember When

**A/N here you go guys, time for a little bit of a history lesson me thinks! **

**No beta, all mistakes are my own.**

**Remember to R&R, it makes the Viking happy, and if the Viking is happy then his Maker is happy, and if Godric is happy then I am most certainly a ****_very_**** happy woman ;)**

**www . midnightopheliac . wordpress . com**

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**GODRIC'S POV**

_Remember when I was young and so were you and time stood still and love was all we knew  
You were the first, so was I, we made love and then you cried, remember when  
Remember when we vowed the vows and walked the walk, gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard  
We lived and learned, life threw curves, there was joy, there was hurt, remember when  
Remember when old ones died and new were born, and life was changed, disassembled, rearranged  
We came together, fell apart and broke each other's hearts  
Remember when  
Remember when thirty seemed so old, now lookin' back it's just a steppin' stone to where we are,  
Where we've been, said we'd do it all again, remember when  
Remember when we said when we turned grey, when the children grow up and move away  
We won't be sad, we'll be glad for all the life we've had and we'll remember when  
~ Remember When, Alan Jackson_

My Ata was truly a wonderful woman, the young vampire had nothing in the world and was a relative unknown and yet she was offering him everything. Her kind heart was so endearing and yet I couldn't help but worry that one day it would be her downfall. She had her six vampire children watching out for her at night, along with myself now that I had found her, but during the day she was alone, her only protection was that of Were's and they weren't always the best at their jobs. They tended to be all brawn and no brain.

I'd shifted on the sofa, mirroring Eric's posture during the time that Ata had been speaking to Oscar. As Ata took Oscar's hand, she led the baby vampire to the sofas where she settled down beside me once again, bringing the little one with her. Oscar seemed nervous at first, perching on the edge of the sofa, but as Ata found a comfortable spot against my side, with my arm around her shoulders; he seemed to relax a little. With a gentle tug from my beloved, Oscar found himself resting against her side. He visibly tensed, looking up at Ata with worry and panic in his eyes. "It's alright sweetie, in this house physical contact is perfectly fine." She reassured him. His emerald eyes lifted to me and I could see he was worrying about my reaction too. Clearly he had sensed that there was something between Ata and I, and he could no doubt smell my blood in her system.

Softening my features, I gave him a reassuring smile, which caused him to relax immediately and nuzzle himself into Ata's side. Tentatively the young vampire reached an arm out around Ata, wrapping it around her waist. Ata's left hand went to the boys' blonde hair, stroking it in a soothing manner. Her right hand reached upwards, slipping behind my head to play with the short hairs at the nape of my neck. Even in our human years Ata had been a touchy feely person, though her touches then had always been clinical, for fear of frightening me off.

Moving my gaze across the room to my Childe and Sookie, I took in Eric's raised eyebrow aimed at me, and Sookie's warm smile that was aimed at Oscar. Subtly shrugging my shoulders, I gave Eric a fond smile, reminding him that while the new vampire would be like a child to me, Eric was my true Childe. It was a strange thought, that once Ata and I were thrice-bonded and pledged by the knife we would be married by vampire custom, and her progenies would be like children to me. For 1000 years I'd been alone, all of my family gone, then Eric had come along and changed all of that. Once we'd parted ways he'd turned Pam, and my family had grown a little more. Now though my family seemed impossibly large, but it was comforting to know I had plenty of support and I would gladly give all of them my support in return.

Observing Oscar I could see why someone would want to turn him. He was slender yet proportional, he had a boyish charm to him thanks to his young age, I would guess he'd been turned when he'd been around twenty-one, and his green eyes mixed with blonde hair would make him an attractive partner for anyone. Most humans were turned into vampires as companions for their Makers, usually a sexual partner as vampires weren't known to stay in serious relationships for long periods of time. It was true that I had turned Eric for companionship and, though there was no denying the beauty of my Childe both physically and emotionally, I had in no way thought of him as a sexual partner when deciding to turn him. Of course things had transpired between us, as was the usual way in Maker/Childe relationships, but once I had managed to pull his primal instincts under control he had returned to, for most of the time, taking women to his bed.

"Egor, Agmund and myself will go and check on the work downstairs if you no longer need us this evening, Ata." Ari addressed my beloved.

"Yes, thank you. If I don't see you before sunrise could you please leave me a note with information regarding the clean up and renovation process?" Ata asked her eldest, who nodded before disappearing off into the elevator with the two Viking guards flanking him. Now five of us sat inside the living area. Eric and I would be able to defend our women and little Oscar from any threats should they arise.

"I heard about what happened here the other night, did you catch the guy who did it? If you didn't, I'm more than happy to go and find him, tear him apart for what he did to your home." Oscar spoke up, a deep-set scowl on his features. It was apparent he was trying his hardest to not let his anger get the better of him. For a young one he had incredible control.

"You're a sweetheart, but we captured him and got some information from him before Godric ended him." Ata explained, continuing to stroke the boys' hair in a soothing gesture as he looked up at her.

Oscar's eyes turned to me and for a moment he silently observed me. "You got to have all the fun, that's not fair." He pouted, a very human gesture. "You're blood bonded to Ata." He stated suddenly, clearly aware of the difference between ties and bonds. At least his Maker had taught him that. The young vampire may have had a keen sense of smell and it worried me, if Ata were to stop suppressing her scent he could prove a problem. As if sensing my worry, a wave of calm overcame me from both my beloved and my Childe. I sent adoration back to the pair of them and was rewarded with a low sounding purr from Eric. It shocked me a little, though I was able to keep my emotions in check so as not to give it away. Eric rarely ever purred in happiness. Perhaps I would have to remind him more often how important he was to me.

"Yes, twice." I informed the young vampire, unable to hide my smile.

Oscar turned to Eric and Sookie. "You two are blood bonded also." He stated, shifting his gaze to Eric. "You're Godric's Childe," he continued, turning to look at Sookie, "and you're related to Ata."

"How do you know this?" Eric growled, tightening his grip on Sookie. Oscar shrunk back into Ata's side, hiding part of his face. Already he felt safe around Ata, a positive sign that he would be a good progeny for her. A Maker and Childe had to feel safe with one another and trust each other explicitly for the relationship to work well.

"Eric." I chastised in a gentle yet firm tone. "Little one, please tell us how you know this." I commanded Oscar softly, knowing that a light touch would be all that was needed to make the young vampire speak.

"You can speak freely here, Oscar." Ata reassured him, backing up my words.

"As a human I had this, sort of, intuition. I would get an instinctive feeling about things, rather than have a conscious reasoning. The body language between the four of you gives some of it away, I know that Ata and Godric care for one another," he turned to Eric, "and you care for…" he glanced to Sookie who had so far remained quiet.

"Sookie." She filled in the blank for the young vampire, offering him an affectionate smile. Clearly he had already won over both fae women.

"You care for Sookie." He finished, offering a small smile to Eric. My Childe eyed the baby vamp cautiously for a moment before giving a sharp nod. "I know that you're Maker and Childe because you smell a little similar, and even though you're sat opposite each other I can sense the adoration between you, only a Maker/Childe relationship would be the cause of such an emotion." He explained, his gaze shifting from Eric to myself. It didn't take a genius to work out that Oscar felt more at ease with me than with my Childe, probably because he assumed Ata would keep me in check. The thought was rather amusing and I had to suppress a smile once again.

His gaze shifted to Sookie and for a moment we all sat in silence, watching as he took in her appearance, starting at her feet and working up to her face. "You're real pretty, just like Ata." He complimented her, causing both women to blush. A warning growl resounded from Eric and he puffed his chest up to make the point that he was much bigger than Oscar. I felt no need to assert such dominance, it was clear already that Oscar looked to Ata as his new Maker, as a mother.

Sensing Eric's show of dominance, Sookie swatted his arm. "Be nice, Eric. All Oscar did was pay me a compliment, and that was very nice of him." She admonished him, offering a warm smile to Oscar who had leant forward a little towards Sookie, a look of curiosity in his green eyes

"She's mine." My Childe growled out. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at Eric's protective nature, there was no way Oscar could ever take Sookie from him anyway, the boy was a baby in comparison to my Childe and I.

Eric's growl caused Oscar to pull himself back in and he nuzzled back into Ata's side for comfort. "I meant no disrespect, Sir. My human mom use to tell me that you should always pay a lady a compliment whenever you could, so long as it were true of course." He explained, addressing my progeny formally. I could feel Eric's smugness at the formal title through our bond and I sent him back a wave of disapproval. Both fae women in the room were glaring at Eric and soon his smug attitude vanished and I could feel a tinge of embarrassment from him instead. It was one thing to profess your claim to an unknown vampire who had no idea of the attachment, but by claiming one aloud in front of a vampire that already knew of the claim it suggested a lack of trust and a tinge of aggression.

Oscar was far too young to recognise the underlying meaning of Eric's claim and yet he dropped his head in a show of subservience almost instinctively. Ata swooped in at that moment, lifting the boys' head back up. "Lesson number one, my Childe, never bow your head in subservience to anyone. In respect yes, but never in subservience. You are no ones servant." Ata informed Oscar in a firm tone, wanting the lesson to sink in. With a nod of acknowledgment, Ata pushed the boys' bangs out of his face.

"How does your intuition work?" She asked him gently, I could feel through our bond that her mind was nestled inside of the baby vampires, checking the honesty of his answers.

"I don't know because I was born with it. My human mom and dad thought I was a bit of a freak because I instinctively knew things, but I couldn't help it. Information about people sort of just hits me. I thought, when I was turned, that I would lose the ability. Turns out I was wrong though." Oscar shrugged, clearly unsure as to why he had such a gift. I didn't know why but I felt the need to help him discover where his gift was from. I was curious as to why Oscar had once again mentioned the fact his mother had been human though, surely that was obvious enough.

"I'm curious as to why you referred to your mother with the pre-modifier 'human', sweetie." Ata asked, voicing my thoughts.

"I know we said I would only live here for a while to begin with, but," Oscar dipped his head in shyness, hiding it in Ata's side, "I like to think of you already as my new mother, and I know you're not completely human." He confessed, tensing as if waiting for a punishment. With the boys face hidden, the four of us glanced at one another. It was sweet that the boy was already thinking of Ata as his mother but the attachment could prove difficult if things didn't work out. The fact he knew Ata was more than human troubled me, there was no possible way for us to command him to stay silent about it, we didn't have a Maker's command to work with, and we couldn't keep him in the dark. Trust was valuable in the Maker/Childe relationship. I could feel Eric's worry through our bond, if Oscar could tell that Ata wasn't human then could he tell the same about Sookie? I soothed Eric's worry with a wash of calm.

_"Ata darling, does he know about Sookie not being completely human too?" _I mentally asked my beloved. For a moment she was silent until she gave a small nod. With a sigh I mouthed our findings to Eric. His expression hardened and his clutch on Sookie tightened to the point where she hissed out in pain. Oscar's head snapped up at the noise and he made a move to go to her yet Ata grasped his wrist, pulling him back down as Eric growled at him once again.

"I wanted to make sure she was okay, you were holding her too tightly." Oscar suddenly snapped, his fangs descending with his strong emotions.

"She's mine, there is no need for you to care for her." Eric shot back, his own fangs sliding into place. I had to stop myself from sighing in exasperation. I was picking up far too many human traits these days.

"Eric, Oscar was merely showing concern for me, don't be such a possessive ass." Sookie finally scolded my Childe. I couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at the sight; the young little fae was putting my 1000-year-old Childe in his place. "Thank you though Oscar, I was more surprised than hurt." Sookie reassured the young boy.

"Sookie is important to Ata and therefore important to me." Oscar responded to Eric in a hiss, moving from Ata's side a little to show more independence. Although it was not wise of him to pick a fight with a much older and much stronger vampire, it was a wonderful show of his loyalty towards my beloved. Pushing caution through my bond with Eric, I watched as my Childe backed down a little, tipping his head sideways as he studied the new vampire.

"You are already very loyal to my Maker's bonded, I respect you for that and therefore I'm going to let you off the hook. I'm also going to give you the benefit of the doubt with the secret of Sookie and Ata's heritage." Eric spoke, eyeing the young vampire for a moment longer.

"I knew you weren't entirely human!" Oscar grinned, his attention reverting back to my beloved as he settled into her side once more.

"Oscar, you are being trusted with this information and as kind and loyal as you have been up to this point, should you ever betray us Eric and I will not think twice about ending you. Is that understood?" I put down the ground rules; wanting the boy to know we wouldn't stand for any betrayal.

Oscar's grin vanished a far more serious expression crossed his features as he nodded. "You've all given me a home, and a family, I would never want to give that up." He stated, glancing to us all in turn. Ata and Sookie both gave him affectionate smiles and I found myself offering him a warm smile too, he was so young and inexperienced. I would never want another newborn progeny of my own, Eric was everything I had ever wanted in a Childe, but I would help my beloved teach the young vampire everything he would need to know in order to thrive in this world. It didn't go unnoticed, by anyone in the room, the slightly cautious glance Oscar threw at Eric. My Childe was a good man, but had a habit of scaring others and letting them see the aggressive side of him first. It frightened many away.

_"Drop fang for me, sweetie."_ I heard Ata's request and frowned at her for it. She surely wasn't going to open up a wound around Oscar! As if hearing my mental shock, Ata's voice filled my head once again. "_It's easier for him to taste, in order to understand. If he does lose control both you and Eric will be able to restrain him until he is calm once more."_

_"I dislike another tasting you, my sweet." _I couldn't help the possessiveness of my statement, after 2000 years apart from my love I wanted her all to myself.

Ata's mental laughter filled my head and I found myself having to bite down on my lower lip to stop my smile at the melodic sound. "_If he is going to be my Childe then his veins will be filled with my blood, I will offer him no more than just a taste."_

Weighing up the options for a moment I sighed, a very human-like gesture, before dropping fang as requested. Raising her right hand, Ata dragged her forefinger across the point of my left fang, creating a deep cut, the blood rushing to the surface and freeing itself. Eric, Oscar and myself all inhaled deeply, relishing the smell of her blood. Eric and I were able to contain ourselves but Oscar was practically drooling. Slowly Ata offered her finger to the young vampire. Within seconds he had the digit in his mouth, suckling at the wound, groaning as her rich ambrosia hit his taste buds. As the bleeding slowed he licked the wound, sealing it up. Eric, Sookie and I watched as he pricked his tongue on one of his fangs, brushing his blood over the area where the wound had once been before cleaning Ata's finger off. His previous Maker had clearly taught him how to feed in a respectable manner. I had always disliked it when vampires left puncture marks on their meals; it was tacky in my opinion, even if they were fangbangers.

As Ata removed her finger from the boys' mouth, she dropped a motherly kiss to the top of his head. "Your control is remarkable, little one." She informed him gently as he looked up to her with nothing short of pure adoration. It seemed Oscar had already made his choice to stay with the nest and become part of the family permanently, that he was being on his best behaviour because he wanted to be accepted.

"What are you? You're unlike anything I have ever tasted before." He asked in wonder before turning to Sookie. "Do you taste like that too?" he asked innocently, though of course Eric took it the wrong way and growled at the boy. "I was just asking!" Oscar sighed in exasperation, clearly at the end of his tether with Eric.

"Not quite like that, but similar. Ata's blood is stronger than mine." Sookie answered honestly, ignoring Eric's growls.

"We're fairies." Ata expanded on the point. "I'm a third and Sookie is an eighth." She added as an after thought, explaining why there was a difference in the toxicity of their blood.

"A fairy? Could you explain to me, please?" Oscar asked, glancing between both women.

Remembering my need to call Nora and Isabel, I excused myself from the conversation as Sookie leapt into an explanation. I dropped a kiss to Ata's forehead before leaving the room. Eric and Oscar would hear every word of my conversation, but it was important that Ata and Sookie remained oblivious.

Out in one of the windowless hallways, I pulled my phone from my pocket, calling Nora first. She picked up on the second ring.

"Nora Gainesborough" The distinctly British accent met my sensitive eardrums.

"Nora my dear, long time no speak. How are you?" I couldn't stop a smile at the sound of her voice, it had been a while since we had last spoken to one another and though our meeting was only a brief one, Nora had showcased her interesting personality extensively. I couldn't imagine there being a dull moment in her company.

"Godric! It's been far too long. I'm well, all is well, how are you? I take it you haven't called for a chin wag though." She responded, the surprise evident in her tone.

"Very well thank you, and what is this 'chin wag' you're referring to?" I frowned, unsure as to the meaning of her words.

"A chat, Godric. You need to keep up to date with the changing use of language, you old man." She teased; I could almost hear her smile.

"Ah, well you would be right about that then! I was wondering, have you been invited to Felipe de Castro's party this Friday night?" I decided to get straight to the point. I still had to ring Isabel and ask her to come over to attend. Not only that but I wished to return to the living area and the conversation currently going on between my twice bonded, Sookie, Eric and Oscar. Oscar was firing questions at the other three left, right and centre. Some were related to fairies and therefore both women were answering, while others were related to vampires, and Eric took it upon himself to answer those for the young boy.

Nora's groan filled the line and that was all the confirmation I needed. "Unfortunately so. He invited all of us here at the Authority but we literally drew straws to see who would be forced to attend, of course I ended up with the short straw. Why, may I ask, do you wish to know? Will you be there?"

Laughing at her eagerness I shook my head, "No I'm afraid not, but someone of the uttermost importance to me will be. Felipe has been acting rather forward with her lately and I will not have him try to take what is mine from me. Regrettably I gave up my area over two years ago and therefore cannot attend and protect her myself, I was hoping I could cash in the favour you owe Eric and I. Would you keep an eye out for her please?" I requested, knowing it wouldn't be too much of a strain for the Elizabethan vampire.

I received silence for a moment before Nora spoke once more, shock evident in her accent. "Why on earth would your pet be allowed to go and not you?"

Instinctively I growled. "Ata is not my pet! She is my twice bonded." I snapped, hating that for a moment I had lost my cool. My temper was reigned in however the moment I felt my beloved push calm through our bond. Clearly my little outburst had been loud enough for her to hear.

"Do not tell me you are talking about the little fairy that Felipe made the Sheriff of Las Vegas?"

Sighing, though it was not necessary, I spoke calmly even though inside I was infuriated with the fact that yet another vampire knew of Ata's heritage. "Yes. How do you know what race Ata is though?" I demanded.

"I work for the Authority, Godric, we know everything." She stated nonchalantly.

"Fine, whatever. Will you take care of her for me or not?" I was starting to panic, I needed as many people as possible keeping an eye on her and if Nora was wasting my time then I would be rather upset.

Her laughter sounded down the phone for a moment before she composed herself. "I would love nothing more than to keep an eye out for the woman who has managed to capture your affections. Don't think of it as cashing in the favour as I'm dying to meet her, the others here will be so jealous. Tell her I will see her inside Felipe's mansion."

"I will do, thank you." We ended our call and I scrolled through my contacts once more, finding Isabel's number and hitting the call button.

"Godric!" Isabel's Spanish accent graced my eardrums. It had been so long since I had spoken to my old nest mate. I missed her enthusiasm regarding humans and the ridiculous, yet entertaining, human TV shows she always use to make me watch with her.

"Isabel, how did you know it was me?" I frowned.

"Caller ID. It's the way forward. How are you?" She explained.

"Ah I see. I'm very well thank you, how about yourself?" I responded politely. Although my age meant most vampires instantly gave me respect I found myself enjoying earning it. If there was one thing I had learnt during my human years while I had been with Ata, apart from the fact that I loved her of course, it was that manners could get you places.

"I'm wonderful, what can I do for you?" Isabel's cheery response travelled through the phone.

"Do you have plans for Friday night?" I jumped right in, knowing that with Isabel it was best to be forward with her.

For a moment I could hear the shuffling of papers until finally Isabel replied. "No I don't, why what's up? Are you coming back to Dallas?" her voice took on an excited tone as she reached her final question.

"I'm afraid not, Isabel. I'm in Las Vegas at the moment. I was wondering if you would you like to attend a party on Friday night?" I pitched the idea to her.

"What's the catch?" her instant response made me smile. For the 200 years that I had been the Sheriff of Dallas, Isabel had been my second in command, and over that long period of time she had come to know me very well.

"Felipe de Castro is throwing some sort of soiree at his mansion and only those of political power may go. My twice bonded is attending as she holds a position of power and as I no longer have an area I am not allowed to attend with her. Felipe wants to sink his fangs into her and I cannot be there to protect her should he try anything, I was hoping you would be able to keep an eye out for her while I cannot."

Silence. I was met with silence for a moment before Isabel's laughter echoed down the line. "You've twice bonded? And she has more power than you? That's priceless! In all my time knowing you, you have never bonded yourself to another vampire for any reason. What's so special about her?"

I had to suppress a growl as Isabel questioned what made my lover so different than the rest. "I have known her ever since my human years and she is not a vampire, Isabel. She is fae." I stated proudly, knowing she could keep the secret.

There was a commotion on the other end of the line and the sound of a thud before scrambling met my eardrums. "Fae?" Isabel whispered, awe evident in her tone.

"Drop the phone, did we?" I couldn't help but smirk. Isabel had been a bit of a klutz in her human years and unfortunately, for her, the trait had carried over into her undead life.

"Shush Godric," she scolded gently causing me to laugh, if anyone other then Isabel or Ata had dared to shush me I would have punished them, "I would be honoured to take care of the little fairy that has captured your affections, maybe she'll even be able to tell me a few secrets about you." Isabel teased. I had always been fond of the Spanish vampiress; she had the right balance of viciousness and tenderness, sprinkled with a hint of playfulness. It was one of the reasons why I had readily accepted her into my nest.

"Good, see if you can have yourself on the next flight to Vegas, you'll probably get here in the day I'm afraid but I can have a car pick you up from the airport and bring you to our location." I instructed, hearing Isabel logging in to her computer to book her flights. "Oh and Isabel?"

The typing stopped as she gave me her full attention. "Yes?"

"You know my safe? I was wondering if you could please bring with you the black box that's inside of it? It's very important, please keep it on your person at all times." I added as an extra instruction, weighing my words with the importance of the object I wished for her to bring with her.

"Of course, I promise. I'll finish up my duties here, hand over to my second and then jump on the next flight. I'll see you at sunset!" She cheerily said her goodbye before we both hung up.

With my beloved taken care of I returned to the living area in time to hear Oscar's next question. "If you're both fairies, how old are you?" he looked between Ata and Sookie before over to me, silently acknowledging my presence. Returning to my former seat on the sofa, I pulled Ata into my side and she in turn dragged Oscar with her. The young boy settled into a comfortable position at her side once more.

"I'm only 27." Sookie responded with a hint of dejection. Compared to everyone else in the room, and the rest of the nest, she was by far the youngest. We all tried to treat her as if she were the same age as us all though, but it was obvious at times that she disliked being the 'baby' of the group so to speak.

"Hey, at least you reached 27 human years, I only got to 21." Oscar shrugged, giving Sookie a broad smile. The baby vampire was trying to comfort her, to make her feel like there was nothing wrong with being the youngest.

"How old are you in vampire years?" Sookie tentatively inquired. I could feel Eric's curiosity peak through our bond and I was certain it matched that of my own.

"Four, though for most of it the person who turned me wouldn't let me out of the house. He taught me how to feed and that was about it." He shrugged, though the sorrow in his voice was evident. He'd been turned and taught nothing at all and it was a shame really. It didn't go unnoticed, by either my Childe or myself, that Oscar had referred to his true Maker as simply the 'person who had turned him' and it was heartwarming to know that he had already forgotten about his true Maker. It had me worried a little though that he could just as easily turn on Ata, but the affection he was showing her and the respect he was handing to her spoke otherwise.

Oscar turned his head to Ata, awaiting her answer to his question. "I'm over 2000 years old, born in Egypt in 61BC." My beloved stated proudly.

Oscar's eyes widened in surprise and he lent forwards; "You're an Egyptian?" he breathed. "Wait, Caesar's Palace…your surname is Caesar yet you're Egyptian, which means that..." the young vampires eyes widened even further, "Cleopatra was your mother! Julius Caesar was your father!" he exclaimed. Eric and I couldn't help but laugh at the shock and surprise evident on the young boys features. "You're like, a piece of living history!"

"We're all pieces of living history, sweetheart. Eric is over 1000 years old and Godric is over 2000 years old too. All of my boys are either over 1000 years old or over 2000 years old also." Ata explained to the young vampire, who had sat up straight by now and had his legs crossed neatly underneath him. During my phone-call he had removed his shoes so as not to dirty the sofas.

"You were a Viking, that much is obvious." He stated at Eric, to which my blonde haired Childe nodded, a smug smile on his lips. He would always be a warrior at heart and reminiscing about his people was something I knew he was fond of. He was proud of his heritage. Oscar's emerald eyes turned to me and for a moment he seemed to lose himself in contemplation. "I don't exactly where you were from, but it was in Europe, on the coast. You weren't there for long though. I can see how much you miss the water." He stated.

I couldn't help but smile at the knowledge the boy had gleamed from his moment of observation and contemplation. "I was born in Gaul, in the area which you would know as modern day Belgium, in 60BC." I told the boy.

"Did you know Ata in your human years?" he suddenly asked, sharing a glance between my love and myself.

"Yes, her father brought me over to Egypt and Ata chose me for her companion." I answered truthfully, sensing the boys' thirst for knowledge.

"You still owe me a story, Ata." Sookie's gentle voice drifted across to us.

Ata raised her head, smiling at her cousin fondly. "Yes I believe I promised you tales of my people. What would you like to know?"

Sookie's lips pursed together in contemplation for a moment as Eric stroked her hair out of her face. I took the opportunity to drop a kiss to Ata's shoulder blade which earned me a beautiful smile from her.

"What did you use to do for fun? Like, did you have parties and did you go on outings? How did you fill up your days?" Sookie finally chose her subject. I could of course remember the days I had spent with Ata, all of the activities we had done together. It would be a wonderful time to reminisce.

Sookie settled herself into Eric, who had leant forward somewhat. I could feel the curiosity in our bond and couldn't help but smile. It appeared that my Childe was taking fondly to my bonded. Oscar had moved from his spot on the couch, seating himself in front of the sofa Sookie and Eric were sat upon, his back straight and his eyes burning with curiosity too. Cautiously, with her eyes glued to Eric to gauge his reaction, Sookie leant down a little to ruffle the boys' bangs in a playful gesture. I could feel Eric's slight annoyance though he allowed the gesture, sensing the fondness Sookie had taken to the inexperienced vampire. In some ways I could see why she would care for him, he'd been thrown into this new world and knew nothing of it, he was exactly where she had been the moment she had met Compton. Eric had told me all about their 'relationship' and I felt genuinely sorry for Sookie to have been subjected to that.

"We use to tell stories to one another, sometimes they were passed down through generations or other times the storyteller would make them up on the spot. We were known for our imagination and our creativity, so to many the art of storytelling was a favourite pastime. Most of our stories were told orally, but the problem with this was that they could change depending on the storytellers' personal agenda, skills and interests, as well as the reaction of their audience. Our stories took the forms of poetry, sing-alongs or even idle gossip; we weren't too fussed with which format they were in so long as we got to hear them. Our stories were closely linked with life lessons, or our Gods. It was a way to help people learn but entertain them at the same time." Ata shared, her gaze flickering to the three excited faces opposite her.

"Will you tell us a story, please?" Sookie begged, grinning at her cousin.

With a gentle laugh Ata consented, "Of course, but what of?"

"Your Gods." Eric was quick to respond. My Childe had grown up in his human years with tales of Thor, Odin and Loki bouncing through his intelligent mind. It only made sense that he was curious about Ata's Gods.

"I'll tell you the story of our creation then, how Re, our sun God, took revenge on mankind and how Isis, the Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility, tricked Re into telling her his secret name.**" **Ata started, I could feel her happiness and excitement skittering through our bond and it pleased me greatly that she was sharing the history of her people with our family, and that she was returning to the world she had come from. Her happiness was infectious and I could no longer hold back my smile. My mind drifted to the day she had first told me the coming tale. We had been young, around twelve or so, and it had been a **very** hot day. We had sat on the cold marble floor of the throne room together, alone in the vast space as her mother had been elsewhere for the day. Ata had taken my hands in her own, rubbing them together as she'd leant in so our faces were inches apart. She had recounted the story to me with nothing short of excitement and awe in her beautiful blue eyes. It had been the first time she had shared it with anyone; she had only learnt it herself the day before. Thinking back now, I could easily identify it as the moment when I had finally admitted to myself that I had some rather huge feelings for the young princess.

"In the beginning, before there was any land of Egypt, all was darkness, and there was nothing but a great waste of water called Nun. The power of Nun was such that there arose out of the darkness a great shining egg, and this was Re. Now Re was all-powerful, and he could take many forms. His power and the secret of it lay in his hidden name; but if he spoke other names, that which he named came into being. "I am Khepera at the dawn, and Re at noon, and Atum in the evening," he said. And the sun rose and passed across the sky and set for the first time." Ata raised an arm above her head, her hand outstretched, moving it across the sky as if it were the sun.

"Then he named Shu, and the first winds blew; he named Tefnut the spitter, and the first rain fell. Next he named Geb, and the earth came into being; he named the Goddess Nut, and she was the sky arched over the earth with her feet on one horizon and her hands on the other; he named Hapi, and the great River Nile flowed through Egypt and made it fruitful. After this Re named all things that are upon the earth and they grew. Last of all he named mankind, and there were men and women in the land of Egypt." Ata's voice had taken on a soft tone, caressing her words as they spilled from her lips. Although I had heard this story in my human years, and it had been Ata who had told me of it, I still found myself ensnared in her tale, listening avidly along with my Childe, Sookie and Oscar.

After a brief pause, Ata continued. "Then Re took on the shape of a man and became the first Pharaoh, ruling over the whole country for thousands and thousands of years, and giving such harvests that for ever afterwards my people spoke of the good things "which happened in the time of Re." But, being in the form of a man, Re grew old. In time men no longer feared him or obeyed his laws. They laughed at him, saying: "Look at Re! His bones are like silver, his flesh like gold, his hair is the colour of lapis lazuli!" I could remember lapis lazuli perfectly, the relatively rare semi-precious stone that was bright, bright blue.

"Re was angry when he heard this, and he was angrier still at the evil deeds which men were doing in disobedience to his laws. So he called together the Gods whom he had made - Shu, Tefnut, Geb and Nut - and he also summoned Nun. Soon the Gods gathered about Re in his Secret Place, and the Goddesses also. But mankind knew nothing of what was happening, and continued to jeer at Re and to break his commandments. Then Re spoke to Nun before the assembled gods: "Eldest of the Gods, you who made me; and you Gods whom I have made: look upon mankind who came into being at a glance of my Eye. See how men plot against me; hear what they say of me; tell me what I should do to them. For I will not destroy mankind until I have heard what you advise."

Then Nun said: "My son Re, the God greater than he who made him and mightier than those whom he has created, turn your mighty Eye upon them and send destruction upon them in the form of your daughter, the Goddess Sekhmet."

Re answered; "Even now fear is falling upon them and they are fleeing into the desert and hiding themselves in the mountains in terror at the sound of my voice."

"Send against them the glance of your Eye in the form Sekhmet!" cried all the other Gods and Goddesses, bowing before Re until their foreheads touched the ground." Ata's voice turned dramatic and I couldn't help but notice how Eric, Sookie and Oscar had all leant forward some more, Sookie's eyes were wide in anticipation, Eric's lips parted in curiosity and Oscar had reverted back to the human habit of breathing.

After another dramatic pause, my beloved continued with her tale. "So at the terrible glance from the Eye of Re, his daughter came into being, the fiercest of all Goddesses. Like a lion she rushed upon her prey, and her chief delight was in slaughter, and her pleasure was in blood. At the bidding of Re she came into Upper and Lower Egypt to slay those who had scorned and disobeyed him: she killed them among the mountains which lie on either side of the Nile, and down beside the river, and in the burning deserts. All whom she saw she slew, rejoicing in slaughter and the taste of blood. Re looked out over the land and saw what Sekhmet had done. Then he called to her, saying: "Come, my daughter, and tell me how you have obeyed my commands."

Sekhmet answered with the terrible voice of a lioness as she tears her prey: "By the life which you have given me, I have indeed done vengeance on mankind, and my heart rejoices." Now for many nights the Nile ran red with blood, and Sekhmet's feet were red as she went hither and thither through all the land of Egypt slaying and slaying. Re looked out over the earth once more, and now his heart was stirred with pity for men, even though they had rebelled against him. But none could stop the cruel Goddess Sekhmet, not even Re himself: she must cease from slaying of her own accord - and Re saw that this could only come about through cunning.

So he gave his command: "Bring before me swift messengers who will run upon the earth as silently as shadows and with the speed of the storm winds." When these were brought he said to them: "Go as fast as you can up the Nile to where it flows fiercely over the rocks and among the islands of the First Cataract; go to the isle that is called Elephantine and bring from it a great store of the red ochre which is to be found there."

The messengers sped on their way and returned with the blood-red ochre to Heliopolis, the city of Re where stands the stone obelisks with points of gold that are like fingers pointing to the sun. It was night when they came to the city, but all day the women of Heliopolis had been brewing beer as Re bade them. Re came to where the beer stood waiting in seven thousand jars, and the Gods came with him to see how, by his wisdom, he would save mankind.

"Mingle the red ochre of Elephantine with the barley-beer," said Re, and it was done, so that the beer gleamed red in the moonlight like the blood of men.

"Now take it to the place where Sekhmet proposes to slay men when the sun rises," said Re. And while it was still night the seven thousand jars of beer were taken and poured out over the fields so that the ground was covered to the depth of nine inches - three times the measure of the palm of a man's hand - with the strong beer, whose other name is 'sleep-maker.'"

Another pause, another sharp intake of breath from Oscar, in anticipation. Ata had indeed inherited the skill of storytelling.

"When day came Sekhmet the terrible came also, licking her lips at the thought of the men whom she would slay. She found the place flooded and no living creature in sight; but she saw the beer which was the colour of blood, and she thought it was blood indeed - the blood of those whom she had slain. Then she laughed with joy, and her laughter was like the roar of a lioness hungry for the kill. Thinking that it was indeed blood, she stooped and drank. Again and yet again she drank, laughing with delight; and the strength of the beer mounted to her brain, so that she could no longer slay. At last she came reeling back to where Re was waiting; that day she had not killed even a single man.

Then Re said: "You come in peace, sweet one." And her name was changed to Hathor, and her nature was changed also to the sweetness of love and the strength of desire. And henceforth Hathor laid low men and women only with the great power of love. But forever after her, priestesses drank in her honour the beer of Heliopolis coloured with the red ochre of Elephantine when they celebrated her festival each New Year.

So mankind was saved, and Re continued to rule though old he was. But the time was drawing near when he was to leave the earth to reign forever in the heavens, letting the younger Gods rule in his place. For dwelling in the form of a man, of a Pharaoh of Egypt, Re was losing his wisdom; yet he continued to reign, and no one could take his power from him, since that power dwelt in his secret name which none knew but himself. If only anyone could discover his Name of Power, Re would reign no longer on earth; but only by magic arts was this possible." Ata paused again, glancing between Sookie and Oscar before looking to Eric and I. I offered her a warm smile of encouragement, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

Turning to face the three opposite her, Ata launched back into her tale. "Geb and Nut had children: these were the younger Gods whose day had come to rule, and their names were Osiris and Isis, Nephthys and Seth. Of these Isis was the wisest: she was cleverer than a million men, her knowledge was greater than that of a million of the noble dead. She knew all things in heaven and earth, except only for the Secret Name of Re, and that she now set herself to learn by guile. Now Re was growing older every day. As he passed across the land of Egypt his head shook from side to side with age, his jaw trembled, and he dribbled at the mouth, as do the very old among men." Ata nudged my side playfully, causing the two vampires and the fairy opposite us to chuckle at her teasing.

Pushing her love for me through our bond, she continued. "As his spittle fell upon the ground it made mud, and this Isis took in her hands and kneaded together as if it had been dough. Then she formed it into the shape of a serpent, making the first cobra - the Uraeus, which ever after was the symbol of royalty worn by the Pharaohs.

Isis placed the first cobra in the dust of the road by which Re passed each day as he went through his two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt. As Re passed by, the cobra bit him and then vanished into the grass. But the venom of its bite coursed through his veins, and for a while Re was speechless, save for one great cry of pain, which rang across the earth from the eastern to the western horizon. The Gods who followed him crowded round, asking: "What is it? What ails you?" But he could find no words; his lips trembled and he shuddered in all his limbs, while the poison spread over his body as the Nile spread over Egypt at the inundation. When at last he could speak, Re said: "Help me, you whom I have made. Something has hurt me, and I do not know what it is. I created all things, yet this thing I did not make. It is a pain such as I have never known before, and no other pain is equal to it. Yet who can hurt me? For none know my Secret Name which is hidden in my heart, giving me all power and guarding me against the magic of both wizard and witch. Nevertheless as I passed through the world, that I have created, through the two lands that are my special care, something stung me. It is like fire, yet is not fire; it is like water and not water. I burn and I shiver, while all my limbs tremble. So call before me all the Gods who have skill in healing and knowledge of magic, and wisdom that reaches to the heavens."

Then all the Gods came to Re, weeping and lamenting, at the terrible ailment that had befallen him. With them came Isis, the healer, the queen of magic, who breathes the breath of life and knows words to revive those who are dying. And she said: "What is it, divine father? Has a snake bitten you? Has a creature of your own creating lifted up its head against you? I will drive it out by the magic that is mine, and make it tremble and fall down before your glory."

"I went by the usual way through my two lands of Egypt," answered Re, "for I wished to look upon all that I had made. And as I went a snake that I did not see, a snake that I had not created, bit me. Now I burn as if with fire and shiver as if my veins were filled with water, and the sweat runs down my face as it runs down the faces of men on the hottest days of summer."

"Tell me your Secret Name." said Isis in a sweet, soothing voice. "Tell it me, divine father; for only by speaking your name in my spells can I cure you."

Then Re spoke the many names that were his: "I am the Maker, Heaven and Earth." he said. "I am the Builder of the Mountains. I am the Source of the Waters throughout the entire world. I am the Light and Darkness. I am the Creator of the Great River of Egypt. I am the Kindler of the Fire that burns in the sky; yes, I am Khepera in the morning, Re at the noontide, and Atum in the evening."" One again Ata's hand moved across the space above her head just like the sun.

"But Isis said never a word and the poison had its way in the veins of Re. For she knew that he had told her only the names which all men knew, and that his Secret Name, the Name of Power, still lay hidden in his heart." Ata paused again, glancing between the three opposite her and then turned to me, "At last she said," Ata's tone changed, and I could tell from our bond that in that moment she had slipped into the role of Isis. Her mother had believed herself to be Isis reincarnated, so Ata was seen as Isis's daughter, Baast. "You know well that the name which I need to learn is not among those which you have spoken. Come, tell me the Secret Name; for if you do the poison will come forth and you will have an end to the pain." The poison burned with a great burning, more powerful than any flame of fire, and Re cried out at last." She paused, watching with me with a hopeful expression.

Instantly I took my cue. "Let the Name of Power pass from my heart into the heart of Isis! But before it does, swear to me that you will tell it to no other save only the son whom you will have, whose name shall be Horus. And bind him first with such an oath that the name will remain with him and be passed on to no other Gods or men." I replied, recounting the story in my own mind with her.

Ata's eyes switched back to the two vampires opposite us before they settled on Sookie, the young telepaths eyes wide. "Isis the great magician swore the oath, and the knowledge of the Name of Power passed from the heart of Re into hers. Then she said: "By the name which I know, let the poison go from Re for ever!" So it passed from him and he had peace. But he reigned upon earth no longer. Instead he took his place in the high heavens, traveling each day across the sky in the likeness of the sun itself, and by night crossing the underworld of Amenti in the Boat of Re and passing through the twelve divisions of Duat where many dangers lurked. Yet Re passes through safely, and with him he takes those souls of the dead who know all the charms and prayers and words that must be said. And so that a man might not go unprepared for his voyage in the Boat of Re, my people painted all the scenes of that journey on the walls of the tombs of the Pharaohs, with all the knowledge that was written in The Book of the Dead, of which a copy was always buried in the grave of lesser men so that they too might read and come safely to the land beyond the west, where the dead dwell." Ata ended with a flourish.

"The moral of the story? A man may hold all of the power, he may try to keep hold of it, but it only takes one woman to throw him off his game, to claim the power for her own. A woman may hold the same amount of power as a man, she may hold even more, but we are their downfall, and that makes us the most powerful of all." Ata's attention turned to her cousin, whom she offered a smile to.

"Female empowerment." Sookie murmured, snapping herself out of her awe at the tale. So few had ever heard of the stories of old as so few remained to share them. It was both a great honour and a great tragedy for my love to be sharing the stories of her people with us.

"Female empowerment." Ata confirmed.

"You told the story of Re and didn't wait for me? You know it's my favourite." Ari's voice broke through our group. The dark haired vampire was leant against the elevator, Egor and Agmund at his sides.

"You have heard it countless times, my son." Ata pointed out gently.

A smile graced Ari's features and he laughed quietly. "But I would gladly hear it again."

With a roll of her eyes, Ata's attention turned back to the youngest vampire in the room. "Bed for you now, little one. You have a long night."

A pout crossed Oscar's features at the mention of bed. I had to stop myself from laughing at how much she was treating him like a human child. "My bedtime is when the sun comes up." He pointed out.

"I know, but I want you to settle into your temporary room and feel at ease here before slipping into your slumber for the day. Now go, Ari will take you to the room he shares with Khai, you will be safe there." She ordered in a soft tone, glancing to Ari who offered his hand down to the baby vampire. Oscar cautiously took it, allowing the older vampire to pull him up onto his feet.

Oscar rocked on his heels for a moment before giving in to whatever had been troubling him. In two strides he was before Ata, pulling her into his embrace. "Thank you." He whispered in her ear, pulling back to offer her a small smile.

With the tenderness only a mother could have, my Ata placed a kiss upon the young vampires forehead. "There is no need to thank me, little one. Now go, rest, I will see you at sunset." She ruffled his bangs before shooing him out of the room, along with Ari. Egor and Agmund had taken their places on either side of the elevator doors, standing straight and tall.

Ata's attention shifted to my Childe and Sookie who had risen from their positions on the sofa. Sookie was stifling a yawn. Copying their actions, I stood too. "Thank you for sharing, Ata." Sookie spoke softly, embracing her cousin before taking a step back.

"I am always happy to share stories of my people with you all, perhaps Eric will share a tale or two of his own with us tomorrow?" my loves blue eyes turned to meet the cerulean ones of my Childe.

"I would love nothing more." He stated, and I could feel the sincerity of his words through our bond.

"I believe there is much you both need to speak about alone before the sun rises for the day, so we'll leave you be. Goodnight." Ata graciously bid Sookie and Eric farewell for the time being, offering her cousin one more hug before nodding her head at Eric, who returned the gesture. Although Eric was the picture of calm I could feel his burning curiosity and his underlying worry. Clearly he had no idea about whatever was going to be broached in the upcoming talk between himself and his bonded. I pushed strength through our bond, wanting my Childe to know I could offer him some comfort. He readily accepted it. Although familiar with my Childe, such show of affection as a hug had been long ago ruled out between us. We had no issue with it in general, but it was something that felt awkward between us. Instead I nodded in his direction and he dropped his head in a bow. My Childe had always been fiercely loyal and respectful, and I loved him even more so for it. Not quite having such a familiar relationship with Sookie as my Ata did, I offered her a nod too, which she graciously returned.

Slipping my hand into Ata's we moved through the living area together, out into the corridor and finally into our bedroom, where the moment the door was shut I had her pinned to it with my body, my lips meeting hers in a tender and passionate kiss.

"Ma beauté." I pulled away to purr as she regained the breath I had stolen from her.

"Mon bien-aimé" She responded in a whisper, her lips meeting mine once more.

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**A/N**

**Ma beauté (French) = My beauty**

**Mon bien-aimé (French) = My beloved**


	38. Nobody But You

**A/N This chapter is the calm before the mini storm guys, hence why Eric might be a little OOC. He wants to tell Sook how much she means to him/how much he loves her/etc etc because deep down he's frightened something might happen to her and he'll never get the chance to tell her :')**

**Unable to respond to your reviews privately but major thanks to ASkarlover, OnlyGirlInTheWorld, Beretta and Ramona for reviewing!**

**ps; I hit 300 reviews in my absence! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL! That means you get a secret about Felipe's party, so, here you go, have a riddle! 'There is a condition worse than blindness, and that is, seeing something that isn't there. The future is ever changing, for every action there is a reaction, but said reactions are unknown, except to one.'**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Don't you know that you can call on me baby_, _all you gotta do is say you will_  
_Coz I'm ready just to love you and put an end to all your doubt._  
_I know we can work it out,_ _coz I don't want to be with nobody but you._  
_No, no I don't want to be with no one but you._  
_I want to be wrapped up in the arms of my loving man_, _rock me in your arms like I know you can._  
_Man, I love you, so put an end to your fantasy or you just might, you just might blow it all._  
_Get yourself together and, baby,_ _when you do, you're going to see I'll be true to you.  
~ Nobody But You, Wendy Matthews_

My telepathy had meant that I had never been able to full appreciate school while I'd been growing up. Of course I had graduated, and I had a high school diploma to show for it, but lessons were difficult and large groups of people had caused me numerous headaches over the years. It was only once I had perfected my mental shields that school became easier, but by then it was too late to learn anything.

Ata's story had been interesting to say the least; I hadn't the first clue about the Egyptians. I knew that they built the pyramids and that they mummified their deceased but that was as far as my knowledge went. The introduction of numerous Egyptian Gods and Goddesses had me baffled, how on earth could Ata remember them all? Of course I knew I'd love her story the moment I asked her for one, and I was certain little Oscar would have adored it to given how much he seemed to worship the ground Ata walked upon, however I hadn't been anticipating my Viking's reaction. He had been just as enthralled with the tale as I had been. Clearly my Viking had a thirst for knowledge or simply loved to be told stories, maybe both.

I hadn't anticipated the affection I had developed for the young vampire, he obviously already held some affection for Ata and Godric, given the manner in which he spoke to them, but he had readily accepted Eric and I and had even stood up to my vampire. Although some would have seen the act as foolish I saw it as brave, after all, I had stood up to Eric on many occasions.

As Ata and Godric bid us goodnight, I caught a stray strand of Ata's thoughts. Clearly there was going to be some making up this evening for their little spat earlier on. The thought pulled a smile from me. A year ago I would have cringed hearing Ata thinking about sex, but I had learnt, now that I had experienced it, that it was a natural part of life. The fact that Godric cherished Ata so much, and she returned that same adoration and love, warmed me. It was nice to hear about them enjoying one another.

Eric's eyes swung to me the moment my cousin and Godric left the room. "What is it you wish to speak about, lover?" Eric questioned, his face a mask of calm. Our bond gave him away though; I could feel his worry, his fear and his concern.

"It's nothing bad, Eric. I just think we need to discuss a few things about the past and what we want for the future. I know now isn't a great time given the threats coming our way but I have this feeling that if we share our worries or our thoughts with one another then we'll come out of this stronger." I explained, refusing to tear my eyes away from my Viking. A few years ago I would have run away from such a conversation, but I felt this was too important to simply brush under the rug.

Leading my Viking into the bedroom, I decided that it would be best to change out of my day clothes. Moving to the wardrobe I pulled on a pale blue silk nightie before clambering onto the bed, patting the space next to me as an order for Eric to sit. After divulging himself of his shirt and pants, Eric joined me on the bed, sitting opposite me. Crossing my legs underneath me, I took Eric's large hands with my small ones. "You're starting to worry me, lover." My vampire confessed, his voice laced with a multitude of emotions I couldn't even begin to fathom.

"I don't want to worry you, Eric. You have nothing to worry about, I'm here with you and I wouldn't change that for the world okay? There are just a few things I'd like to know and get off my chest." I told him honestly, rubbing my thumbs over the back of his large, cool hands.

With a nod Eric slipped into silence, waiting for me to go first. I decided that I would start with the biggest topic, the one thing that had been nagging at me ever since Ata had mentioned it. "The third bond," I started cautiously, knowing how frequently we tended to get into arguments. Our stubbornness definitely wasn't a good thing at times. "Why did you never mention that it would be practically like marriage in the vampire world?" I asked, hoping I had removed all hints of accusation from tone.

My vampire sighed, a very human-like gesture, and clenched my hands a little tighter in his own. "I was going to discuss it with you after you and Pam had sorted things about between you, obviously you did that this evening so this conversation comes as no surprise to me. I didn't mention it before however because, I guess, I was worried about your reaction." Eric shrugged. He was worried about my reaction? Well at least he was starting to understand that I didn't take too kindly to high-handedness. I was about to open my mouth to tell him how I felt when he let go of one of my hands, holding his hand up in a gesture asking me to wait for a moment. Shutting my mouth, I complied.

"I was worried about your reaction and how you would take to it. I love you Sookie, you know that, and I've never wanted to bond with someone before. But, trust you to come along and change that." He gave me an affectionate smile before continuing. "I know though that to you marriage is different. In my human days I was forced to marry, it was an obligation. It was never for love. With you though it's different. I want to bind myself to you, and you to me, in every possible way, be it a marriage of my kind, a marriage of your kind, or a human marriage. I will not allow anyone to take you from me." His voice took on a firm and slightly aggressive tone as he ended his speech. It felt rather good to be wanted so badly, to have someone as beautiful and strong as Eric want someone like me. I'd grown up being called a 'freak' or 'crazy Sookie' and now my life was so much better than any of theirs could ever be. With supernatural's I no longer felt like a freak, nor crazy, I felt accepted and cherished and Eric always made sure to tell me how much he loved me every day.

"You don't know how much it means to me, to know someone like you wants to bind themselves forever to someone like me. It's just a lot for me to take in at the moment. I grew up with very few friends, listening to peoples taunts and name calling every day. I had to listen to how boys thought of me and at a young age I simply accepted that I would never get married, I would never have children, I would never get to have my white picket fence. The fact that you're giving me a chance to get married, after so long believing it would never happen for me, it's a lot for me to take in and believe." I dropped my gaze to my lap, going to pull my hands from Eric's so I could fidget with them to work off some of my nervousness. Eric's grip on me tightened a little though asa he clearly wasn't ready to let go, the thought of which caused a small smile to appear on my lips.

"I would give you the world if I could, my Sookie. Although bonding three times would be seen as a marriage of sorts, only by pledging with the knife would it be official and recognised by all supernatural beings all around the world. Should we bond three times no one would be able to take you from me on pain of death, no one would be able to taste you, or hurt you, or bond themselves to you. You would be mine, just mine." Eric explained.

Sighing, I shook my head. Clearly my Viking never learnt. "I don't want to be possessed Eric. I'm not an asset."

Something akin to anger flared across Eric's eyes before disappearing, his displeasure reverberated through our bond however. "I would never think of you as an asset, Sookie. I'll admit that at first I did but I no longer do. You are your own person and I respect you for that. I love you for it. At the moment though you are seen as a possession by those in the supernatural world, only by bonding three times and pledging by the knife would others treat you as their equal. I'm sure though that there are some times where you like to have your body possessed, yes?" he leered. Trust Eric to take a serious conversation and throw in a sexual innuendo.

Rolling my eyes at his comment, I chose to ignore it and focus on the seriousness of the subject. "Don't take this the wrong way, I really do love you, but why would you want to bind yourself to me? I'm sure over the years you've had countless women, all far more beautiful and skilled than myself. I'm just a waitress from a backwater town in Louisiana. Nothing special." I shrugged. I wasn't playing the pity card, or the guilt card, I was simply telling the truth. Eric had probably been with supermodels and princesses in his 1000 years and yet he wanted to spend the rest of eternity with me. I wasn't unfortunate looking, if I could say so myself, but I wasn't supermodel material. I wasn't particularly skilled either, heck Bill had been a bit of a prude in the bedroom and we had only ever engaged in your regular old normal sex, or 'vanilla sex' as I'd overheard Arlene think about it a few times. The one night I'd spent with Eric, during his period of amnesia, had been far better than anything else in the world, far better than anything I could have imagined or pictured over the years.

"Oh my Sookie," Eric cooed, taking my face between his large palms, "I would have never pictured you as one who would think so little of themselves, given your fiery and passionate nature. You want to know why I want to bind myself to you? Why I love you?" he asked, stroking his thumbs across my cheekbones, his cerulean orbs blazing with compassion.

Giving a small nod of my head I felt a little embarrassed by my insecurity but my Viking launched into the many reasons he loved me anyway, and why he wanted to be with me forever. "You were tormented by your peers for your whole life, you were bullied and thoughts of in such cruel terms and yet you are still a good and honest person. Your heart is in the right place, you're unselfish, you're compassionate, you're affectionate to those you don't know very well. Lets not forget that you're always smiling, always making the best out of situations. My kind have done nothing but drag you into trouble, covet you and abuse you, and yet you still stand strong, you're still willing to put up with us. You even rescue vampires who are complete strangers to you from the true death. You told me there was goodness in me that broke your heart, well; the goodness in you breaks mine. I merely existed before you, my Sookie, but now I'm living. I look forward to every night, unsure of what adventure it will bring. You surprise me and keep me on edge, and although at times you can infuriate me, as I infuriate you, I could never hate you, I could never not love you. I don't care that you believe yourself as 'unskilled' as other women, because it means I get to teach you everything and I will treasure that. As selfish as it may seem, I will be the only one to ever be on the receiving end of your lovemaking, and that makes me a very happy vampire indeed." He whispered, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead, another to my nose, to each cheek, until finally he captured my lips with his own. There was no rush, we were simply savouring one another and I could feel my tears as they rolled down my cheeks. Bill may have claimed to be a romantic, but Eric was stealing the crown.

As we pulled away from our kiss, I couldn't help but smile, Eric's thumbs sweeping away my tears, which he popped into his mouth, groaning in appreciation at the taste. "Man. A very happy man." I corrected him gently, causing him to frown lightly.

"You don't think of me as a vampire?" he asked, his curiosity almost palpable through our bond.

Shaking my head, I locked eyes with my ancient vampire. "I know you are one, and I love you for it and would never change what you are, but to me you're more man than vampire. You have feelings even if you don't like to show them and you always do the right thing, even if it means putting yourself in danger. You didn't have to walk out into the sunshine and silver yourself to Russell, you didn't have to die out there with him and yet you were willing to do so, not only to rid the world of him but also to stop him from getting to me. It wasn't your place to save everyone else, and yet you did so, because you have a good heart. During the day, to me, you're sleeping. I don't think of you as 'dead for the day' and you most certainly don't look it. When you're sleeping, all the worry lines on your features are gone, your bangs fall in front of your face and you look so peaceful. Seeing you in your day sleep when I wake is the best start to my day. You think the best of me all the time, even when I've done something wrong, and I will always think the very best of you." I told him truthfully, pushing all the love I had for my beautiful man through our bond.

Eric suddenly swooped in, his lips capturing mine in a searing kiss. Moulding to the shape of my own lips, his tongue swiped across my lower lip before he drew the flesh into his mouth, suckling on it. Unable to stop my groan, he swallowed the sound before sliding his tongue into my mouth. Meeting it with my own, my arms found themselves around his neck. Curling my tongue upwards, I brushed it behind Eric's front teeth, his fangs popping down with the action. "There they are." I breathed, peeling my lips from my Viking's. The moment Eric offered me a fangy smile I couldn't help but lean forward and kiss each sharp point, drawing a groan from him. Knowing I could elicit such a sound from such an ancient being was rather empowering. There was more to be discussed however so I moved myself out of his grasp, much to his dismay.

"Tell me about why you called me in to read your employees, surely you could just glamour them, why did you need to bring me in?" I ordered softly. It was time for us to lay our cards on the table and be open and honest with one another, deal with the events of the past and move forward.

An almost embarrassed smile ghosted over Eric's lips as he retracted his fangs, the little _click _of them sliding back into place rang out. "I'd already glamoured them. Ginger's mind was too scrambled for me to be able to get a clear answer from her though and Bruce was a nervous wreck. Nervous wrecks are difficult to glamour." He explained. "I also saw it as an opportunity to see how your telepathy worked, to spend more time around you. I'll admit that back then I wanted you as my own, as my pet more than a true companion." He almost seemed nervous to tell me that, but this was Eric we were talking about, he was never nervous.

"Why didn't you just take me from Bill? He said you could do that." I asked, frowning at the thought of being taken from someone, as if I were a piece of property.

Eric's features hardened and he leant in close to me, no aggression on his face, instead a picture of firm honesty. "I wanted you to come to me of your own accord, I wanted you to want me. I would have never forced you to be mine, even though I may have threatened it on occasion. I'm not that sort of vampire."

"Man." I corrected

Another smile ghosted over Eric's lips. "Man." He corrected his earlier statement.

"What did you and Bill discuss when I was in the ladies room having Pam pull pieces of vampire out of my cleavage?" I quirked an eyebrow challenging him to tell me the truth, even if it was something I didn't wish to hear.

"Pam was pulling vampire from your cleavage? What a shame I wasn't there to witness it." He gave me his signature smirk as his eyes dropped to my chest. I felt the urge to slap the smirk off of his handsome face. Shuffling on the bed, Eric propped himself up against the headboard, his long legs stretched nearly to the bottom of the bed. "We were discussing his punishment for staking a vampire."

"If Bill hadn't of saved me, would you have swooped in like a white knight and rescued me?" I interrupted, batting my eyelashes at him in a teasing gesture.

With a roll of his eyes and a small smile, he responded, "I would have pulled him off of you and dealt with him in my own manner away from witnesses. Bill's mistake was having witnesses, which is why he was forced to create Jessica. If he had staked him in private then it would have been a completely different case." He responded nonchalantly.

"Did you at least offer him an alternative?"

At this Eric seemed to cringe, "I told him I would let it slide if he were to give you to me." He confessed.

Red hot fury poured through my veins at his words. I was not something to be passed along from vampire to vampire. I couldn't be owned, I was my own person, and yet every vampire I had ever met had wanted to use me, to treat me like an object rather than the woman I was. "You wanted to take me from Bill as if I were a piece of property that could change hands!" I snapped, not realising all of my anger pouring through our bond.

"Something about you being with him was wrong." Eric's answer was sharp and I immediately felt my anger dial up another notch.

"Oh so me being with him was wrong was it? What made you think being with you would have been any better?" I hissed.

Before I had time to realise what was going on my back was to the wall and Eric's large frame was holding me in place, his faces inches from mine, fangs down. "Because I would not have betrayed you! Because I was not sent by the Queen to procure you, to take your innocence under false pretences!"

The moment his words sank into my brain I froze, "You knew…you knew he was sent to procure me and yet you never did anything to stop him, you never even warned me." I whispered, the hurt stabbing at my heart like a knife. He'd known that Bill was after me and yet he'd sat there and let it happen, even though he was claiming that back then he wanted me.

"It took me a while to figure it out but once I knew what was going on I tried to get you away from him, or are you forgetting the fact that my blood ended up in your system and, as you put it, that you 'started to question Bill from that moment on' hm?" There was no space between our faces now; Eric's nose was pressed against mine, his blue eyes staring into me.

"You knew in Dallas? You knew then and you waited another month to tell me!" I raised my voice, using my one free hand to thump him on the chest. Of course my punch did nothing to him, but it relieved some of the anger inside of me.

"I'm a vampire Sookie, an opportunist. I waited for the right moment and acted. You cannot fault me on that!"

With speed I didn't know I possessed, I brought my hand up, slapping him in the exact same manner I'd done the moment I'd woken from the maenad's poison in Fangtasia. A low growl of frustration from Eric only spurred on my anger. "You prolonged my fake relationship, and therefore my agony, for your own personal gain? Do you have any idea how angry and upset I was when I found out! If you hadn't of been such a fucking ass and just swallowed your pride and told me the moment you'd found out I wouldn't have gone to fairy and lost a year of my life, I would have left Bill sooner and who knows, maybe I would have been your pet sooner too, if that's all you care about." I had to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. I would not cry. I'd cried far too much these past few weeks.

"Do **not **assume that all I cared about was having you as my pet, I could have anyone in the world as my pet." He hissed and I felt a stab of hurt, not only because he had referred to me as an asset once more but also because he had told me he could have had anyone. Surely he could remember how much the thought of him being with someone else hurt me, how I had fretted not long ago over why he had wanted me over them. "But instead I wanted you as my companion, my bonded, my everything. I still do and, God sake woman, you infuriate the hell out of me sometimes but that doesn't mean I love you any less! You had to see what Bill was really like, you had to leave him of your own accord so you could close that chapter of your life and move the fuck on and I'm sorry you were hurt in the process, I'm sorry you lost a year of your life and, for fucks sake," he scowled, "I'll spend the rest of god damn eternity making it up to you if that's what you want!" he roared, his once calm blue eyes now a stormy sea of emotions. He'd partly closed our bond and without thinking about it I prodded it before I ripped it open, wanting to feel everything he was feeling, and for him to feel everything I was feeling.

"Do **not** hide your emotions from me! If we're going to bond permanently I want no secrets! No hiding from me any more! I want to feel everything!" I ordered in an angry tone, one I hardly ever used these days.

"You want to feel everything? FINE." Within seconds our clothes were gone and with an angry thrust Eric was embedded inside of me. I hadn't been ready for him and the pain ripped through me, but I had no time to recover from it as Eric took up a sharp and quick pace, pounding into me with everything he had. My head tipped back involuntarily, a strangled groan leaving my roughly parted lips at the combination of both pleasure and pain. "Feel. Everything." He grunted, forcing his current emotions through our bond.

_Anger, aggression, hurt, need, want, lust, frustration, fear, awe, ecstasy, adoration and _**_love._**_ Pure and utter unconditional love._

Unable to hold back both my angry tears and my tears of love any longer, I allowed them to travel down my face as I met every roll of his hips, every thrust. We moved together, perfectly in sync. There was no sweetness to this sex, it was claiming and aggressive, needy and angry, but it was still as wonderful as always. "You. Are. Mine. No one will ever take you from me!" Eric growled out, continuing to pound into me. With every thrust I felt my insides coiling, shoving me closer to the golden edge. His lips attacked mine possessing my mouth, our teeth clashing and our tongues fighting for dominance. His hands went to my hair and he grabbed hold of me firmly, knotting his fingers into the blonde strands. My own hands knotted in his golden mane and I tugged sharply, causing my Viking to growl loudly. One of his fangs nicked my bottom lip and he drank greedily from the wound, his tongue laving over the small incision moments later to seal it. Tearing my mouth away from his I panted, moaning as his every thrust caused his pubic bone to bump into my clit.

"Come with me." He ordered, one of his hands sliding down between us to furiously rub me. Feeling his cool hand on my heated core was my undoing, the coil inside of me tightened once more before it finally gave out, snapping apart. "Eric!" I screamed out as my orgasm ripped through my body, tearing away at my sanity, my control. My mental shields were blown to shreds, my body trembling and quivering. In a flash Eric's fangs were buried in my breast, tearing another orgasm from me, which caused me to howl out. This time Eric's own release joined with mine, and his lips and fangs left contact with my body long enough for my own name to tumble loudly from his perfect lips.

Still trembling with the aftershocks of two intense orgasms, Eric bent his head to seal the marks he had left behind. "Drink." I ordered, raising a shaky hand to run it through his messy hair. Without sparing a moment, Eric's fangs sank back into their previous puncture marks and he started to take deep pulls. Gasping at the sensation I encouraged him to take more, feeling a primitive need to not only nourish him but to have as much of my blood as possible in his system, to claim him as he had claimed me.

After a minute or so his pulls stopped, I felt a little light-headed but it was worth it to nourish him, to see the pink tinge to his cheeks. Piercing his tongue, he sealed up the puncture wounds before kissing the tender spot where they had just been. Looking up at me from under his thick lashes, he soon nuzzled into my neck, inhaling my scent. Wrapping my arms around him, I used him as support to keep me up against the wall. A thought occurred to me and it amused me. I was using Eric for support, he was keeping me upright. I'd been using him as support all along, every time I had been in danger he had come for me, every time I had needed him he had helped, he'd kept me grounded and treated me as an equal when I'd been thrown into the supernatural world. Snorting lightly at my sudden epiphany, I couldn't help but smile. "I love you, my big idiotic Viking vampire." I whispered.

Pulling his head back from my neck, a warm smile graced Eric's perfectly pouty lips, "I love you too, my feisty little fairy." He responded in a murmur, leaning in to press a kiss to my lips. This time the action was soft and gentle, filled with tender adoration and caring.

"Thank you, by the way." Eric whispered against my lips.

"What for?" I asked just as quietly, a light frown crossing my features as I stroked his cheek gently.

"Rescuing Godric, bringing him back to me. I never thanked you for it. Sending you into the Fellowship was a risky move; I regret that you were nearly tainted. I love Godric and I love you, I couldn't have dealt with it if either of you had of been hurt, be it physically or emotionally." His fingers brushed through my hair, removing the knots from our rough lovemaking.

"It's nice to know you would have felt bad had I have been raped." I forced a smile, trying to forget the memory.

Eric raised a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Shh, please don't speak of it. I don't like to think of what could have happened to you, min älskling." He pressed another kiss to my lips. Sliding his hands underneath me, he supported my small weight before carrying me over to the bed, still buried deep inside of me. As my back hit the soft duvet, I pulled Eric down with me, his weight offered me a sense of security and I couldn't help but kiss his collarbones, which were strongly defined.

"You protected me from the bomb at the nest, thank you." I whispered, remembering how Eric had thrown himself over me to stop me from getting hurt. While he had then used the situation to get his blood into my system, he'd acted on impulse and to know his impulsive actions were to protect me was heartwarming and showed his true colours.

"I would take every bomb in the world, every bullet, if it meant you were kept alive and safe." He murmured, his lips ghosting over my forehead. I could feel the sincerity of his words through the bond; though even without the bond it would have been obvious just how much he meant it.

"And I would do the same for you." I told him honestly, sealing my words with a light kiss. Eric suddenly growled lowly, screwing his eyes shut and burying his face in the dip of my throat. "What's the matter?" I asked in slight panic, stroking his hair reassuringly.

He was silent for a moment before he looked up, a sheepish smile on his lips. "My bond with Godric opened slightly, his feelings were rather strong." He informed me with a smirk, waggling his eyebrows.

Not wishing to have a play-by-play of Godric and Ata's night, I removed my hands from Eric's hair, holding them up in a surrender gesture. "Okay stop, I don't need to know!" I laughed.

Eric's laughter blended with mine to create a rich sound, perfectly pitched and soothing to the ears. It was another testament to how much we belonged with one another. Soon though his laughter died down, and I could feel his mischief through our bond as he dipped his head to my ear. "You know, Godric isn't the one who can do wonderful things with his tongue." He purred, flicking his tongue out against the sensitive spot behind my ear.

Groaning at the sensation, Eric's breathy chuckle caressed my eardrums. "We still haven't finished our conversation." I pointed out quietly, trying with all my might to remain focused. That was difficult however with a 6'4, 190 pound Viking laying completely naked on top of me, with his manhood still buried inside me.

As if reading my mind, Eric removed himself from inside me, only to start trailing wet kisses along my jaw line, down my throat and to my breasts. A strangled moan escaped me as he sucked one nipple into his mouth. "Eric." I breathed, trying furiously to reclaim my breath and my focus.

"Don't fight me, lover. Let go." He murmured against my skin. My back arched at his ministrations as he expertly palmed my other breast.

"Our talk,"

"After you've screamed my name again." Eric ordered, shutting down the conversation. His tongue was working its magic on my dusky nub and after spending a minute or so working me into a frenzy he swapped over, taking my other nipple into his mouth, working it perfectly. His large hand cupped my free breast, rolling and pinching my engorged nipple. Crying out at the sensation I knotted my hands in his golden mane, tugging at his scalp. Eric growled out, his chest vibrating against my stomach, adding to the tightening sensation in my lower abdomen.

Finally freeing my breasts from his hands and mouth, he grabbed my wrists, slowly moving my hands to my chest. "Touch yourself." He ordered in a husky voice as he laved kisses down my stomach. Instantly I felt rather self-conscious, I'd never had to please myself before, never had to touch myself. Sensing my tinge of embarrassment, my Viking raised his head, looking up along my body. "For me." He guilt tripped, dropping kisses to my hipbones, his eyes locked on mine. Nibbling the inside of my lip, I slowly started to fondle myself, rubbing my dusky nubs between my fingers. My embarrassment started to decrease as I looked at Eric, his eyes locked on mine, hungry with need. I felt desired, wanted, treasured. "My beautiful, good girl." He whispered, his eyes leaving mine for a moment to watch as I touched myself before he continued on his downward trail, stopping to kiss the little bundle of nerves at the apex of my legs.

I quivered under his lips, feeling the coil inside of myself tightening. His cool hands brushed against the inside of my thighs and slowly he parted them, his lips moving downwards to my heated core. Suckling at my tender flesh, my Viking groaned in what I could only assume was pleasure, if the feelings bouncing through our bond were anything to go by. My hands stilled as my back arched, Eric's name tumbling from me like a mantra as he used his lips, tongue and teeth to bring me indescribable pleasure. Bill had never done anything like this for me; he was far too much of a prude. Feeling in need of some physical contact with my beautiful Viking, my hands left my chest, knotting themselves once again in his soft hair.

Without warning, Eric's tongue plunged into me and I screamed out at the sensation, digging my nails into his scalp. My actions caused him to growl and the sound vibrated in his mouth, transferring to my aching core. Tipping my head back I felt myself racing towards my release, Eric's tongue, lips and teeth continuing their merciless torture. "I want to taste you. Come for me, my Sookie." He grunted, raising a hand to rub his calloused thumb vigorously over my little bundle of nerves,

That was all it took to send me over the edge and, screaming out Eric's name, my release took over my entire body, coursing through my veins. He lapped up everything I gave him and, as my body shuddered and quivered with the aftershocks of my release, my Viking looked up at me with a roguish smile, sliding back up my frame to press his lips firmly to mine. "Taste yourself." He whispered, encouraging me. Pressing his lips back to mine, his mouth opened immediately and I took the invitation, sliding my tongue into his waiting mouth to taste myself. Groaning at the intimacy of the action, I felt my Viking smile against my lips before he slowly pulled away, rolling us over so I rested on his chest, my head right above his still heart.

"Carry on with the conversation, min kärlek?" Eric stroked my hair, moving it off of my slightly sweaty back. That was the one thing I disliked about sex with vampires, they didn't tire as easily or sweat. I always felt disgustingly human around them during, and after, lovemaking.

Trying to pull my breathing under control, I finally managed to gasp out my thoughts, "I can't remember what I was going to say." I confessed.

Eric's laughter was beautiful, and his chest rose and fell with the sound, the deep rich sound truly intoxicating. "Good, that means I've done my job correctly."

Feeling a little nervous, I once again nibbled on my lower lip, "Will you let me return the favour?" I asked shyly, looking up at him from under my eyelashes in what I hoped was a demure manner as I allowed one of my hands to trail down his perfectly sculpted body, over his flat stomach to his hipbones before continuing on downwards. Grasping his manhood, he hissed at the feel of my warm hand on his cold flesh, I could almost feel his conflict over the situation.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to." He grunted, thrusting his hips up into my hand. Deciding that it was time to pull on my big girl panties and try something new, I pressed kisses along his jaw line, nipping his neck as a moan escaped his lips. I smiled as I recalled how much he enjoyed having his neck kissed and nibbled. Spending some more time on his neck, I left wet open-mouthed kisses on my way down, licking his collarbones before continuing downwards. Dragging my nose through his light smattering of blonde chest hair, my free hand ghosted down his side, tracing his firm muscles. Watching Eric as I worked, his head tipped back as he moaned out my name, thrusting his hips upwards once more into my waiting hand, I felt powerful. I had my beautiful 1000-year-old Viking as putty in my hands.

Finally I reached my destination, my free hand resting on Eric's hip. I wasn't completely naïve, but Eric was known for his sexual prowess and I didn't want to disappoint him. Flicking my tongue out I gave Eric a tentative lick, the groan tumbling from his lips encouraging me further. Giving him several more licks, I took as much of him as possible into my mouth. Eric hissed at my actions. "Fuck, Sookie." His breath came out in rags. His hips moved upwards and I was forced to place a hand on his stomach in an attempt to keep him down, of course that was futile given his immense strength. Bobbing my head, I laved my tongue over him, taking as much of him as possible into my mouth. It was Eric's turn to tangle his hands in my hair and the groans falling from his lips were encouraging me. Feeling brave, I decided it was time to pull out my secret weapon.

Relaxing my gag reflex, I slowly took all of Eric in, controlling my breathing so that I wouldn't gag or suffocate, or both. I knew I'd done something right the moment Eric started to chant my name, his head tipped backwards further than it had before and his eyes were screwed shut. Swallowing hard, I could feel Eric's manhood pulsing in my throat as he howled out. Pulling back slightly, I kept only the head of him in my mouth, licking it insistently, covering it in kisses as my hands worked his shaft. I could feel him start to pulse in my hand, his salty taste coating my tongue.

Monitoring the bond I could feel that he was fast approaching his release, so after a few more bobs of my head I took all of him into my mouth once again, swallowing. With a roar Eric let go, his body arching as his orgasm swept through him, depositing his cool seed down my throat. Swallowing down every drop he gave me, I slowly extracted him from my mouth, kissing his sensitive flesh several times before letting him go. As a vampire he had no need to breathe, and yet he was panting heavily, it was rather flattering to my ego.

Crawling back up his body, I straddled his waist, leaning forward and resting on my arms, which sat on either side of his head. "Your turn to taste yourself." I whispered, capturing his lips with mine in a passionate kiss. Pulling back I let my head fall onto Eric's broad chest.

"And there I was thinking you were a good little Christian girl." He chuckled quietly.

"I was a good little Christian girl, but a certain Viking corrupted me." I sassed playfully "My Gran would be rolling in her grave if she saw me now." I couldn't help but laugh. I was joking of course, Gran would be happy with me, she would accept my choice and she would understand my need and love for Eric. She was in no position to throw stones though, given her affair with Fintan.

"Tell me about your Gran, she was the lady who helped to take Marnie away, wasn't she?" Eric whispered, sweeping my hair away from my face so he could press a kiss to my forehead, holding me close in his cool arms.

A small smile played across my lips as Eric asked about my Gran. This was one of the major differences between pre-amnesia Eric and post-amnesia Eric. Before his memory loss, and his acceptance of our love, he probably wouldn't have cared about my family. Nodding my head in answer to his question, I wrapped my arms around his strong frame, allowing myself to reminisce for a while. "My Gran was always cheerful, completely honest all the time. She was caring and loving too. After my parents died she took in Jason and I, she raised us as if we were her own kids, not her grandkids. She always saw the best in people, she supported all of my choices and everyone in town loved her. When Tara's mom would hit the bottle, Gran would let her stay over and would make her pancakes for breakfast. Tara pretty much lived with us and Gran thought of her as another granddaughter. She didn't have to take care of Jason and me, let alone take care of Tara too, but she did. She never made me feel bad about my telepathy either, if anything she was the only person who ever thought good things about me, not once did I hear her think anything negative. She was the only one who didn't judge me when I first started seeing Bill, I think she liked him 'cause of how much history he'd seen." I shrugged, snuggling into Eric.

"I wish I could have met her. You loved her very much." He stated gently, stroking his thumbs over my forehead.

"She would have loved to hear about the past from you, she was fascinated with history." I sighed, drawing patterns with my fingers on Eric's alabaster skin. "I think she saw from Heaven how often we lock horns though, she told me through Marnie that I shouldn't give you my heart. At least I think it was you she was referring to."

I felt a tinge of sadness through the bond and looked up to Eric in curiosity. "Do you think she would have liked me, with time?" he asked quietly, his eyebrows furrowed together in thought.

"Yes." I answered immediately, knowing Gran would have loved Eric if only she had spent some time getting to know him. I prayed she was up there watching us, not necessarily during our intimate moments, but at every other time. I found myself hoping she'd witnessed his rescue of Godric and I in the Fellowship, the moment he'd offered himself up for the freedom of Godric and myself, how he'd protected me from the bomb in Godric's nest, when he'd silvered himself to Russell in order to save me from him, when he'd bought my house to repair it and all the time he had spent with me during his state of amnesia. Sometimes Eric's actions were questionable, but he'd always protected me. Gran had to at least love him for that. "I'm positive of it." I added adamantly. Although Eric wasn't the Southern gentleman that Bill had acted as, my Viking was just as honourable and good mannered, if not more so.

"Tell me about the rest of your family.' Eric requested, sliding his arms under my behind to pull me up onto his chest, my hand now resting on his shoulder, my nose buried in his neck.

"Well you know about my brother, Jason. He isn't the brightest crayon in the box but he's a good man. Whenever people use to bully me at school he would stand up for me, beating up the bullies and taking their beatings himself so they'd leave me alone. He was always wary of my disability, he was always a little worried about what exactly I could hear, but I heard from his head one day that it didn't alter how much he loved me, if anything it made him love me more 'cause he knows I'm special, and I don't mean that in a negative way. Everyone else use to call me 'crazy Sookie' and think I was mentally deficient, but Jase never did, he's always believed there was a reason for my disability." I explained quietly, Eric's fingers tracing patterns over my bare back.

"Please don't refer to your telepathy as a disability, lover. If anything it is a gift, what I would give to know what people were thinking all the time." He sighed wistfully, moving his hands to play with my hair.

"That's the thing, everyone thinks it would be great but it isn't. Knowing at the age of thirteen, when you have your first kiss, that your high school crush thinks your thighs are fat is horrible. Knowing that the towns' residents think you're mental incompetent and think of you as an 'idiot' all the time, and more recently as some 'fangbanging whore' really isn't pleasant either." I could feel Eric's anger flare to life through the bond but I carried on anyway. "I'll admit that it has its perks. I can read humans the moment I meet them and decide how much to tell them, I can figure out what species people are, it's why I was able to tell that Ata was like myself as her mind was shielded off. It has a bunch of other good uses too..." I trailed off, not really seeing any other benefits to it that I could add; I chose to keep that information to myself though.

"Do you regret it?" Eric's voice was a whisper, and if I didn't know any better I would dare to say he sounded frightened.

Looking up into his beautiful blue eyes, I frowned lightly. "Regret what?" I murmured.

"Us. Getting involved with my kind. You hardly spend any time in your own home these days, you hardly work anymore and all of those rednecks think such horrible things about you." He expanded on his question, watching for my reaction.

"I regret getting involved with Bill because of what happened between him and I, the truths that came to light, but I don't regret being with him in some sense because he introduced me to you, and I certainly don't regret us. Those nosy buggers in Bon Temps can think what they want in all honesty, I love you too much to ever even think of letting anything, or anyone, come between us." I whispered, hiding my face back in the crook of his neck as I poured my heart out to him for the first time. "They've done nothing for me. You've done more for me in the few years we've known one another than they've done for me my whole life. I don't even think they missed me the year I was gone." I confessed, feeling angry about the fact that no one apart from Eric, Jason, Tara and Lafayette had really honestly cared about me during my absence. Bill pretended to care because he had been a suspect in my disappearance.

"What did you do in the year I was away?" I asked suddenly, wondering what my Viking had been up to. Eric stiffened and the bond was suddenly flooded with fear and sadness, almost a depression, and it tried to suck me down with it. Gasping, I screwed my eyes shut, fighting back by pushing love and happiness, adoration and comfort through the bond. For five minutes we battled until finally I felt the negative emotions inside of Eric start to recede. Continuing to push my feelings across the bond, I slowly opened my eyes and gasped at the sight that greeted me. My Eric, my beautiful Viking warrior, had blood tracks down his cheeks from his tears. Scrambling up, I cupped his face in my hands, resting our foreheads together to stare into his endless eyes. "Tell me what happened, sweetie." I ordered gently, stroking his cheekbones with my fingers.

I could see, and feel, his inner battle, so I sent a large wave of determination and strength to him. Almost instantly he gave me a small smile, whispering his thanks before falling silent for a moment. "I first realised I was strongly attached to you when I felt the compulsion to get my blood into your system. I didn't want you with Bill, I felt like you were mine, and not in a possessive way. It felt, to me, that we were supposed to have one another, enjoy one another. I refused to acknowledge my feelings though, which is why I probably came across as a bit of an ass at times. I won't apologise for that though, it's part of my charm." He offered me a small smile and I couldn't help but return it.

"The year you were away though, it was the hardest year of my life, and that's saying something given how old I am. It was during that year that I realised that I was in love with you, or 'whipped' as Pam called it. I bought your house and turned it into my own little project. I built the cubby first so I wouldn't have to leave in the day; I conducted my Sheriff duties from your dining room table, sitting in the seat you always use to sit in. If I couldn't be around you then I wanted to be around your things. I had all of my allies all over the world looking for you, I told them you were my bonded because I was worried that, should one of them find you and smell you, they would want you for their own. Our bond wasn't there anymore, and it felt like you had died, but I knew you hadn't. I didn't know why I knew but I just did, however I didn't know where you were though, and that was killing me. I was like an addict who'd gone cold turkey, I missed our banter, your smile, the way you demanded things from me without showing any hint of fear or apprehension. Jason was calling my bar every night to see if I had found anything, he came over to your place once or twice to bring me some donor blood he'd managed to grab from the hospital thanks to his job. He helped me pick out things you'd like and, I'll even admit that he told me some stories from your childhood." He confessed, wearing a smile that a naughty schoolboy would be proud of.

Groaning at the realisation that Jason probably exposed all my embarrassing secrets to Eric, I hid my face away from him. Eric chuckled and his chest vibrated beneath me before he pulled my face up, his eyes lit up with mirth. I would take the embarrassment if it meant I wouldn't feel such deep depression from my Viking ever again, there was clearly something he wasn't telling me but I wasn't about to push him for it, at least not now. "Don't worry, lover, they weren't **that **bad. But I do wonder, how on earth did you manage to get a bean sprout stuck up your nose?" I was mortified, utterly mortified. Jason had told him about the time, when I'd been six, that I'd shoved a bean sprout up my nose because I didn't want to eat them and I thought that by covering them in boogers momma and daddy wouldn't make me eat them.

Sensing my growing embarrassment, my Viking moved on with the topic. "Who else is there in your family?"

"There's Hadley, but you've already met her. Why did you send her to me by the way?" I frowned, remembering how frightened Hadley had been, how worried she'd acted. I'd learnt that night that it was her fault I'd ended up in this vampire mess, and while I was angry at her for blabbing about me I couldn't blame her entirely, she was a lost soul and she thought she could find some happiness with the queen. I realised that I had no idea where she was now that Sophie-Anne was truly dead.

"It was daytime, I had to stay up and catch her when she was away from Sophie-Anne. I also knew, at that point in time, that you'd hear her out more than you'd hear me out." He responded honestly. I was pleased that we were being open with one another; it was a wonderful change from the deceit and manipulation I had experienced with Bill.

"How did you know we were related?" I wanted to know as much as possible about Hadley and her new life, and Eric had some information that could shed light on the matter.

"I went to speak with Sophie-Anne when you had the maenad problem, your cousin recognised Bon Temps when I mentioned it and asked me how you were, referring to you as her cousin. Clearly she'd already told Sophie-Anne, or she'd been glamoured into it. When Russell went to propose to Sophie-Anne, to form an alliance, your cousin was still there. I wanted to know why Sophie-Anne had such a keen interest in you so I used Hadley against her. I tasted her in front of the queen and she sat back and watched, refusing to tell me anything. Your cousin's survival instinct kicked in and she whispered to me what she'd heard from Sophie-Anne, that you were part fae. I knew then I had to protect you from her." Eric explained. I couldn't help but feel angry that he'd bitten my cousin and strangely jealous that he'd tasted her. I loved Hadley dearly but she was a mess, she'd been a drug addict, had abandoned her own son, the thought of Eric with his fangs in her neck frustrated me.

Quirking an eyebrow at me, I could feel Eric's amusement and love for me through our bond. "Jealous?" he teased.

Deciding to ignore him, knowing full well he could feel just how jealous I actually was, I carried on the conversation. "Tell me you healed her fang marks?" I demanded, wanting Eric to show courtesy to my family, even if said family member was a little undeserving.

With a nod, he gave me a warm smile, "I healed her and gave her my blood so that I would be able to track her should you ever wish to speak with her."

My emotions were a jumble of jealousy and appreciation; Hadley had my Viking's blood in her veins when it shouldn't be there, his blood was mine, only mine, but at the same time he had thought of me when giving it to her.

Clearly not wanting to talk about Hadley and her fucked up past, Eric continued on. "What about your other family members? Any uncles and aunts?"

It was unstoppable; the mention of my uncle caused my whole body to tense and for my blood to run cold. Immediately I was beneath Eric, his strong body above me, his hands holding my face, his eyes full of concern. "Sookie, what's wrong? Tell me, please." He begged, stroking my face, his eyes never leaving mine. Although I was looking at my Eric, all I could think of was my Uncle Bartlett, the way he'd thought such disgusting things about me, how he'd wanted to abuse me, how he'd threatened me about telling on him on the few occasions he had touched me. Unable to stop the memories from playing through my head, I choked back a sob. Instantly I was sat upright, Eric's back was to the headboard, his long legs stretched out in front of him and I was straddling his lap. His strong arms were wrapped around me, holding me to him, my face buried in his chest. Pulling my emotions under control, I focused on my breathing and the rhythmic stroking of my hair courtesy of Eric.

"I don't want to push you, my dove, but please tell me what the matter is." He asked me gently, brushing his lips over my forehead.

"I had an uncle, Bill killed him." I croaked, pulling my head back from Eric's bare chest to wipe at my tears. Eric stilled my hands, leaning in to lick away the moisture. What was it with vampires and human body fluids?

"Why did he kill him, min älskling?" he smoothed my hair from my face, lifting my chin so I was forced to look at him.

"He use to think inappropriate things about me, h-he acted upon those thoughts a few times. He threatened me, told me not to tell anyone or he'd hurt me even more, but I eventually did. My parents didn't believe me when I told them; they thought I was being stupid and trying to split up the family even more. Gran believed me though; when she took me in she chased him away and told him to never come back. She chased away her own brother, her own blood and flesh, because of me." I babbled, wanting to get it all out in the open. Bill's blood had influenced my initial confession, but this time I was telling someone of my own accord, and it felt good to confine in someone.

The rage and anger pouring through the bond was crippling and I cried out at the feel of it. Almost instantly I felt the bond shut down a little and sobbed in relief. "At least Compton did one thing right, I just wish I could bring the fucker back so I could kill him for you all over again." He snarled, every piece of my innocent and sweet vampire gone. He was pure menace, pure anger and aggression. He was beautiful both when he was sweet and when he was angry. He was the perfect vampire, and I found myself thinking that once again Godric had chosen his progeny well.

"It's done Eric, I can't go back and change what happened. He left me some money in his will but I gave it to Jason. I didn't want it and he had a nerve leaving me it." I muttered, curling myself back up against Eric's sturdy and reassuring chest. His arms wrapped back around me and he nuzzled me, slowly opening up our bond once more. He was still angry but the anger had subsided a little.

"I'm sorry I mentioned it, min älskling. I had no idea. I'm so sorry. He can't get to you now though, no one will ever get to you like that again." He vowed, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I felt safe in Eric's arms, loved and cherished. He knew how to take care of me even though it had been so long since he had been human and it made me feel warm inside knowing he was trying his best to keep me happy. As if reading my mind, my Viking broke the silence. "What will make you the happiest in this world, my Sookie? You deserve every ounce of happiness on this planet."

I couldn't help but smile at his level of concern and honesty; I had never thought that such a beautiful and caring man lay underneath the cold and tough vampire Sheriff. I was honoured that Eric allowed me to see this side of him, but I was well aware it would only occur in private. He had an image to maintain and I had no problem with that, I was use to pretending to be something I wasn't.

"You. You make me happy, you're all I want." I stated, knowing it was really cliché but it was still true.

"I know I make you happy, as you make me happy, but what is it you really want, deep down? Do you still want to marry, to have children, to have your white picket fence?" he scooted us down the bed, pulling the covers over our naked frames before drawing me close to him, our bodies moulding to one another's.

"Every Southern girl wants those things." I responded cryptically.

"I have plenty of money Sookie, let me buy us a white picket fence house, we can decorate it to be just as you like it, I'll even get a Viking sized bed in the new cubby so we can sleep with one another every night." His hands roamed over my hips and I found myself struggling to hold back tears, feeling overly emotional at the raw emotions in his voice.

"You want to buy a house with me? Move in together?" I whispered, unsure if I had heard him correctly.

With a nod Eric confirmed my thoughts, "I want to fall asleep beside you every sunrise and rise every sunset with you by my side, I want to go out into the garden at night and see all the flowers you've planted in the day, I want to smell cookies and cakes and everything else you create with your hands." He took my left hand in his own, raising to his lips to brush a kiss across the back. "I want to be surrounded by your things and wash my clothes with yours so they carry your scent." He kissed each of my fingers, pausing at my ring finger. "I want to put a diamond on this finger, to introduce you to everyone as my wife." He told me. His honesty and sincerity was palpable even without the bond. His statements left me slack jawed, unable to form a coherent sentence. Was Eric Northman proposing?

"Once we are pledged, I vow to you that I will find the most beautiful diamond in existence and have it crafted for your hand. We won't go to Vermont, that didn't work too well last time, instead we'll go back to the old world, to my home country. Marriages between vampires and humans are legal there." His eyes lit up with the excitement and I was pretty sure mine looked just the same. Ata had told me that Eric loved me dearly, that he wished to spoil me and show me how he loved me, that he wasn't buying me things to make me feel bad but to try and make me feel good. I could see now why she had told me all of that, if Eric had been offering to marry me even a week ago I would have run for the hills. Now that I was able to think about it though, knowing the depth of devotion we shared, I realised how foolish it was of me to try and run in the first place. Any man who would throw all his time at me, all of his plans and dreams too and risk his life for me was someone I wanted as my husband.

The topic of marriage was staring to get a little heavy for my liking, while I was excited deep down about the prospect of fulfilling two of my childhood dreams I still felt cheated. I would never be able to carry a beautiful bundle of blonde haired, Viking blooded joy in my womb, I would never be able to pop out to the store at lunch with my beloved for fear of him burning up and truly dying. It was as if God was playing some cruel joke on me, giving me my perfect man and then placing rules and stipulations around him.

Sensing my inner turmoil and frustration, Eric pressed our hips and chests close together, allowing us to feel one another's bare skin. "Promise me something?" he asked of me, his voice low and husky.

Looking up, I captured the seriousness in his eyes. "Anything."

"You'll survive whatever happens to us in the next few weeks, whatever comes our way I want you to fight and never give up. Should I meet the true death I want you to continue fighting and when you're finally free, I want you to marry a nice human man, have his children, go to college and get a degree in whatever takes your fancy. Everything I have will be split between you and Pam, you'll have lots of money so you'll never have to worry ever again and you can live happily ever after." His voice was hoarse with emotion.

My heart broke at his expression and his words; he wanted me to continue living after he was gone, to fight every day to stay alive and to make something of myself, to be happy. I could do nothing but shake my head, denying him his promise. "I can't do that." I whispered after a moment, making sure Eric's eyes were locked with mine. "There would be no one else I would want to marry, I wouldn't want anyone else's children. Without you I'd be miserable at best." I responded honestly, knowing Eric would eventually appreciate it; I would never create a false promise with him.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Eric seemed to be lost in thought and I couldn't help but worry after a few minutes, glancing to the clock to check it wasn't sunrise. We still had another hour. "You would be loyal to me, even after my true death?" He asked, opening his eyes. His voice was flat though the bond screamed of his awe and his love.

"Yes. You see no one could ever replace you, my handsome Viking." I raised a hand, stroking his cheek affectionately. The action, and my words, made Eric's whole face light up like a Christmas tree and I couldn't help but be in awe at how human he looked right at that moment. His hair was tousled from our lovemaking, his body warm from my own body heat, his skin tinged pink from my blood, the bedside lamp casting a warm glow over his alabaster skin and his perfect 1000 watt smile, showing no fang whatsoever. I realised then just how completely 'whipped', as Eric had so eloquently put it, I was.

Shifting slightly, I gently tugged Eric over me and he moved at human speed to lay protectively over me. "Promise me something in return." I demanded softly, to which Eric nodded. "Should something happen to me, carry on. Go back to your home country and do everything you have ever wanted to do, take Pam with you and just enjoy a life together away from politics and bureaucracy. Keep Pam company, she would be distraught without you, and keep in close contact with Godric and Ata." I instructed, wanting Eric to understand that he had a life, even after I was long gone. He had people to stick around for.

Shaking his head, he sighed. "I cannot promise you that, my love. If you go, I will meet the sun the next morning." He stated. It was clear in his voice, and through the bond, that he had already accepted that course of action.

I hadn't.

"No, Eric!" I exclaimed, but his lips came down on mine to silence me and after a moment he pulled back, his eyes roaming over my face.

"As you said, no one could ever replace you. Our bond has done more than bind us by blood, my Sookie, it has bound our souls together too. Without you, half of myself will be missing. Besides, I can always torment you in Hell." He smiled cheekily, though I noticed it didn't reach his ears.

"I'm not going to Hell, Eric, and neither are you." I stated firmly. "I know there's a little spot for your Viking ass, okay a big spot for your glorious Viking ass, in Heaven."

A slow smile crept across his features before he fell into silence for a moment, as if thinking. "I like to think there's a place for me there, but I'm yet to do anything to earn it. However, I think, that you're my chance of getting there. If I do right with you, perhaps you can redeem me enough that I'll be able to share a cloud with you."

The talk of redemption dragged me back to the conversation I had engaged in with Ata the other day, where she had told me about accidentally hearing Godric thinking she could redeem him and then using his own words in her sentences and thus giving away that she could read his mind. It seemed with our two ancient vampires that redemption was a serious subject, something they believed heavily in.

"If there is anyone in the universe that I would love to share a cloud with then it's you, my Viking." I reassured him, leaning up to press my lips firmly to his. Our kiss was slow and gentle, filled with the care we had for one another. Our bond sang with the love and adoration we were pushing back and forth to one another, wanting to reassure the other that we would survive the next few weeks and that we would come out fighting. Heck I'd even, in a way, agreed to marry my blonde vampire should we both come out of this mess alive. I'd just agreed to marry Eric. Eric and Sookie Northman…it did sound rather good. _Whoa, hold on to your horses there, Stackhouse! Don't run before you can walk!_

Eric's tongue sweeping across my lower lip pulled me from my thoughts and I found myself parting my lips instantly, I could never deny my Nordic god anything. His tongue probed my mouth, brushing across my own tongue, tracing the outlines of my teeth and gums. Gently I pulled Eric's lower lip into my mouth, sucking the plump flesh. A guttural groan fled from his mouth and straight into mine and I had to restrain myself from smiling with joy at my ability to make such noises leave him. Our kiss soon turned passionate however, with a tip of my head Eric was able to deepen his assault on my mouth and hands locked themselves at the base of his neck, rubbing the smooth skin there and playing with the short hairs. I was reminded briefly of the long hair he had sported when I had first met him.

His hands were everywhere, kneading the flesh on my hips, rubbing my thighs, sweeping over my breasts. He was playing me like a finely tuned instrument, and I was complying to his every wish, my spine arching with his touches, my breathing laboured as I peeled my lips away in need of air. Almost instantly he was attacking my neck with wet kisses, licking and nibbling periodically, causing pleasure to course through my veins.

Slowly he slipped inside of me for the second time tonight, filling me, stretching me. My internal muscles caressed him as he slowly began to pump in and out of me, pulling himself nearly all of the way out before sweeping back in fluidly. The delicious friction between our joined sexes caused us both to moan in appreciation though we never broke eye contact. There was no need for us to verbally tell one another of our love, it shouted through our bond, destroying every other emotion within us for the time being. For twenty-five minutes he moved himself in and out of me, my walls holding him firmly in place as if he were a lifeline they never wanted to get go of. Each time I would reach the edge he would pull back for a moment, instead leaving a trail of sweet kisses down the valley of my breasts. I was in dire need of my release, but I would wait for Eric, I'd wait until he was ready, I'd always wait for him. He'd never failed me before and I knew, right then, that he never would fail me.

The sound of our combined moans was the only noise in the room, Eric's movements were so gently, so tender, that there was no sound of skin meeting skin. Kissing his way up my neck, his lips found mine and for a moment we shared a tender kiss before his lips moved to my ear, his hands travelling to my breasts, which he palmed with the expertise only years of practice could give. "Come with me, min vackra ängel." He whispered, and as if on cue my release took hold of me, winding through my veins, causing my back to arch, my breasts meeting Eric's firm chest as my heels dug themselves into his perfect behind. As I met my release, Eric met his, and in a husky voice he breathed out my name as his cool seed tamed the burning heat inside of me.

At a human pace, he turned us over, and I rested my head against his chest, his arm wrapped around me protectively, holding me to his side. I had no problem snuggling up to him, I felt safe in his embrace. "I love you." He said softly, giving my hip a gentle squeeze.

"I love you too." I reminded him, dropping a kiss to his chest as he sighed in contentment. It was then the sun rose, the light tight shutters protecting my vampire from its harmful rays. I watched as it claimed my Viking for the day, before I allowed sleep to claim me too.

* * *

**A/N**

_Min älskling (Swedish) = My darling_

_Min kärlek (Swedish) = My love_

_Min vackra angel (Swedish) My beautiful angel_


	39. Kings and Queens

**A/N I'm so glad all of you loved the last chapter! I had fun writing it even though it was a huge amount of dialogue!**

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_Into the night, desperate and broken, the sound of a fight, father has spoken.  
We were the kings and queens of promise; we were the victims of ourselves  
Maybe the children of a lesser god, between heaven and hell.  
Into your eyes, hopeless and taken, we stole our new lives, through blood and pain  
In defence of our dreams, in defence of our dreams We were the kings and queens of promise; we were the victims of ourselves  
Maybe the children of a lesser god, between heaven and hell.  
The age of man is over, darkness comes at dawn, these lessons that we've learned here, have only just begun  
We were the kings and queens of promise; we were the victims of ourselves  
Maybe the children of a lesser god, between heaven and hell.  
~ Kings and Queens, 30 Seconds To Mars_

The moment Sookie had told me what that wished to talk to me I had assumed the worst, but it had been foolish of me. My Sookie had surprised me with her openness, with her curiosity. I had known all along that she would have questions for me, things she wanted to know the answer to, and I had no problem in answering anything she fired at me. My confessions about wanting to live with her, wanting to marry her, they had been thoughts I'd locked away for so long, but finally voicing them and witnessing how much Sookie had grown had been enchanting. Knowing that when all of this was over, and we weren't running from anyone anymore, we would be moving in together was a blessing. Knowing too that I would finally get to put a ring on Sookie's finger almost had me giddy with excitement. Never had I wanted to tie myself to someone as much. Everything I had told my little fae before slipping into my day rest had been the truth. I had allowed the sun to pull me under at sunrise, wearing a smile on my features and holding my beautiful bonded to my side.

I had never gotten use to the feeling of rising for the night, even after 1000 years as a vampire. It was automatic, my whole body was suddenly awake and my eyelids snapped back, taking in the darkness of the room. Warmth pulsated from my side and I tipped my head to look at the source. My Sookie was still curled up next to me, encased in my arms, breathing lightly. Her warm breath was ghosting over my bare chest and I couldn't contain my smile, hearing her strong heartbeat as it resonated from her chest.

Slowly I turned to lay on my side, cocooning Sookie in my arms before I dropped slow and soft kisses to the top of her head, to her forehead, down her nose and finally to her lips. Still half in slumber, Sookie returned my tender kisses, finally pulling back to groan at the fact she was now awake. "What time is it?" she asked quietly, her voice hoarse from her sleep.

"Sunset of course, min älskling." I murmured, dropping kisses to her shoulders as she scooted closer to me, placing a hand over her mouth to hide her yawn in a ladylike gesture.

"What did you do today, my dove?" I asked, sweeping her hair away from her face as she started to rub the sleep from the corners of her eyes. The fact she had napped beside me warmed my cold heart.

"I slept. OH GOD." She scrambled up, racing out of bed as she quickly pulled on a clean bra and new panties. "I slept away the whole day! That was so rude of me!" Sookie squealed, dashing to the wardrobe to pull on a pair of jeans and a red wrap around top. I couldn't help but chuckle at the impact her manners had on her; it was adorable. Slowly clambering out of bed myself as Sookie returned from the wardrobe, I stretched upwards, flexing my muscles. Almost instantly I was hit with Sookie's lust, and the faint scent of her arousal. Shooting her a smirk I made my way over to her, her eyes hungrily taking in my bare form. Grasping her around the waist I pulled her flush to me, capturing her lips with my own, "I spent most of the night making love to you and now you want me again? Insatiable woman." I scolded playfully.

A light blush crossed my loves cheeks and she batted me away. "Shush. Do you have your phone by any chance?" she asked, pivoting on the spot to watch me as I made my way to the wardrobe, pulling on a fresh pair of silk boxers.

"Yeah, why'd you ask?" I answered, pulling on a pair of my trademark black jeans and a grey tshirt.

"Well, after we were talking last night I realised that I haven't contacted Jason or Tara or Sam, or anyone back in Bon Temps for that matter. They're probably worried about me and as I don't have a phone they don't know how to get in contact with me." Sookie explained.

With a grin I moved to the bedside drawer, removing my phone and handing it her. "Ring your brother, tell him you're okay and that you're with me. Don't mention where we are though, or when we'll be back. Oh and don't mention that Godric is with us, or that it turns out you have another cousin. The less your brother knows the better off he is." I informed her, not wanting anyone to know our exact location. My phone was untraceable so there was no way anyone could find us via that.

"I understand not telling him where we are, but why not mention Godric and Ata?" Sookie frowned, hitting the home button on my iPhone so that the screen would light up. The moment her eyes hit the image set as my wallpaper she gasped, "ERIC! NO!" She looked up at me with wide eyes, her embarrassment flooding the bond.

Chuckling lightly at her human morals, I shrugged my shoulders, looking over to the screen of my phone where a photo of a very naked Sookie laying across her bed took pride of place. She was on her front, the sheets down around her behind, exposing the vast expanse of creamy skin on her back. There was even a tasteful amount of side-boob on show, much to my delight. Her golden hair was fanned out across the pillow behind her and her features were all soft and relaxed.

"My phone never leaves my sight, lover. No one else has seen it so don't worry." I replied with a boyish grin, grabbing a pair of socks from one of the bedside drawers, pulling them on.

"How many other photos are there?" She demanded as she slid her finger across the screen, unlocking it before finding the 'Phone' application, starting to type in her brothers' number.

"A few, but you won't find them. I've hidden them, another measure to make sure no one will ever find them." I gave her a playful wink, her mortified expression making me chuckle.

Pushing the call button, Sookie raised my phone to her ear, seating herself on the edge of the bed to make her call. Grabbing a comb I moved into the bathroom, leaving the door open to hear both sides of their conversation. Jason picked up on the third ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Jason!"

"_Sook! Sook, where the hell are you? You just bailed on us here again! Andy ain't even opening another case file for ya, says you can deal with it yourself! You've had us mad worried!"_

I rolled my eyes at the mention of the Bon Temps police; it wasn't like they had that much power anyway, especially not in comparison to myself. Running a comb through my hair, I started to work it into its usual style.

"I can't say where I am Jase, the more you know the more at danger you are, but I'm safe. I don't give a rats ass about Andy and his cases, so you can tell him I'm fine and in no need of his 'assistance' or whatever." Sookie practically growled, causing me to remember the night she had returned from Faery. Although Bill had ordered me to leave I'd stayed and watched from the distance as the slightly round police officer ranted at Sookie on her own porch.

"_Alright Sook, I'm trusting you here, but why would it put me in danger? Who's after you? Who's with you? You better not be alone! Who's number ya ringing from?" _Her brothers' questions were insistent and although they bugged me, in the sense that he was asking Sookie so many questions that she was starting to become flustered, it also soothed me to know that her brother worried and cared for her. The year she had been gone he had come to me a few times, bringing me bagged donor blood, sharing stories with me, helping me pick out bits and pieces for her home. She was right when she said he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, that was an understatement, but he was a good man and he cared for his little sister, and in my eyes that was an admirable trait. I'd told him not to tell Sookie, should he see her upon her return before me, that I had bought her house. Judging by her surprise when I had appeared in her bedroom and witnessed her naked for the first time it was obvious he'd kept his promise.

"Let's just say that, as usual, some crazy vampire is after me and wants me for himself. I can't tell you who and I'm sorry, Jase, but it's for your own good. I'm with Eric, this is his phone, and he's taking care of me."

I could hear Jason snort down the phone at the mention of me keeping her safe. _"Yeah, I bet he is."_ I heard him mutter and I had to stop myself from laughing at how quickly her brother had turned an innocent statement into a sexual comment. He was almost as good as me.

"Jason Stackhouse!" Sookie scolded. I could feel her embarrassment, mixed with a tinge of amusement, through our bond. During Sookie's year in Faery, Jason and I had come to an understanding and in some sense I received the feeling that he respected me now, that he'd removed all of his previous judgments about me. I had to say that the feeling was mutual. Jason had proved himself as a decent brother to Sookie and a decent man overall.

"_Sorry Sook. If tall, blonde and dead is listening in, then I guess I'll say now that I'll stake his ass if you get hurt." _Her brother threatened me. I didn't take his threat to heart though, I'd had a little sister in my human years and I'd been fiercely protective of her. Unfortunately her life was taken from her before she ever had the chance to find a partner. I would have loved nothing more than to grill and threaten her boyfriends, to make sure they would treat her right.

Leaving the bathroom, I vamped beside Sookie, taking the phone from her. "I never knew you were so kinky, Stackhouse." I purred, teasing the blonde human.

"Hey man, there's a lot you don't know." He fired back instantly and I couldn't help but smile. "I'm being serious though, you take care of her for me, bring her back in one piece when she's safe, please? She's all I've got left." Jason asked me and I found myself nodding, although of course he wouldn't see it.

"I will do, I promise it. I'll return her back to you safely. I don't know when we'll be back but we'll keep you updated. Tell Tara and Sam that Sookie is safe will you? They need to know just that she's okay, so that they don't worry and do something stupid. If anyone comes knocking during the night, speak to them through the door first. The last thing we need is for some vampire to get hold of you to draw us out." I warned, wanting him to understand the seriousness of the situation.

He seemed to grasp it instantly. "Whoever it is, they're older than you, aren't they? It'll be harder for you to take them down?"

Sighing quietly, I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes, to both of those questions." I felt Sookie rubbing my thigh, pushing love through our bond, which I returned happily.

"I trust you to keep her safe, I trust you to stay safe too. I know I've done some stupid shit in my time regarding your kind, heck I even joined the Fellowship, but Sook cares for ya and she'd be a mess if something were to happen to ya." Her brother told me in a low voice. Had I just earned her brothers approval? That would make any future questions regarding Sookie's hand in marriage easier.

"I won't let you down. Sookie wants to speak with you." I didn't wait for his response, handing the phone back to my beloved. The last thing I needed was to get soppy with my beloved's brother. He'd witnessed my devotion to her first-hand during her year of absence; he didn't need to hear it.

I passed the phone back to Sookie, who eagerly pressed it to her ear. "I have to go Jase, but I love you and I promise to stay safe. Please keep yourself out of trouble." She begged.

"_I promise Sook, you go do what ya gotta do. I love you too." _And with that they hung up. Sookie slipped my phone into my back pocket, rising to her feet before leaving the room. I was hot on her heels, sensing Godric and Pam's presence in the living area. Upon entering I was bombarded with a multitude of smells, all of which were rather pleasant.

Godric and Pam were sat up on the barstools at the kitchen counter, a round yet jolly woman was cooking up a storm and Ata was nowhere to be seen. "Flo, I thought you only worked in the day?" Sookie exclaimed, grinning at the plump woman who turned to look at my lover, a large smile on her features as she pulled Sookie into her embrace.

"Miss Sookie, you are awake! Miss Ata asked me to stay and cook some dinner for the pair of you, she told me you had a long night and would be in need of some strength food!" The plump woman, who I now knew as Flo, gestured to the stove where numerous pans were boiling with different foods.

Moving around to the barstools, I placed a kiss on the top of Pam's head in way of greeting, earning a smile from her. Resting a hand on Godric's back, I offered him a warm smile, as he looked my way. With a nod of his head and his own smile we greeted one another, both instinctively checking our bond to see how the other was feeling. My Maker was currently happy and curious. His curiosity had me curious.

"Where's Ata this evening?" Sookie asked, a light frown on her features as she looked around the room in search of her Egyptian cousin.

"Miss Ata is up in her practice room, training with her boys. She had me keep Mr. Godric and Miss Pam here until both you and Mr. Eric were up. She wants to speak with you all." Flo explained with a grin, shooing Sookie from the kitchen area and around to the bookcase that led up to the second floor of the penthouse. With a come hither motion in our direction, my Maker, my progeny and myself were up on our feet, following Sookie up the stairs.

The sound of fast-paced music greeted my eardrums as Sookie pushed the door open to reveal the large training room, illuminated by the long strip lights, the lighting bouncing off of the wall of mirrors to increase the brightness of the room. I had to squint a little to allow my eyes a moment to adjust. Finally I was able to take in the scene before me. Ari, Khai, Egor and Agmund had their fangs down and were attacking Ata from each side, using their vampire speed to their advantage as they swiped at her, occasionally trying to bite her, trying to throw in a few punches and kicks. If I hadn't of known they were training it would have looked like a real fight.

Ata was fending off her boys easily, using her fae powers to deflect any oncoming attack. I was rather impressed and I could tell, through all the ties I had with the other people I had entered the room with, that they too were impressed with Ata's power and speed. Of course vampire vision enabled Pam, Godric and I to see exactly what was going on, while to Sookie the whole scene would have looked like one big blur.

Ari was at Ata's side instantly, fangs down, throwing his fist at her jaw. With super speed Ata had hold of his hand, twisting it until the bone cracked before she sent him flying backwards. Rather than hitting the wall he threw down his good hand, slowing him so he skidded neatly along the floor, jumping back onto his feet a moment later. In the meantime Khai had approached Ata from behind at vampire speed, his own fangs glistening in the artificial light as he grabbed her head, tipping it sideways. Seconds before he sank his fangs in, Ata's heel came up in his crotch causing him to double over. Grabbing him she flung him effortlessly over her shoulder, sending him skidding into Ari. Both male vampires collapsed on the floor together in a heap.

A flash of metal caught my attention as Egor brought a broadsword down towards Ata. One moment she was there and the next she was gone. I could feel the shock from all of those I shared a bond with as we looked around for the Egyptian fairy. Suddenly she appeared behind Egor, throwing her hand against his back. "BOOM. Vampire goo." She stated, declaring Egor out before she twisted her body seconds later as Agmund had crept up on her, trying to catch her off guard with his own broadsword. The blade clipped her arm however and opened up a gash along the length of her forearm. Howling out in pain, I could see Ata falter for a second before she popped away from Agmund to the other side of the room. As the blade had clipped Ata, Riei and Oeri were at our sides, both with arms out in front of Godric to stop him from rushing to Ata's aid. I could feel his anger through our bond, but I could also feel that he was taking some of the pain from Ata, so that she would be able to carry on. I felt like I should be holding him back too, but unfortunately he had 1000 years on me and could simply command me to move out of the way, so he could easily taken me down.

The scent of Ata's blood filled the air and before any of us had time to stop ourselves our fangs were down, heads tipped back as we inhaled the sweet scent. It took a firm hand on Pam's wrist to keep her from dashing to Ata to lap up her blood, which was running down her arm. Little Oscar was perched on a bench at the side of the room, and although he looked strained he was managing to stay firmly in place, having far more control than my progeny, who had over 100 years on him. Ari and Khai were back on their feet as Ata backed away, the three remaining vampires stalked towards her in a taunting manner. Raising her good arm, she aimed at Ari and before he had time to react she had fired a mixture of gold and white light at him, sending him flying into the back wall, knocking him unconscious. Within milliseconds Khai had received the same treatment, meeting his brother up against the wall.

Agmund sped towards Ata, broadsword raised in the typical posture for attacking from our human years. Before he reached her however, Ata started to shimmer and seconds later there were several versions of her scattered throughout the room, causing Agmund to skid to a stop. "That's not fair Ata!" he growled out, casting his eyes around each illusion, all of which gave him a smug smile.

"You should know by now that I never play fair." Ata's singsong voice rang out around the room, though it was impossible to pinpoint the exact point of its origin. I couldn't help but be fascinated with the fact that she could not only teleport around the room but also cast illusions. My memory reminded me of the night when Sookie had asked about Ata's powers and she had listed the long array of skills the fae had. The thought that Sookie would be able to teleport herself out of sticky situations, and maybe even throw out her own illusions, comforted me.

Ata's blood flow had slowed in her arm by now, and with a blast of light from one illusion, which soon gave away that it was in fact the real Ata, Agmund's sword was sent flying against the far wall, embedding itself in the wall by its blade. "Hand-to-hand? You're brave." Agmund taunted as all the illusions disappeared, leaving only the real Ata behind.

"Come on then." She ordered, gesturing with the hand on her good arm for Agmund to come after her. My fellow Viking wasted no time in racing towards her, throwing the first punch which Ata easily deflected, capturing his fist in her small hand where she crushed it, the sounds of his bones cracking was rather unpleasant and his howl of pain was no better. Where she had managed to get such power from was completely unknown to me, yet I assumed it was due to her advanced age and the vast amounts of ancient vampire blood swirling around her system. Using his other hand, Agmund took a precision shot at Ata, his fist connecting with her side, causing her to hiss in pain before she slipped from his grasp, out of his line of vision. The pair battled on for a solid ten minutes and it took both Riei and Oeri to restrain Godric from rushing to Ata's side, I even found myself wanting to dash to her side every now and then, but Sookie was keeping me in place. I could feel her horror and a tinge of awe underneath it through our bond as she watched Agmund and Ata punching and blocking, kicking and scratching, throwing one another around the room like rag dolls. Eventually Ata managed to slam her hand to Agmund's chest. "BOOM. Vampire goo." She stated proudly, rising said hand to her face to wipe away the blood trickling down from her broken nose.

Slowly she sank to the floor opposite Agmund, laughing quietly. "It's been some time since we've done that." She stated, as Ari, Khai and Egor moved to join them on the floor. All four vampires, and the Egyptian fairy, were well and truly battered.

"You haven't lost your edge, Amisi." Agmund commented, pushing the bones in his fingers back into place as Ari twirled his wrist, slipping the bones back together as they healed.

The moment Riei and Oeri removed their restraining hands from Godric he was off like a whippet, racing to Ata and scooping her up in his arms before he vamped with her to a corner of the room. He sat them down, Ata resting on his lap as he gently grabbed her arm. He started to lick her broadsword wound in order to heal it. "Stop it will you, I'm fine." Ata protested, trying to wiggle her way out of Godric's grasp. His hold on her tightened however and a low warning growl reverberated from his throat. "This is how I train, I'm fine." She reiterated, as my Maker finished healing her cut. Instantly he was licking the blood from her face and the moment she was clean he bit into his wrist, his fangs still exposed from the scent of her blood earlier, and he was forcefully pushing his wrist to her mouth. "I'm fine, it's just a few bruises and dislocations!" Ata argued but my Maker was having none of it.

"You are hurt. Take my blood, now." He ordered in a no nonsense tone. Ata's heavy sigh informed all of us in the room that she wanted to argue but knew it would be futile, so grudgingly she pulled his wrist to her mouth, latching on. Taking lazy pulls, Godric's eyes wandered over her body, ascertaining any other damage to her. After only a few mouthfuls she pulled away, his wound sealing itself. The faint bruises that had been appearing on her skin were gone and her nose looked perfectly fine now, not to mention the gash on her arm was missing.

"See, all good. Let me go back to the group, I need to tend to my boys." Ata ordered in response, folding her arms across her chest. My Maker's face was stony but he lifted her up, carrying her back over to the group where he sat down, bringing Ata with him so she rested on his lap. During their little exchange I too had taken a seat on the floor, Sookie resting in my lap and Pam at my side. Oscar, Riei and Oeri had joined us on the floor and both Oeri and Riei had opened up their wrists, offering them to Ari, Khai, Egor and Agmund in order to aid their healing.

Seeing her boys feeding from one another, Ata held her right wrist out to Ari, who removed his fangs from Riei before sinking them gently into Ata's wrist. A deep growl from Godric had Ari looking up at his Maker's mate warily. "Ignore him, you need to feed my Childe." Ata cooed, brushing Ari's hair back from his face as she dropped a motherly kiss to his forehead. I found it a strange sight, watching as a little fairy/human hybrid nourished her vampire progeny, but then again the family I had recently gained was an eclectic bunch anyway.

We sat in silence as the vampires who had been training with Ata healed themselves, and finally they were all licking their lips, sealing the wounds on the wrists of those they had fed from. "Isn't that painful?" Sookie blurted out, finally breaking the silence.

Offering her cousin a small smile, Ata gave a shrug of her shoulders. "It was at first, but I've been through worse, we all have. The only way to train properly is to be hurt, because the enemy isn't going to play nice and be gentle with you. They want to kill you, so you have to be prepared for it." She explained. I could see the logic in her words. If she trained against vampires who weren't afraid to do damage to her then she would have a realistic grasp on how fighting in the real world against a true enemy would be. On the other hand though she could sustain serious injuries when training, such as the broken nose and broadsword gash she received earlier. Vampire blood would heal her though, and Ata had plenty of that on tap for her.

"I do not like you being hurt." Godric stated, his voice laced with aggression and determination, as if his words would stop his mate from training.

"And I don't like the fact you're getting all possessive and angry, but I'm not complaining about it. I train and maintain my strength and skill, or I die. I prefer life, thanks." Ata's snipped in response, rolling her blue eyes before she took in the group sat on the floor. I could hear Godric's low growls but Ata gave his chest a hefty shove and he fell silent. "We have guests coming here this evening, Niall and Claude are coming over. I received a letter from them this morning stating that they have important news for us." Ata's attention shifted to Sookie, Pam, Godric and myself. Her comment piqued my curiosity, and going from all the bonds I shared I could sense that my immediate family were curious too.

"I'm sorry for sleeping the day away, Ata." Sookie apologised with a sheepish smile. I could feel her guilt through our bond.

Raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow, Ata wafted a hand through the air, brushing her apology aside. "It doesn't bother me, you needed your rest. Besides, I happen to live with several men who sleep all day anyway." She teased, giving her boys an affectionate glance, she even spared a warm glance to the new baby vampire who returned it with a huge grin.

"Did Niall and Claude give any clues as to the nature of the news they would be giving us?" I inquired, deciding to speak for the group as a whole.

With a shake of her head, Ata sighed. "No, they mentioned nothing, though they said it was important and usually if Niall claims something to be important it usual is. He doesn't take that word lightly. I'm curious as to why Claude is with him though; ever since the disruptions in Faery he hasn't left there. He owns a strip club in Monroe, Hooligans." Ata pursed her lips together as if accessing a particular memory.

"When are they arriving?" Godric broke into the conversation, obviously over his little sulk now that it was obvious that Ata was feeling well and back to full health again.

"In about fifteen minutes, so I suggest Sookie and I go and eat. I have no idea how long they are going to be here for and once they're gone we need to see about unlocking Sookie's ability to hear vampire thoughts," at this point she gave a pointed look to Oeri, who nodded, "and I need to go and try on the dress for tomorrow night that Riei bought for me." She smiled at Riei who suddenly shuffled.

"You don't have a dress for tomorrow…" he murmured, nibbling on his lower lip.

Silence. Silence lingered in the room and, even though I was over 1000 years old and found little uncomfortable these days, I really didn't want to be in that room at that present moment. "What do you mean I don't have a dress for tomorrow?" Ata demanded in a quiet yet authoritative tone. She was quite clearly struggling to maintain her annoyance and I found myself glad to not be Riei right at that moment.

"You told me you had it covered, so I didn't pick up anything for you." Riei stated. I could hear the honesty in his voice, but I could also hear the underlying stress. If Ata had nothing to wear for the party at Felipe's tomorrow then all hell would break loose. The Egyptian fairy seemed the kind of girl who always got what she wanted, when she wanted it.

"When I say I have it covered Riei, it means I don't have it covered and you need to go and cover it for me!" She exclaimed. I was surprised, along with others in the room, to find no trace of anger in her voice this time, but instead her words were laced with panic.

"It's alright, we have this evening to go and find you something. You can always shop tomorrow in the day if you need too." Ari attempted to diffuse the situation, failing miserably.

"I can't shop tomorrow in the day! Toni is coming over at midday to start helping me get ready, do you have any idea how long it takes for the ink he's using to dry! Add to that the visit from the tech guys who're going to wire me up to keep all of you in the loop and I won't have a minute to spare! Then this evening we have Niall and Claude's visit, coupled with the ritual to open up Sookie's telepathy. We have no time!" She looked on the verge of tears.

"My darling, we'll have time. I promise you. If not though I will go shopping with Pam and pick something for you while you're helping with Sookie's ritual." Godric offered, taking his mates hands in his own and lacing their fingers together, pushing a large wave of calm through their bond, which even I could feel.

Although Ata's body relaxed, the panic was still set in her eyes and her words. "Do you promise me?" she begged, unlacing one of their hands to offer him a pinky. If it weren't for Pam and her extensive knowledge of 'takeout' I wouldn't know that Ata was asking Godric to form a pinky promise – something most young girls made with others and treated as sacred.

Without missing a heartbeat my Maker wrapped his pinky with Ata's, giving a firm nod. "I promise." He vowed quietly, pulling Ata towards him to seal the promise with a kiss to her forehead. Rising to her feet, Ata offered a hand down to Sookie, pulling her cousin up with her before the two girls disappeared down the staircase to the main living area. I assumed they were going to eat.

The moment they were out of earshot Godric rounded on Ata's boys, his fangs had snapped back down and he was growling lowly at them. "I do not care if she is your Maker, you hurt her earlier." He snarled, bearing fang as if it were a threat to the vampires present, obviously forgetting that four of them were just as old as him, and two were as old as me.

"I'm going to reiterate Ata here - that's our usual training session. The reason she sustained such injuries is because she was out of practice. We haven't had a session like that in around two years, she's been far too sick for us to risk it. We work with her fairy magic, practice with weapons and then follow it up with hand-to-hand combat. Riei and Oeri are always on hand on the sidelines to tend to any and all injuries and as she is our Maker we are able to feel her pain. We are well aware as to when we should stop so we do not appreciate you trying to change our ways. We have trained in such a manner for over 2000 years, it won't stop overnight." Khai responded nonchalantly, keeping his fangs retracted. His brothers followed suite, even little Oscar was able to keep them retracted even though every instinct in his body was probably screaming out for him to flash them given the tension in the room.

"Did it escape your notice that she was bleeding out everywhere?" Godric spat, gesturing to a few small droplets of Ata's blood that had managed to fall to the wooden flooring.

"It's hard to miss it when she smells so good." Egor quipped, causing his brothers to rumble with laughter, but Godric's next growl silenced them.

"You said she was sick?" Pam spoke up for the first time this evening, and if I didn't know any better I would say that my usually cold-hearted Childe had concern in her voice. Pam didn't do concern.

A pained expression crossed the features of all of Ata's boys and they sighed collectively. "Around two years ago she became incredibly sick. She was running a fever, unable to rest, unable to eat. It all started about three hours before sunset and lasted for around an hour. She passed out and was out of it for three days. The penthouse was on lockdown and we all slept in the panic room in order to keep her safe. The moment she woke she was complaining about this tugging sensation in her chest, it's been plaguing her ever since." Oeri explained, obviously more comfortable with Ata's health given that it was his field of expertise.

"Is she still in pain?" I broke in, disliking the thought of my Maker's mate in any form of pain. She had accepted my Maker back into her life and had also accepted Pam and I at the same time, even if she and Pam still had a lot to work through together.

Egor shrugged his shoulders, running a hand through his blonde hair at my question. "We don't know, we haven't asked her for a while. It was particularly bad the first night you guys arrived. I was amazed she even managed to get out of bed and move downstairs to meet you." He pursed his lips together, taking in Godric and I before finally looking to Pam.

The click of Godric retracting his fangs drew our attention to him and he dropped his head a little. "I felt a tugging sensation in my own chest the moment I entered this building." He murmured, and thanks to the vampire hearing of the rooms' occupants we were all able to hear him perfectly.

"That's very strange indeed…" Oeri mused quietly, tipping his head sideways as he observed Godric, who had lifted his head up by now.

The talk of tugging sensations reminded me of the moment Sookie had entered my bar for the first time. Thirty minutes prior to her arrival I had started to feel the tug, however I had placed the blame on my lack of blood consumption. There hadn't been a decent fangbanger to feed from in a few nights and the hunger had been gnawing away at me. As Sookie had entered my bar the tugging had become almost unbearable and the moment I had clapped eyes on her properly, having scanned her twice, the tugging sensation stopped. During her year absence the tug had returned though I had once again thought of it as down to my lack of blood consumption. While I had survived on bagged blood I hadn't fed from the neck, or wrist, of a willing meal in a long time. I had felt strangely detached from my vampiric nature while in Sookie's home.

Deciding that it might not be coincidence, I spoke up. "I've experienced a tugging sensation also, when Sookie first entered my bar. It ended when I caught her eyes, yet it returned to me the year she was taken to Faery." I explained, feeling the shock from Pam as she turned to look at me wide eyed.

"That's why you wouldn't feed!" she hissed, narrowing her eyes in my direction. My Childe had always been a drama queen and the moment she had learnt that I had stopped feeding 'from the source' she had thrown quite a tantrum, demanding to know what was wrong with me. I hadn't told her of the sensations in my chest for fear she would laugh, or see me as weak, or tell me I was imagining things. I loved my Pamela and her lack of positive emotions, but sometimes it would be nice if she were to remember them.

With a shrug of my shoulders I brushed her comment off, turning my attention to my Maker who was regarding me with a thoughtful expression. "Both of us experienced tugging sensations when in close proximity to our mates, and Ata experienced a similar feeling. Has Sookie mentioned it to you?"

"She hasn't mentioned anything to me, but I wager that if she has then she'll have spoken to Ata about it." I responded thoughtfully, wondering exactly what it was our two women thought about, and talked about, during the day when we weren't around to listen. Perhaps I'd be able to convince them to buy a camcorder and record their days, so that Godric and I could see everything they were getting up too.

"We should ask them about it, see if they have spoken about it and if Miss Stackhouse is experiencing the tugging sensation." Ari declared, rising to his feet in one fluid movement. His brothers and Oscar followed suite, closely followed by Pam, Godric and myself. With Ari leading the way, our whole group moved out of the training room and down the stairs into the living area, where we were greeted with the sight of Sookie and Ata sat upon barstools. They were consuming pastries of some sort while Flo clucked over them, bringing them drinks and napkins and everything else she could think of. Taking the barstool next to my Sookie, I tore a bit of pastry from the plate, offering it out to her. Slowly she lowered her mouth to the food and I popped it in, giving her a moment to chew it. Ari and Khai had moved to the living area and were rearranging furniture for our guests. Egor and Agmund were back by the elevator doors while Riei and Oeri were stood to one side speaking quickly in what I could only assume was Arabic. Godric had taken the spare seat next to Ata and was currently rubbing small circles on her lower back as she ate. Pam and Oscar were stood on the other side of the counter, watching the four of us intently.

Once Sookie had finished her mouthful I slowly moved her plate away, "Min älskling, have you ever felt a tugging sensation in your chest since we met?" I asked, knowing it was better to get an answer and then tell her why I had asked, though knowing my little fae she would ask before I had the chance.

Lost in thought for a moment, Sookie finally nodded. "Yeah, it was the first time I came to Fangtasia. The moment I saw you I felt this tugging in my chest," she raised a hand over her heart, scowling slightly, "and it was really annoying. I couldn't understand why it was there but I felt compelled to approach you. It's why I asked Bill about you." She explained, dropping her hand back to her lap.

"I felt the tugging too, and it stopped the moment I saw you. Hearing you discussing me is why I summoned you, I felt a compulsion to speak to you also and saw it as the perfect opportunity, curious as to why the sight of you had stopped the tugging sensation inside of me." I explained in return, allowing my eyes to drift from Sookie's for a moment to watch as Flo removed the empty plates and the used napkins from the table, seemingly unfazed by the fact she was currently standing in a room with ten vampires.

Pam chose that exact moment to interrupt. "Not to mention the fact you wanted to sink your fangs into her and fuck her on your desk."

Four sets of eyes rounded onto Pam, and little Oscar was trying his best to hide a snigger behind his hand. "How was that helpful, Pam?" I asked in an exasperated tone.

"It was a vital piece of information." She shrugged, returning to checking over her nails for any cracks in the paint or whatever the hell else women did.

Ata snorted gently, shaking her head before she lent against my Maker. "I told Sookie about the whole mates thing, I also taught her about the different blood bonds." She pointed out. Finally I was able to discover the source of Sookie's new found knowledge. It seemed Ata was giving her mini lessons during the day, and not just to help her with her fae powers. I was both grateful and annoyed with the Egyptian female, she was providing Sookie with information I was suppose to be telling her, but at the same time she was probably helping her understand it better given that she had most likely experienced everything both the fae and the vampire worlds had to offer.

Oscar suddenly stiffened beside Pam, grabbing her wrist. With a low growl, Pam popped out her fangs, exposing them to the young vampire. "Get off me, squirt!" she ordered firmly, but Oscar maintained his grasp on her.

"We have guests." He declared in a quiet voice before seconds later a loud pop echoed around the penthouse, two fairies appearing in the middle of the room.

Of course Niall was instantly recognisable, but I had never met the fairy beside him. Ata was off her stool in seconds, gliding over to the pair. Embracing Niall first, they exchanged chaste cheek kisses before Ata embraced the other fae male, kissing his cheeks too. "Great-granddaddy Niall, cousin Claude." She greeted warmly. Tipping my head back subtly, I inhaled at the same time as Godric and Pam, wanting to at least smell the pure fairies. They had masked their scents a little, but they still smelt incredible. If their scents were to stick on Sookie later I would have no problem returning to my Viking roots and pillaging her until sunrise.

Sookie slipped from her own barstool, crossing over to stand beside Ata where she graciously greeted both fae males. Her greeting was not as comfortable as Ata's had been, there was little in the way of physical contact, however the warmth was still there. "Shall we sit? Can I get either of you anything?" Ata inquired, switching into what Sookie referred to as 'hostess mode.' With a nod the four fairies arranged themselves onto the sofas, Ata and Sookie sitting opposite Niall and this Claude chap.

"A glass of water would be much appreciated for both of us, thank you." Niall spoke, his voice soft yet authoritative. As Ata was about to move to the kitchen in order to fulfil their wish, Flo was bustling out of the kitchen area, holding two glasses of clear liquid. With a smile she handed them to both fairy males and my vampire hearing allowed me to pick up on her increased heartbeat while my sensitive nostrils picked up on the faint hint of her arousal. Clearly she was attracted to one of the two men. Taking a moment to truly look over both men I could see instantly that it would be Claude she was interested in. Niall was far too old and grey. I was grateful that I had been turned in the prime of life.

Claude stood easily at 6'0; he was of slender build with black hair, perfectly coifed upon his well-proportioned face. His eyes were a deep hazel colour and even I had to admit, as a man who was a fan of females more so than males, that his eyes were the sort you could lose yourself in. His ears weren't pointed like they were usually for full-blooded fae, which led me to believe that he spent some time in the human realm in the past, and that he'd had his ears surgically altered in order to blend in with the human population. He looked to be in his 20's but with fairy ageing being so slow there was no real way to tell. Ata was over 2000 years old and yet she still looked like a fresh-faced 28 year old.

"Nervii, Northman, Swynford de Beaufort. Come and join us." Niall ordered, gesturing around him to the few vacant seats remaining. Without wasting a second we all took our seats. Godric placed himself beside Ata and I took the spot on the opposite end of the sofa, trapping the fae women in the middle. Pam eyed the seat beside Claude and went to make a move for it, but the fairy quirked an eyebrow at her, causing Pam to stop in her tracks and mimic his action. I had never in my life witnessed Pam stop what she was doing for anyone, and it amused me no end. I'd even walked in on her once when she'd been going down on one of our dancers, she hadn't even bothered to look up and greet me, she'd merely waved her hand at me and continued with her task.

With a sigh my lazy Childe grabbed a barstool, placing it close to me before hopping up onto it neatly. "I want all other vampires out of the room." Niall stated loudly, not bothering to remove his gaze from Ata and Sookie. If that wasn't a dismissal then I had no idea what was.

"Khai and I will start training Oscar." Ari informed Ata, ushering the young vampire up the stairs back to the training room, Khai close on his heels.

"Riei and I will run over the ceremony for later once more." Oeri added, disappearing with Riei up the stairs to the private library, closing the bookcase over the entrance in order to give us more privacy.

"Egor and I will check on the repairs downstairs, I guess." Agmund scratched his head, calling for the elevator.

Our group remained in an uncomfortable silence as Egor and Agmund waited for the lift, but the moment they were inside with the doors closed Niall spoke up. "I usually dislike leaving Faery, especially during such a difficult time, however I feel there is much we need to discuss so I'm going to jump right in and get to it."

I was a little shocked by Niall's abrupt and rather rude opening statement, however it was obvious that seeing as how there was much to do this evening we were pushed for time. "First a little history lesson for you. There is much disruption within Faery as we speak, which is why I cannot be here for long. It is also another reason why Claude is with me. He is my strongest fighter and therefore I cannot risk him being harmed until we are ready to send him in." Niall spared an affectionate glance to the fae male and it surprised me that the man actually had a heart. I'd heard numerous stories over the years of his cruel ways, of how cold he was to others and how secretive and private he was, however I had also learnt over the years that most fae were that way inclined. It was why Sookie, and Ata, were a welcome change. Both women were filled with goodness.

"We were the first beings on the planet as we are nature itself. The water fae took over Europe due to the abundance of coastline, the earth fae took over India and China due to the vast array of forests and earthy habitats, the fire fae took over Australia due to the heat there and the sky fae took over America and Africa due to the vast open spaces available there with little to get in the way. Knowing where each subspecies comes from is important in understanding where I am going with this." Niall started.

His eyes were locked on Ata and Sookie as he spoke; clearly pained at remembering whatever it was he was about to speak of. "There hasn't always been a war in Faery, heck there hasn't always been a Fae Realm! Around 2200 years ago there was great battle, between our kind and theirs." He spared a glance to Godric, Pam and I. Ah he was telling them the story of the vampire/fae war. Godric had told me of the war when I had been turned, but of course he hasn't been present for it. He had heard about it from other vampires however. I assumed that Ata was already aware of the war between her species and mine, given her family and the company she kept.

Niall's eyes drifted back to the two fae women sat between Godric and I. Ata was listening but it was apparent she had heard it all before. Sookie on the other hand was completely engrossed in Niall's tale already and, looking to my side, I could see that Pam had lent forward a little, clearly curious to hear Niall out. I had never told Pam of the vampire/fae war as it had happened way before her turning, way before her human birth too, and therefore I had deemed it unimportant. With the growing number of fae in our lives however, it seemed she would need to know.

"The fae use to live in the human realm, as the pair of you do now. We blended into society, as we do now," he lifted Claude's hair out of the way to reveal his rounded ear, causing Sookie to gasp a little and look to Niall's ear, taking in his slight point, "and we loved the freedom this world gave us. We could pursue whatever we wished; we could travel, meet new people and spend time in the sunshine. However, the vampire population started to boom. The vampires of old were creating progenies and their progenies were creating their offspring early on. You see, the vampires of old had no choice but to keep themselves hidden and with such a low human population, sparsely spread across the land, it was difficult to find people to feed from. But as the human population started to grow, so did the vampire one. Our kind had been living and breeding on this planet for centuries, and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to hide. Our species went to war, trying to wipe the other out in a desperate attempt to create one supernatural superpower that would have the majority control of this planet. The fighting took place all over the world; there were few places where either of our kinds were safe. Those who didn't want to get involved went into hiding. Numbers on both sides were seriously depleted by the time a truce was called 100 years later. The fight had been long and bloody and both sides were suffering. Instead a deal was made, the fae would be able to come and go on this planet as they pleased, but they would move themselves to another realm, Faery. Using the magic they were gifted with at birth, the remaining fae pulled together to create the realm we now call our home. It was there where we started to rebuild our population, only to encounter fertility problem. The women were finding it increasingly difficult to have children, so I suggested that we send them to the human realm to see if they could conceive there. At the time I was married to Mab, we had just taken the throne of Faery, bringing the sky and water fae together and we were seen, in some sense, as Gods. Mab was all for it to begin with, thinking it would be a great way to raise our numbers. What she was late in realising was that it was diluting the blood, and to her the blood was the most sacred of all things." Niall sighed, rubbing his temple. Mab was the woman who had kidnapped Sookie, taken her away from me for a year. She was married to Niall, did that make her related to Sookie? Why on earth would someone kidnap his or her own kin?

"Realising what the breeding had done, Mab decided that she wanted to 'harvest' the offspring that were produced from the couplings and bring them back to Faery in order to assess their powers - their sparks. She wanted to breed the stronger hybrid females with the strong fae males in a desperate attempt to increase the potency and purity of the blood, to create an elite race. She was so driven. She wanted it so badly that it became far too much for me. I couldn't see the sense in forcing women who had grown up believing themselves to be human, who had family and friends in the human world, to be forced to live in an entirely different realm, to have the children of men they didn't know and care for. Mab and I separated, taking over the thrones of our own crowns and ceasing to rule together, and we both eventually took new lovers. Mab is a descendent of the water fae and of course I am sky fae, it is why our two kinds have been feuding for so long and is the cause of the current civil unrest." Niall explained.

"So the current war in Faery is because you kicked your wife out of your bed and then fucked someone else?" Pam snorted, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "How dramatic." She sighed, rolling her eyes, as if she hasn't done anything far more dramatic in her century on this earth. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her in response. Her habits were wearing off on me far too much for my liking.

Grimacing slightly, Niall gave a small nod. "I suppose you could look at it that way. Ironically enough, Mab's sons from her new husband coupled with human females." Niall snorted, shaking his head with a smile. I couldn't help but feel a little bit of amusement at the situation either. "What is most interesting though is the offspring of said coupling. Mab's two sons were pure water fae, and both of their lovers were a human, so the children created were half water fae, and heirs to the water fae throne should Mab and her sons die. While Mab is still around these days, her sons perished a few centuries back due to a strong case of iron poisoning caused by a group of vampires who had a bone to pick with them. The remaining children are the heir to the throne and could end this entire war should they so wish. We would get to live in peace again, though they would have to prove themselves strong enough to rule. Only one would be able to rule though and they would have to have a partner to help them. Faery is such a large place for one person to govern and with two species depending on them it would be a rather large task." Niall stated. "The other child, the one who doesn't get to rule Faery, it is said that he will rule on this realm and they too will have a partner to aid them. It's said that the four will be bound incredibly closely and that they could even stop the war between all supernatural beings." I could see the glint in his eyes as he spoke. Clearly he was searching for these children. I couldn't blame him. If I were him I would do everything in my power to convince the children to take my side in the matter, to stop the civil unrest and rule Faery peacefully. While the Viking part of me was all ready for war and fighting, I had always had to suppress my softer side. War wasn't always the right thing to do in order to get what you wanted, and the deaths of many would always rest heavily on the leaders shoulders. I had tried to avoid as many conflicts as possible in my time, but it hadn't always been easy.

We all sat in silence for a moment, processing everything that Niall had just told us. The fae had tried to increase their numbers through reproduction with humans yet it had gone horribly wrong, they had tried to call back the hybrids in order to assess them to pick the best to create the next generation from, much like humans do with their pet dogs. Niall had disagreed with his wife and the pair had split, only for Mab to have two sons who had both coupled with humans to create heirs. Heirs who could bring an end to the fae civil war and all the associated disruption, who could also ensure that evil fairies would never be able to take my Sookie from me again. I was starting to formulate ideas in my mind about how to go about finding these hybrid children, how I would be able to convince them to take the throne. I could give them money, my support; help build bridges between our kinds. I could see Godric agreeing to help, he had after all been preaching coexistence with humans in the Fellowship church, and surely coexistence with fairies would be the same thing?

"Have you found these hybrid children yet then?" I broke through the silence, my gaze locked firmly on Niall's features.

Slowly the corners of his lips lifted up into a smug smile, and I already knew that he had found them.

"I most certainly have." His eyes drifted from me to Godric, and then back again. "And they happen to be sat in this very room, and both have sky fae lovers who are descendants of mine.

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**A/N**

** min älskling (Swedish) = my darling**


	40. Blessed

**A/N I'm so glad that none of you saw my little plot twist coming! Hahaaa :') **

**To all my anons who reviewed and am therefore unable to respond to privately, thank you so much! It means a lot to me that you spend time reading and leaving me a review! :)**

**www dot midnightopheliac dot wordpress dot com**

**Lets get this show on the road!**

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**GODRIC'S POV**

_I have been blessed and I feel like I've found my way, I thank God for all I've been given at the end of every day  
I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve, to be here with the ones that love me, to love them so much it hurts  
I have been blessed, across a crowded room, I know you know what I'm thinking by the way I look at you  
And when we're lying in the quiet, and no words have to be said I think to myself, I think to myself, this love is a beautiful gift  
~ Blessed, Martina McBride_

Fairy. I was a fairy. A fairy.

Niall's words stunned the room to silence, no words were spoken but the emotions bouncing through the bonds I shared with Eric, and subsequently Sookie, along with Pam and Ata were saying it all for me. _Shock, disbelief and confusion._

"You're telling us that Godric, and Eric, were part fae in their human lives?" Ata spoke first, having cleared her throat beforehand.

With a nod Niall confirmed his words. "Yes, why do you think they have both survived for so long? It wasn't down to pure luck. The fae have a natural ability to stay out of trouble and to survive." Niall shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Clearly Sookie missed that memo." Pam muttered under her breath. As mean as her words were, I couldn't help but laugh, and Eric and Ata seemed to have the same idea. Sookie's scowl caused our laughter to cease however.

"Yes, she does seem to have an uncanny ability to land herself in bad situations." Claude spoke up for the first time, giving Sookie a pointed look. She cringed a little at his gaze, ducking her head slightly. I could remember the moment I had first met Sookie, when Gabe had been forcing himself on her. While it wasn't her fault at all, it was a troublesome situation. Couple in the bombing of my nest, her run in with Russell and Sophie-Anne, and dealing with an amnesic Eric and it was easy to see why Sookie was considered a trouble magnet.

"I'm sorry, but how exactly do you know that we're fae?" Eric broke in, quirking an eyebrow at the elderly fae prince sat opposite us. "These two sons you're talking about could be anyone." My Childe added. Though he was making a valid point there was no denying the fact the moment Niall had told us we were the half fae sons I had felt another tug from deep inside my chest, as if my own body was trying to tell me that Niall was telling us the truth.

Niall granted us an indulgent smile, raising his hands to steeple his forefingers. "The markings on your left arm, they represent water do they not?" he asked me.

Dropping my gaze to the tattoo upon my left arm as I felt Ata tracing the marks in exactly the same way she had over 2000 years ago. I smiled slowly at her actions. "Yes, my tribe were from the coast, the water was our element." I answered quietly as Ata's eyes lifted from my tattoo to meet my own eyes, a soft smile on her features as she continued to trace my markings, no longer needing to look at them to know their exact shape.

"And your people, Eric, were fans of the sea too were they not? You enjoyed travelling by longship and exploring Europe, yes?" Niall's attention shifted to my Childe, a smug smile on his features.

I could feel Eric's annoyance through our bond and had to fight to suppress my smile. Niall was indeed right, and my Childe hated it when others were right. Even in his human years he had always felt the need to be 100% correct, 100% of the time, to be the 'smart one' of whatever company he kept. Usually he was correct, but every so often he would be wrong. Not that he would ever admit to being wrong, my Childe was far too proud for that.

"So they both lived on the coast and liked water, big whoop. That doesn't prove anything." Pam sighed, shaking her head as she continued to look over her nails. Obviously after the initial shock of Niall's revelation had worn off she had instantly doubted the old mans words and decided he was a few slices short of a loaf.

"You don't think it was strange, Godric, how much you enjoyed being by the sea and how you ventured into the Nile at any opportunity, how you felt the need to teach Ata how to swim even though it was something she didn't need to learn?" Niall's questions flipped back to me and I gave his words thought for a moment. I had felt this deep need to teach Ata how to swim, but I guess I had read it as simply my want to see her completely exposed.

"That's what I thought." Niall stated lowly, taking my silence as confirmation, which, of course, it was.

"If both my Maker and Grandsire are, or were fae, then how come they aren't able to do the freaky mind reading thing?" Pam's hands dropped to her lap, as she looked to both Niall and Claude before quirking an eyebrow, daring them to answer her.

Ata's anger was like a hot knife through our bond and I had to grab onto the arm of the sofa with impressive strength in order to stop myself from reacting to it. "There is nothing freaky about our ability." My beloved snapped at Pam, her small hands balled into fists at her side.

"You can snoop in peoples minds and rifle through their memories, that's definitely freaky." Pam responded calmly.

Snorting, my Ata shook her head. "It's rich of you to call my kind a freak, given that you crawled out of a hole in the ground with your cold, dead heart and your lack of need for oxygen. Need I mentioned your need to consume human blood? You're the creature human children have nightmares of, yet they have pleasant dreams about my kind. If anything you're the freak."

I tried to not take offence to Ata's words, they were spoken in anger and she had a point. Vampires had no right to call fairies freaks, or any other supernatural for that matter. We were all freaks; we should be working together, not against one another. Vampires were the stuff of nightmares, fairies were thought of by children as sweet and cute.

With a click Pam's fangs were exposed and she'd lent across in her seat to close the gap between herself and Ata some, but Eric and Sookie were in the way. "You might wanna watch your tongue, fairy princess, lest you forget what species your banging every night." She spat.

"Pam." Eric warned lowly, his gaze shifting from myself to his progeny. His warning did nothing to quell her ire though.

"I don't understand why you're picking fights with me, Pamela. We're not that different you know. You loved Theodore yet your parents wouldn't allow you to be together because of social differences, I love Godric and yet my parents wouldn't allow us to be together given our own social differences. We share the same feistiness and the willingness to perish for those we love, we both like expensive things and heck we're even the same shade of blonde!" Ata sighed, her hands slowly unfurling as she pulled her emotions under control.

"You started it." Pam stated childishly, flicking her hair over her shoulder before dropping her gaze back to her nails.

"Ladies." Claude interrupted, capturing the attention of everyone in the room. I could feel Eric's annoyance at the little tiff between his Childe and my beloved, but I could also feel his amusement with regards to the fact that my Ata had been able to force Pam into giving such a childish and weak come back. Clearly they were still to sort out their differences.

"Back to the original question, telepathy is only a gift of the sky fae. Each type of fairy has a special gift. The sky fae have telepathy as their thoughts are transmitted through the air, which of course makes up the sky. Our thoughts could most likely be picked up on if they were sent via a radio frequency, it would be like Morse code, which is kind of cool." Claude explained, grinning like a child. Clearly the young male fairy was interested in human communication methods. "The sky fae need the sunshine to replenish their energy as, of course, the sun hangs in the sky." Claude added, clearly as an afterthought.

"Which is why neither Sookie or I could ever be turned, because we'd be compelled to meet the sun, even if we were commanded not to we'd find a way." Ata supplied. I couldn't help but feel something inside of me drop at her words. Should my Ata ever be so badly injured that my blood wouldn't be able to fix her I would be unable to turn her in order to keep her forever. I would lose her once and for all. As if sensing my train of thought, I felt Eric's eyes on me and turned to capture my Childe's cerulean orbs. A small wave of reassurance entered my system from him and I sent it back, knowing he would need the comfort too. Ata's words were a painful reminder about how fragile our women were.

"The fire fae have the ability to manipulate flames and can control heat, it makes them a lot safer when in the presence of vampires, given your aversion of fire. It's their method of protection, just like telepathy is the protection for the sky fae. Earth fae are in touch with nature, they have an intuition of sorts, meaning that they know things about everything because the world around them tells them all they need to know. All the information they could ever ask for, about everything they could possibly want to know, is carried by the wind, the trees, the ground, the water. Earth fae are usually seers because of their gift." Claude expanded further, telling us all about the other different types of fae. I was grateful that he was taking the time to keep us informed, with fairies being the natural enemies of vampires we knew little about them, yet because we had come out of the coffin so to speak they knew everything about us. Not that I was planning to go to war with the fairies, but it was always useful to know more about the species that you were suppose to hate.

"Water fae, well, they have the ability to manipulate the air and are more in tune with the phases, and the rising and setting, of the moon. Although most argue that the air is a sky fae trait, the water and sky fae have always been closely linked so in some sense they share traits. The water fae need the water to recharge their powers, but of course water is all around us so it isn't difficult for them. Haven't you two ever wondered why you're the only vampires in existence to be able to fly?" Niall questioned, glancing between my Childe and myself. I felt it rather ironic that the water fae were in tune with the phases, and the rising and setting, of the moon. As a vampire the moon represented our 'daytime' and the moment it entered the sky we would wake, and the moment it would dip below the horizon we would sleep.

"I always assumed it was my vampire gift." My Childe shrugged his shoulders, wrapping his arm around Sookie.

Shaking his head, Niall chuckled. "No, you're vampire gift is your entrepreneurial skills, you've always been able to make money no matter where in the world you've been. People, both vampire and human alike, have always found themselves wanting to be around you, making your wallet that little bit thicker."

"I'm sure it's not my entrepreneurial skills that draws people to me." My Childe flashed his signature smirk, flexing his muscles subtly. Pam's smirk matched Eric's and I could only shake my head at my progeny. I'd turned Eric during the prime of his life, when men and women alike were clamming for a piece of him. He'd always been confident and self-assured, knowing full well the effect his appearance had on others.

"Careful, or you're head won't fit through the door any more." Sookie muttered under her breath, playfully punching Eric's side. My Childe rumbled with laughter and I found myself smiling at the southern fae, she definitely knew my Childe well.

"And your vampire gift is empathy." Niall's eyes swung to me, and he offered me a small smile. "You've always been able to understand others emotions perfectly, and while in the past you use to play on them to your advantage it's safe to say you're using it in a more positive manner now. You allowed the human who betrayed your nest to walk away free from harm when others would have outright killed him. He deserved it, and yet you sympathised with him and felt his pain." He explained, leaving me curious for a moment as to how he had known about Hugo's betrayal and the fact that I had allowed him to walk away, even if I had banished him from my area. Looking down at Ata, she gently tapped her temple and it all clicked, Niall had been rummaging in my thoughts. It was strange to think that the secretive old man had been able to see everything I had ever done in my life.

"What about sparks? Ata told me I had an essential spark, do Eric and Godric have them too?" Sookie interrupted, asking another important question.

"Eric still has his spark, but his vampire nature has suppressed it. It's why, now that you two are together, Eric is becoming more and more human. Your spark, Sookie, is encouraging Eric's to show itself. With time Eric might even develop fae powers of his own, but that is something we will have to wait and see for. Although Eric lost his family he took over their crown and ruled fairly, while at war he and his men were equals. He knew he was going to die, and Godric gave him the choice to accept death or to accept a new life. Because he willing chose his new life he maintained his spark, and his spark gives him his jeux de vie, so to speak." Niall addressed Sookie, obviously pleased to be delivering the good news to her. I, on the other hand, felt a sense of dread at his words. He had chosen to speak of Eric first and had stated that he still had his spark; he hadn't included me in the first sentence.

Niall's ancient eyes moved to meet my own and I could almost feel the sorrow pouring from them. "Unfortunately, your spark did not come with you completely into your new life, Godric. Your removal from your homeland and the suffering at the hands of your Master, coupled with your forced turning, eradicated the vast majority of the spark from within you. I had hoped, the moment I met you this evening, that it would be back in full force, but that is not the case." There was no sarcasm in his voice, no faked emotions. The old man was saddened for me. Ata's sorrow washed over me and I was struggling to keep a lid on my own emotions.

"It's my fault, it's my fault you lost your spark. I'm so sorry." My Ata whispered sorrowfully from my side, her blue eyes turning to look up at me with unshed tears.

Reaching down, I brushed my fingertips across her cheek, pushing my love for her back through our bond as reassurance that it wasn't her fault and that I didn't blame her. Her father had been following orders; Ata and her mother had no clue that my Master had been a vampire. "This wasn't your fault, my darling. If anything it is fates fault." I reassured her gently, feeling a push of comfort through the bonds I shared with Eric and subsequently Pam. It was a strange sensation, to receive comfort from Pam, but I welcomed it in that moment.

"It's why you felt compelled to meet the sun, Godric. Without your spark you became tired of life and, if I may make a guess here, you felt there was something miss." Niall's voice was soft once more. Refusing to remove my gaze from my loves, I gave a nod of confirmation at his guess and the old man carried on speaking to me. "Being reunited with Ata has stirred the small amount of spark left within you. As Sookie's spark is nurturing Eric's, Ata's is nurturing yours. It's a good thing Ata is older and more powerful than Sookie, as her spark is working harder to help yours along. It will be a slow and long process for your spark to gain any strength, but it's there anyway and that's all that really matters."

Wanting to move the topic along, for fear I would throw an angry tantrum over my lack of spark, I focused on something Ata had told us earlier. "What's the difference between a vampire bond, and a fairy bond?" I questioned, finally breaking eye contact with Ata to look at the two male fairies sat opposite us.

Claude shifted in his seat slightly, getting himself comfy. I had the distinct impression that Niall's short and sweet visit was going to be anything but. "I'm just going to take Ata's explanation to Sookie right out of her head for this. When a fae finds their mate it's instantaneous. The moment a fae locks eyes with their mate their souls start the binding process and they're pulled together. If it's two fae, or a fae and a human who are in love, then when they consummate their marriage the binding is complete. With a vampire and a fae, it's when the third vampire bond is complete, or so we all believe seeing as how relationships between a vampire and a fairy are rare. Once the souls are bound together then there's no going back. You share a life force meaning that you can't break apart. The fact you're bound together stops you from getting bored with one another. It's just like the vampire bond in that sense. Sometimes gifts are shared too. For example, a vampire once bonded thrice with a human and the human gained sharper senses and quicker speed. It was nothing compared to her vampires abilities but it's still something." Claude explained, and I could feel Ata's small irritation that Claude had lifted her conversation with Sookie right out of her head and recycled her words, rather than phrasing them himself. Fairies were notoriously lazy in that sense, they snooped in people's minds and took what they wanted, putting little effort into things they weren't happy about. While this Claude hadn't uttered a word against the relationship between Ata and I, and the relationship between Eric and Sookie, it was clear that he wasn't 100% onboard with them either.

"So you're saying that Eric and creampuff here started this fairy bond the first night she entered Fangtasia?" Pam quirked an eyebrow while jerking one of her thumbs in the direction of Sookie.

"Creampuff? Really Pam?" Sookie sighed. It was clear Sookie wasn't in fact offended, nor irritated, by Pam's term of address, more embarrassed by it really.

"Eric refers to you as min älskling, and I feel that I need a nickname for you. Creampuff suits you, so live with it." My Childe's progeny flipped her hair over her shoulder once more, offering Sookie a smile. Pam's smiles were like the brand new mini coopers you could win on those $1 scratch cards they sold in the grocery stores – extremely rare.

Deciding it was best not to argue with Pam, Sookie gave up and simply settled for rolling her eyes, something I had noticed both she and Eric were doing a lot of recently. They were spending far too much time around Pam.

"Are we still part fae?" Eric addressed his question to Niall, completely disregarding the younger fae male who had been just as helpful as Niall.

"Given that you still have your sparks to some degree, yes you are." He answered truthfully.

"Your old age must have made you senile, they were drained in order to be turned, therefore bye-bye fairy blood!" Pam waved a hand mockingly.

"So young, so naive." Niall muttered with another of his indulgent smiles. "Not every drop of their fae blood was removed at the point of turning, so there was still some left, blending with the vampire blood to create hybrids of sorts." He responded to Pam, before flipping his gaze to Eric.

"Although not a lot was left, it was enough to maintain your respective sparks to some degree, to stop you from loosing them completely. Even though over the years you've given blood to others or lost it during fights, your body has automatically made you more, including the fairy blood. It's always been in your system, you just haven't known about it." Niall explained, moving his line of sight to myself before he looked back to Eric.

"When Godric turned you, he gave you a small tinge of his fairy blood, mixed with his vampire blood. It's why the bond the pair of you share is so much stronger than that of usual Maker-Childe ties. You both carry vampire and fae blood, and in actuality you're cousins." Niall shrugged, his expressions informing us that he had only just realised of our human tie to one another.

Turning my head to look at my Childe, I captured Eric's eyes. "You missed that connection out, when you turned me." He murmured softly.

"Fader, broder, son, kusin." I corrected my words from over 1000 years ago, earning myself a soft smile from my Childe, and a wave of love through our bond, which I happily returned, along with a smidgen of pride. His happy purr last night had reminded me of how vital it was to tell Eric how important he was to me, how proud I was of him and all of his achievements.

"I guess that makes me the only non-fairy in the room." Niall washed Pam's smug comment away only seconds later with his booming laughter, causing my Childe's progeny to scowl in his direction.

"Dear child, you are amusing! You seem to be forgetting that you were drained down and fed Eric's blood in order to turn you, just like Godric fed Eric his to turn him. There's fae blood in your veins, mixed in with your vampire blood too." His earlier smile and booming laughter morphed into a smirk as Pam's face dropped, her eyes widening and her smugness vanishing.

"We always knew she was a fairy anyway, at least now she's one in a literal sense, and not just metaphorically." Ata spoke from her spot curled up against my side, under my arm. Everyone in the room, bar Pam, burst into laughter, including myself. During her human years Pam had loved men but, after her turning and her brief sexual relationship with Eric, she had decided that she preferred women. They could go longer without needing to be 'tended to' as Pam so eloquently put it and she stated there were less bodily fluids involved which pleased her no end. The irony of the fact that she actually lived off of one certain human bodily fluid was not lost on either Eric or myself.

Claude had a hand to his mouth, trying to hide his snigger, as Niall's whole frame shook with laughter. "Ah Ata my dear, I have missed visiting you and I have missed having your company in Faery also. You manage to put everyone in their place." Niall offered my beloved a warm and almost fatherly smile. His words then sunk in, Ata had spent some time in Faery? Hadn't Eric stated something along the lines of Sookie going to Faery for what felt like fifteen minutes to her and was yet a whole year back on this world? How long had my Ata been away for, and why had she gone in the first place? I stored my questions away for later, along with the questions regarding Compton and his persuit of my beloved, knowing that right now they weren't at the top of my priorities list.

"What is fascinating about this whole fairy blood thing though is how Ata's blood, and Godric's is actually in all of you." Claude's hand dropped from his mouth now that he had controlled his laughter. "I don't know if you were all aware of the blood oath sworn between Godric and Ata when they were humans," Claude started tentatively.

"You created a blood oath?" Pam asked in surprise, her eyes swinging to me. Unable to do anything but nod in confirmation, I offered her a shrug of my shoulders in a hope it would satisfy her until later on. I was mighty curious as to what the effects of both Ata's and my blood in everyone would do.

Claude shifted his attention to us, offering Ata a familiar smile before he offered me one, though it was a little colder than the one had given my beloved. I could understand why though, he and I were strangers after all with Ata being our only connecting link. "When the two of you created your blood oath, your blood entered one another's systems. Now it's not a lot, just a couple of drops, but it makes all the difference. This is going to sound a little cliché but, when you were being drained in order to be turned, that little bit of Ata's blood in your system sheltered itself within your heart, taking with it a reasonable amount of your human blood. Once your vampire blood was in place, Ata's blood blended itself with yours, giving your system back some of your human blood too. It's one of the reasons you were able to hear Ata's anguished cries over the city the night her mother passed away, and why you felt the need to rush to her aid. Her blood in your system, and the small amount of your human blood, enabled you to overpower your Maker and end him." Claude offered Ata a sympathetic smile. The moment her mothers passing had been mentioned I had felt the waves of sadness rolling off of her, so I had instantly pushed all my love for her through the bond, adding in a tinge of comfort and reassurance as I pulled her into my side. It amazed me how much Niall and Claude knew, how much they had gleamed from my mind in the short space of time they had been sat with us. I would need to discuss shields with Ata; I wasn't particularly keen on any old fairy being able to access my mind whenever it suited them.

"When you turned Eric, you not only gave him your vampire blood but some of Ata's fae blood too. So, in essence, Eric is the progeny of you both." Claude's gaze flickered to Eric, as did mine and Ata's. "It's why you have such a strong family tie. Didn't you tell Sookie the other day, dear cousin, that you would like to think of Eric as your son as you can no longer have one of your own?"

"Claude!" Niall reprimanded the young fae male as Ata's eyes snapped to her male cousin, narrowing at his tactless ramblings.

"Thanks for reminding me." Ata hissed at the male, sinking further into my side. My love for Ata was bittersweet, we could be together for eternity, experience everything in the world together and there was no denying the love we shared and yet our love for one another was stopping Ata from having the one thing in the world she wanted more than anything - a child of her own. A child she had said she would want with me. I couldn't give her that though, and being reminded of it saddened me.

The shifting of the sofa beneath me broke me out of my saddened state and I watched as my Eric, my coldhearted Childe, leant over Sookie slowly in order to reach Ata. Almost cautiously he rubbed a hand over her arm, dropping a kiss to the top of her head before offering her a small smile. Eric had neither verbally confirmed or denied wanting to be thought of as a son to Ata, but his actions spoke volumes; that he was willing to try and give it a go, for her. As Eric went to pull his hand away from her arm, Ata's own hand shot out to grab it, giving it a gentle squeeze before she let him go.

During Eric and Ata's little exchange, I had kept one eye on the two other women in the room. Sookie hadn't seemed too bothered by the affectionate gestures, I guess after hearing my loves side of the story and her thoughts on the matter she was more than willing to accept little displays of affection between them. Pam on the other hand seemed mighty unimpressed. Once again she had one of her perfectly groomed eyebrows quirked upwards and although she was sat down she had even managed to place a hand on her hip. Her expression clearly read that she was unhappy with the new relationship. I couldn't say I blamed her; her own human mother had never been there for her so she had never grown up with a motherly figure. With Eric as her Maker she'd had no influence from other females in her early vampire years either. The only kind of affection Pam showed to women was one that involved limited clothing and open legs.

With Eric settled back in his seat, Claude picked up the conversation, seeming to forget his little verbal fuck-up only minutes ago. "This also means that Ata's blood is in Pam." He dropped the proverbial bomb.

"I highly doubt I have any fae blood in me, especially Ata's. Why aren't I always high?" Pam demanded instantly, as if not believing that my beloved's blood was inside her veins.

"Nice to know my blood is so unwanted." Ata muttered under her breath, rearranging herself on the sofa. She now sat curled up against my side, her feet and ankles locked with her cousins and her arms wrapped around my middle. It was comfy and secure; I could keep hold of Ata this way and see her all the time. It would also stop her from lashing out at Pam if she continued to run her mouth.

"Pam meant no offence, she was just curious as to why she has no reaction to the blood. I think I've only ever had one reaction to Sookie's blood, and that was after our first bonding." Eric defused the situation, offering a piece of information in exchange to shift along the topic.

"The reason for that is because you already had fairy blood in your system, your blood was tinged with fae blood from both Godric and Ata and therefore you have some resistance to it. As Pam was made using your blood, which already included established fae blood, she too has a resistance to it. The one reaction you had was because Sookie's blood grabbed your spark and yanked it out of hiding. As it was a willing mutual exchange your blood sought out Sookie's spark too, thus giving you both your mutual high." Niall picked up the slack, allowed Claude a moment to collect his thoughts and phrase his next comment.

"Sookie has taken Eric's blood on occasion, meaning that she has also ingested Godric's and Ata's blood. Its created a strong family tie between you all. As Pam has given her blood to Eric in the past to help him heal, Sookie has taken in some of hers also. The five of you are bound together rather tightly, not just by DNA but by blood too." Claude stated, his eyes flickering across all of us on the other side of the room to him. I couldn't help but smile internally at the fact that my little family were bound so tightly by blood and, in the case of Eric and I along with Sookie and Ata, were bound by DNA too. I would never get to have a child that would grow in Ata's womb, but knowing both of our blood was pulsing through Eric, Sookie and Pam's veins would be enough for me. We were as much of a family as we could be.

"Throw into the mix the fact that Ata's boys have been feeding from her over the years and your little family just doubled in size." Niall's eyes drifted to the bookcase, where five of Ata's seven boys were upstairs training and reading.

"My boys have only taken my blood, not Godric's." Ata pulled herself out from under my arm, rearranging herself into a sitting rather than a slouching position.

"When you created your blood oath, a few drops of Godric's blood entered your system too, and subsequently smidgens of it were passed on to your progenies. They have both of your blood in their veins." Niall clarified.

I was stumped, for over 1000 years I had believed that Eric was my only progeny, when in actuality Ata's boys were mine to some degree too.

"Are you saying that I have six brothers now?" Eric's head tipped sideways as he asked Niall his question.

"Yes, which is rather amusing given your attachment to Egor and Agmund from your human years. You fought alongside one another like brothers, but now you really are, at least in a vampire sense." Niall chuckled, and Eric broke out into a huge grin. While I had only ever had one progeny, in order to give him my full attention, it was reassuring to know that should something ever happen to me Eric would have other vampires as old as he, and even older, to turn to.

"Does this mean I get to call them my uncles?" A devious smirk crossed Pam's lips at the new information. I could almost see the cogs turning in her head. Pam had always been one to use information to her advantage. She would store it in her 'vault' until a time when it was needed and then whip it out to blindside someone.

"You can try it, but need I remind you that they bite." Ata turned her attention to Pam, pointing a finger in her direction.

A predatory smile passed over Pam's lips as she lent towards Ata's pointed finger. "As do I, fairy princess." Her purr bounced from my eardrums and instinctively my arm tightened around Ata's middle. Although Pam meant no harm the seduction in her voice had stirred a deep need inside of me to protect Ata.

Seemingly not minding my possessive display, Ata sank back into my side. "It would be prudent for the five of you to exchange blood, it would be a good idea to include Ata's boys in the exchange too. I suggest a first level bond, how you want to go about it is up to you, but it will enable to all to feel one another's emotions and locations, which will no doubt be invaluable in the coming month or so." Niall suggested, Claude nodding beside him.

"You want me to be forced to feel petty human emotions all the damn time?" Pam protested, outraged at the idea.

"Hey, we'll be forced to feel your cold-heartedness in return, it's a two way street." Ata sassed.

Pam opened her mouth to speak, but Eric cut her off. "Pamela, don't make me command you." His tone was stern and there was no room for argument.

"Eric! You wouldn't!" Pam protested further, her jaw dropping open. The Maker's card was something I had rarely pulled with Eric, and something Eric had rarely pulled with Pam. I'd chosen a loyal and obedient progeny and Eric had done the same, there had been little need for commands.

"It's for the best if we all bond ourselves to one another, it could give us an advantage over Russell. He has no one to come to his aid should he be in pain. I staked Talbot, so we'd have the upper hand." Eric pointed out. Pam's mouth closed at his words as she mulled it over.

With a sigh she relented. "Fine. I'm not happy about it but if it means I'm still alive by the end of this whole ordeal I'll do it."

"Good girl." Ata patronised her, earning herself a scowl.

"Great-granddaddy, can I ask you something?" Sookie broke up the impending tiff between Ata and Pam, accepting Niall as her relative. It was a huge step from the conversation she had held with him in Eric's office, where she had almost been offended by the fact he was her true great-grandfather. With a nod Niall encouraged the young female fae to speak up. "Do you know what this tugging sensation in our chests is? I felt it the moment I entered Fangtasia for the first time. I don't know when it started for everyone else but I'm guessing, as Eric asked me about it earlier, that they've felt it too."

"As you know, you're fae bond was started the moment you captured one another's gaze, but your souls were one step ahead of you. They felt one another as you drew closer and started to tug, starting to bind themselves together, urging the pair of you to come together. When you were parted for the year you spent in Faery, Sookie, Eric experienced the tugging sensation because your souls were stretched, they were trying to rejoin with one another but couldn't because of the vast distance. You didn't experience the tugging because the magic in Faery soothed it, reassuring you that Eric was alive and okay." Niall explained, his eyes shifting from Sookie to Eric.

Although curled up at his side, Sookie turned her head to look up at my Childe. "You felt the tugging sensation while I was gone?" she asked him quietly, her tone suggesting she was saddened by the knowledge.

"Yes, I blamed it on lack of blood consumption but obviously it was because I was missing you, min älskling." He offered Sookie an affectionate smile.

"I don't like that you were suffering because of me." She whispered sadly, burying her nose in Eric's side.

Leaning down, my Childe placed an affectionate kiss on the top of Sookie's head. "I wasn't suffering, min älskling, it was just a reminder that we are bound together incredibly tightly, and that is wonderful." He soothed her gently, running one of his large hands over her arm in a tender gesture.

"I felt the tugging too, when I went to visit the elderly gentleman who gave me Ata's scrapbook." I omitted the information about her family crown, wanting to use to it to surprise my Ata when the moment was right. I directed the thought of the crown to Niall and Claude, putting up one of those shields that Sookie had spoken about in the direction of Ata, in a hope she wouldn't see the image of her crown in my mind.

"You felt the tugging because the scrapbook contained pieces of Ata, her memories, her fingerprints. Her scent lingered on it. Your soul was trying to latch onto it. You felt the tugging upon entering Caesar's Palace because your soul recognised that it was close to Ata's and, like a little child, it was excited at the prospect of being reunited with her." Niall answered my question as Claude offered me a knowing smile; obviously my little thought stunt had worked. Ata hadn't mentioned anything, and I'd been monitoring our bond closely, so it was safe to assume she hadn't witnessed the image of her crown in my mind.

"Two years ago I felt the tugging, it was around three hours before sunrise I think and I felt so unbelievably sick. Why was that?" Ata asked her grandfather and cousin, a frown set on her pretty features. I hadn't given much thought to Ata's tugging, nor her illness, but now that I was reminded of the time frame I was struck with a thought.

"It was my fault." I whispered. Ata's head whipped around so she could look at me and her frown had vanished. Instead she was shaking her head adamantly, pushing all of her love for me through our bond.

With a rueful nod of his head, Claude agreed. "I'm afraid, to some degree, it was."

Ata turned to look at her cousin, a hard glint to her eyes. "No, Claude. It wasn't." she hissed from between clenched teeth.

"Do you remember the date you started to feel the tugging?" Claude asked, his tone flat so that he wouldn't start an argument.

"Yeah, September 17th, what does that have to do with anything?" She asked, quirking one of her eyebrows. Scratching the back of her head, Ata tried to figure out why that was relevant to the current conversation. Of course I knew instantly why it was relevant.

"It was the morning I went to meet the sun. Three hours before sunrise here, is an hour before sunrise in Dallas, when I had decided finally what I was going to do." I answered quietly before Claude or Niall could, dropping my gaze to Ata.

"Why would I feel the tugging the day you went to meet the sun?" She asked me quietly. I had no answer for her though so reluctantly I turned to Niall, feeling Ata's eyes still on my face.

"Ata," the old fairy spoke softly, gaining my beloved's attention, "you felt the tugging and the sickness because your souls are bound together. Your soul was crying out for him not to meet the sun, begging him to stay alive. While Sookie's words may have swayed Godric into staying, your soul would have also kept him in this world anyway. You passed out for three days as your body tried to recuperate. Although you only felt the inability to sleep and a dislike for food during the time, your body was exhausted from fighting. Fighting to keep Godric around." He explained to both my beloved and I.

"The tugging continued until the moment your souls were reconnected when you met once again because your soul was working to keep him around, not wanting Godric to meet the sun. It was a homing device of sorts too, the closer you got to one another the stronger the tug was." Claude added helpfully.

My foolish act of almost suicide had caused my love to be in pain, she'd been in pain for over two years. Pulling Ata close to my side, I dropped a kiss to her temple. "Ana asefa" I whispered my apology in Arabic, knowing it was the closest language still around today to my beloved's Ancient Egyptian.

Looking up at me, Ata shook her head, brushing off my apology. "Ne vous blâmez pas." She whispered back to me in French, the closest thing she knew to my long extinct Gaulish, as she raised a hand to brush it across my cheek in a soothing gesture. I couldn't help but lean into her touch.

"You said one of the sons would rule in this world, and the other in Faery. Do you know which way round it'll be?" Sookie asked Niall and Claude, causing Ata and I to break away from our little moment.

"No I'm afraid not dear one. There is one who knows, but she is refusing to say anything. She believes that should we know we might do things differently, we might not follow the paths that have been given to us, thus changing the future and adding uncertainty into the mix." Niall sighed, shaking his head. Clearly he was use to having all the pieces of the puzzle and yet here he was a few pieces short of the complete jigsaw.

We all fell into silence for a moment to sort out our thoughts. It was a lot to take in, even for someone my age. My whole heritage had been blown out of the water, as had Eric's. We were more tightly bound than we had believed, and we both had a huge family now, something we had both lost at young ages during our human years.

"I have a few messages from your mother and father, Ata." Niall murmured softly.

Instantly Ata's head snapped upwards, eyes wide and lips parted. "Mut and itf?" Ata whispered quietly. "How, where are they? How are they?" she asked gently, leaning forward in her seat towards Niall.

"I went to the Summerlands for my yearly visit to Einin. I came across your mother and father before I left. They're very happy, Ata. They've been watching over you over the years, they told me they're proud of you. Both of you." Niall's gaze drifted to me. A tightening sensation worked its way into my chest, why would Cleopatra and Julius be proud of me? Cleopatra had always been kind to me, so I could see a reason for her affections, but Julius had despised me. He'd hated that I'd captured his daughters attention, that I'd stopped her from willingly marrying a wealthy powerful man.

A choked sob left my beloved as she clamped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. Sookie placed her hand on Ata's arm, rubbing it soothingly, while Eric was rubbing her knee that was closest to him and, I was surprised to find, that Pam was looking on with something akin to concern.

"They asked me to pass along some proverbs from your time, they said they would be a guidance for you. They told me they wished they could help you more, but there was little they could do in their current situation." Niall continued on gently, offering a hand out to Ata who instantly took it, squeezing it tightly. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I nuzzled the side of her face, letting my Ata know I cared. After 2000 years of silence from her parents, it had obviously been a shock to hear from them after so long, especially now that there seemed to be others out after us all.

With a nod, Ata encouraged Niall to convey the proverbs.

"For every joy there is a price to be paid." He stated, pausing for a second before continuing. I found myself looking to Pam, silently asking if she was storing these proverbs away in her fault for later. Looking to me, she gave me a nod of assurance.

"If one tries to navigate unknown waters one runs the risk of shipwreck." Another pause.

"And finally, the key to solving problems is the problem of consciousness." Niall reiterated the three proverbs and I found myself stumped with them. None made sense to me, but then again I had never known how Cleopatra's nor Julius's minds worked. Ata had grown up with them, she shared their DNA, they would hopefully make more sense to her.

"But, they make no sense." Ata finally spoke up, having taken a moment to analyse her parents' words.

"They told me you would say something along those lines, so they told me to tell you that the answer will come to you when you all put your heads together." Niall gave an affectionate smile, giving Ata's hand one more squeeze before rising to his feet, Claude hot on his heels. "We must be going, we've been here longer than we anticipated, and I can sense a vampire coming up in the elevator." Ata and Sookie rose to their feet, embracing both males before wishing them farewell. Both males poised themselves to pop out of the room, but Niall paused, "Oh and one more thing, Ata," my beloved looked to her grandfather, "your parents told me to tell you that everything happens for a reason, that there's always a bigger picture. They also told me to tell you, 'Te amamus, angela nostra parvula'" he offered Ata a smile as the tears started to flow freely down her cheeks. I found myself up on my feet seconds after her first tear fell, pulling her into my embrace. I may not have been taught the language from the moment I had been born, but I was well aware of the meaning of her parents' Latin words.

With a nod Claude and Niall popped from the room, just as the elevator doors slid back and Isabel walked into the penthouse, followed closely behind by Egor and Agmund. They instantly took in the scene before them, the vampire males placing Isabel's bags down on the carpet. "What's happened?" the two male vampires demanded, vamping to Ata's other side, both wrapping their arms around her the best they could considering I still had a tight hold on her. Knowing Ata would be okay for a moment, I untangled myself, letting her youngest boys embrace her. Sookie was locked in Isabel's embrace as I approached them, and I couldn't stop my smile. During her stay in Dallas Sookie had forged many friendships, but her connection with Isabel was rather impressive given the short amount of time they had known one another.

Isabel had felt responsible for Sookie's kidnapping and her almost rape, she had taken a shining to the young fae female and had, in some sense, taken her under her wing. "Isabel." I greeted with a smile as they ended their embrace. The moment her name was out of my mouth I was wrapped in her arms. I still found physical contact with anyone other than my Ata difficult, but I allowed my former nest mate to embrace me, knowing it was much needed. The last time she had seen me had been when I had handed her the reins, shortly after trying to end myself.

"It's good to see you, Godric." She pulled back from our embrace, offering me a smile.

"And you, Isabel. You of course remember Sookie and my Childe," I gestured towards Eric, who was up on his feet too now, holding Sookie to him. "And this is his own Childe, Pamela.' I introduced them, gesturing to Pam who had wiped her previous concern for Ata from her features, instead giving Isabel a small nod of acknowledgement.

"And this," I held a hand out behind me and, untangling herself from Egor and Agmund, Ata took it, allowing me to gently pull her forward as she wiped away her tears. "Is my Ata." I introduced them.

"It's lovely to meet you." Ata politely spoke to Isabel, blinking furiously to push away her tears.

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine! I hope you're keeping an eye on him, lord knows what mischief he'd get into without someone watching out for him!" Isabel spoke to my beloved, glancing in my direction with a chuckle.

Ata gave my hand a gentle squeeze, looking up at me with an affectionate smile. "He's been as good as gold." She whispered, never breaking eye contact with me.

"Ata, we're ready for you and Sookie upstairs." Oeri's voice broke through the room, spooking me a little. I hadn't heard him push aside the bookcase, nor had I heard him take the few steps into the room that he had taken.

Turning to look at her Childe, Ata sighed heavily. "I don't have a dress yet, Oeri. I have to go shopping." She stated dejectedly.

"Why don't Isabel, Pam and I go shopping instead? I'm sure that together we could find something for you to wear tomorrow night?" I offered. The thought of being apart from Ata was killing me but this process of opening up Sookie's mind wouldn't be painful for Ata, it would be for Sookie, and Sookie would need Eric there for her. I also knew that it would be a way to get Pam out of the penthouse and for us both to update Isabel on the current situation. Ata's boys would be in the building to keep an eye on Ata while we were parted.

Seeming to mull it over for a moment, my beloved nodded in agreement. Up on her tiptoes she pressed a kiss to my cheek before reluctantly letting go of my hand. "Will you keep an eye on him for me, please?" She asked Isabel with a small smile, even going so far as to look over to Pam who had appeared at her side, asking her to take care of me too. It was comical that she was asking two younger vampires to take care of me. I was over 2000 years old, I had protected myself from far worse than whatever a shopping mall could throw at me.

"Oh I'll watch over granddaddy for you." Pam teased me. Ignoring her jibe, I gave Ata a tender kiss, swiping my tongue across her lower lip, eliciting a low moan from her. "Laxus." I promised in a whisper, letting her go. Pouting, my beloved took Sookie's hand, leading Sookie and Eric to the bookcase before climbing the staircase to the second floor.

Turning my attention back to my company for the evening, I gestured to the elevator. "Shall we?"

I would allow myself to dwell on the evenings revelations later on while alone with Ata. I couldn't deal with all of the new information right now.

* * *

**A/N **

**Ana asefa (Arabic) = I'm sorry**

**Ne vous blâmez pas (French) = Do not blame yourself**

**Te amamus, angela nostra parvula (Latin) = We love you, our little angel**

**Laxus (Latin) - Late**


	41. Going Through Changes

**A/N thank you so much to all of those who left anonymous reviews, I would respond to you all individually but I don't have names for you :(**

**Thank you also to everyone who has favourited/alerted this story and me as an author, it means the world to me!**

**Sookie's mind opening ritual is included in this chapter, the words uttered will be in Latin and the translation will be at the end of the chapter. I'll also be incorporating a Wiccan element to the ritual, I'm Wiccan myself and given Ancient Egypt's link with magik and such I feel my religion compliments it. I'm not gonna push the religion down your throat though, that isn't how I roll, but I get the feeling, in my gut, that Ata would pick Wicca as a 'modern' version of her Ancient Egyptian religion.**

**If any of my UK readers watch the channel FX (I'm sure you do…True Blood is shown on it!) then you'll know the guy in the Joop! Homme advert yes? He's the guy I picture Ari as! I never knew it was him in the advert until a few days ago, haha! :')**

**I will say now that I'm going to write this chapter (or portions of it) three times. This first one is Sookie's POV, then we'll get Eric's POV and then Godric's. We'll get Ata's the next morning. I think it's important that all four main characters get this chapter, and what goes with it, from their own POV'S. It'll make more sense when you read them I think, but I'm just giving you the heads up :)**

**Sorry this is shorter than usual, but there is little I can really do with Sookie given her current circumstance.**

**So, off we go!**

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Tear yourself apart; keep your chin up high.  
The only things that matter will always make you cry.  
Another simple change to take my mind away, take it to the river and let it wash away.  
We're going through changes.  
How funny this is to be alone so long, making steps to get me farther.  
The light ahead is just a cool, sweet, song. It plays to me when things get harder.  
We're going through changes, a million miles out there.  
~ Going Through Changes, The Samples_

Everything Niall and Claude had informed us of in the past forty-five minutes had shocked me. Eric and Godric had both a human and vampire connection, Ata and Godric's blood was in Eric, Pam and myself, and our souls were all bound together. It was quite shocking to learn that we were as much of a family as we could ever be. For so long I had believed that Jason was my only family remaining, but now I was twice bonded to Eric and subsequently bound to Pam, Godric, Ata and all of her boys. I had a family. I'd lost everyone but Jason to supernatural forces, however I was determined to up my game, to increase my powers enough so that I would be able to protect myself so that my family could protect themselves too. I didn't want anyone else to die because of, or for me.

Hearing Niall speak to Ata of her parents, I felt my cousins' sorrow that she was unable to speak to them herself. I tried to push comfort to her, as she had done to me in the past, but I was unsure as to whether it was working or not. I had always thought of emotion pushing as something that was only part of a vampire bond, but Ata had been able to push emotions to me the other day and I wanted to return the favour now that she was in need.

I wasn't sure what to make of the fact that Eric still held a spark, that he might be able to have fae powers just like mine. It would be useful no doubt for him to have more power at his disposal in order to protect himself, but it was strange to think of Eric as part fae. To me he would always be the Viking vampire Sheriff, not the Viking part-vampire and part-fae Sheriff.

I decided to accept Niall into my life as my great-granddaddy. He'd come to my aid and had told me to get my ass to Vegas, where I had met Ata and learned more about my heritage and my gifts. He'd even come on over specially this evening to spend time explaining things to me and those I cared for. There was also the fact that before his earlier revelations I had believed Jason to be my only family member. I wanted as much family as possible. Call me greedy but when your parents die at the hands of water fae, your cousin runs off as a drug addict to some bratty vampire queen, your grandfather is taken by evil fairies and then your grandmother is killed by a mad man wanting your head, it's easy to see why I would want some family now, some unconditional love. While Eric was giving that to me I wanted more of it, from as many people as possible. It was selfish of me but when I stopped to really think about it I realised I hadn't done anything for myself over the past few years. I'd turned my life upside down for everyone else, accommodated everyone else and thrown aside my own feelings and needs. It was time that I did something for myself. If I wanted as much love as possible from as many people as possible then I would damn well have it! It was the least I deserved for all the shit others had put me through.

I embraced both Niall and Claude when they went to leave. Although I had no knowledge of Claude so he was still a relative stranger to me, I felt oddly close to him. He was family after all I supposed, and if Ata trusted him then so would I. It seemed that Ata had spent some time in Faery with Niall and Claude; I'd have to ask her about that later.

Claude and Niall popped themselves from the room just as the elevator doors slid back to reveal Egor, Agmund and Isabel. The three vampires instantly took in the scene before them; the two males placed Isabel's bags down on the carpet. "What's happened?" they demanded, vamping to Ata's side, wrapping their arms around her the best they could considering Godric still had a tight hold on her.

Deciding that my cousin would need a moment to collect herself, I crossed to Isabel, offering her a warm smile. Almost instantly the Spanish vampiress had me locked in her embrace. I could feel Eric's trepidation through the bond but I ignored it, wrapping my arms around Isabel in return. Although it had been her human, Hugo, who had betrayed her, Godric's nest, and myself, I would never hold it against her. She hadn't known that he would go and do something like that because she refused to turn him. I wouldn't have turned him if I were being honest; he didn't strike me as being vampire material.

Isabel had blamed herself for what had happened to me, for what had almost happened to me, for Godric being taken and for the bombing of the home she had shared with him and Stan. She blamed herself for Stan's true death too, as he had perished in the Fellowship bombing.

There was nothing I needed to say to the Spanish woman holding me, our embrace was enough of a greeting and I felt if I were to say anything then our little moment of female bonding would be lost. Slowly her head dropped down and she sniffed me. Looking up at her I watched as she quirked an eyebrow, glancing quickly to Eric before back to myself. Knowing she was asking if her nose was correct, that she could smell Eric's blood in me and that we had finally decided to be with one another, I gave a nod. Isabel's smile was nothing short of impressive and beautiful. Obviously she was pleased for us.

"Isabel." Godric's soft welcome graced my ears as I pulled back from Isabel's arms. Isabel wrapped Godric up in her embrace moments later and I found myself trying not to point out that he was still a bit uneasy with physical contact, but I managed to bite my tongue. Eric had moved to my side in this time, an arm wrapped around my waist protectively though there really was no need. Isabel was no threat.

"It's good to see you, Godric." She murmured softly, pulling back to observe the vampire I was now coming to see as a father.

"And you, Isabel. You of course remember Sookie, and my Childe." He gestured to Eric and I. "This is his own Childe, Pamela.' He introduced, gesturing to Pam who gave Isabel a small nod of acknowledgement.

"And this," He held a hand out behind him and, untangling herself from Egor and Agmund, Ata took it, allowing him to gently pull her forward as she wiped away her tears. "Is my Ata." He introduced them.

I watched Isabel's reaction carefully. It was painfully obvious when looking at Ata that she was more than human. She had an ethereal beauty to her and power seemed to follow her wherever she went, even if she was a teary mess at the present moment. I was also a little worried as to how Isabel would react to Godric having a lover; she'd probably experienced a much different version of Godric to the one that was around now.

"It's lovely to meet you." My cousin politely spoke to Isabel, blinking furiously to push away her tears.

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine! I hope you're keeping an eye on him, lord knows what mischief he'd get into without someone watching out for him!" Isabel spoke to my cousin, a smile fixed firmly onto her features. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding.

Ata looked up at Godric with an affectionate smile. "He's been as good as gold." She whispered, never breaking eye contact with him. I was struck right at that moment with how much love they held for one another, how pure their affections towards one another were. Their eyes shone with it and I wondered if I looked at Eric that way, or if he looked at me that way.

"Ata, we're ready for you and Sookie upstairs." Oeri's voice broke through the room; ending the moment Ata and Godric had been sharing. I hadn't heard him enter; I hadn't heard him shove the heavy bookcase out of the way. Not that the bookcase would be heavy to him anyway - vampires and their damn super strength.

Turning to Oeri, Ata sighed heavily. "I don't have a dress yet, Oeri. I have to go shopping." She stated dejectedly.

"Why don't Isabel, Pam and I go shopping instead? I'm sure that together we could find something for you to wear tomorrow night." Godric offered. I was relieved with his offer in all honesty. I wanted to get his process out of the way with and sleep for the rest of the night, and if I was going to be able to read vampire minds it would be best if there were only the required number of vampires in the building. Besides, I didn't really want Pam with me. While she and I had sorted out our differences I knew there would be some negative thoughts regarding myself in her memories, and the last thing I wanted was to accidentally stumble upon them because I was unable to control my shields.

Seeming to mull it over for a moment, Ata nodded in agreement. Up on her tiptoes she pressed a kiss to Godric's cheek before reluctantly letting go of his hand. "Will you keep an eye on him for me, please?" She asked Isabel with a small smile, even going so far as to look over to Pam who had appeared at her side. I found it amusing that the three women before me were pandering to the oldest vampire male in the whole building, probably one of the oldest vampires in the whole of America too.

"Oh I'll look out for granddaddy for you." Pam teased. Godric gave Ata a chaste kiss before he whispered something in her ear. I was unsure exactly as to what he told her but judging by the light blush on her cheeks and the shy expression on her features it had been something regarding their bedroom antics. A promise for later, perhaps? I could feel Eric's grip on me tighten a little as he shifted behind me, pressing his crotch against my behind. It was far from an innocent move and I knew it. Obviously he had overheard them and was coming up with his own inappropriate thoughts. It was definitely a conversation about their bedroom antics if Eric's sudden turn of emotions was anything to go by.

Letting go of Godric, my cousin approached me and offered me her hand. There was no going back now if I were to take it. I would have to listen to vampire minds for the rest of eternity, but at least it would be another level of protection for me. I would be able to hear my enemies approaching, hear what they were planning and plan against them accordingly. Taking her hand I made my decision. Slowly Ata led me to the bookcase and I held my hand out behind me for Eric. He was quick to slip his large hand into my smaller one and the three of us climbed the staircase. Oeri and Riei were close behind us, sealing the bookcase back over the entrance in order to give us some privacy. The staircase was plunged into darkness, however with Ata guiding me and Eric's strong hand in mine I was able to navigate my way up the stairs unharmed.

Entering the training studio I was completely surprised with the changes that had been made to the room. In the middle of the vast open space was a table, a delicate white cloth placed over it which reached the floor where a pentagram had been created with what looked like salt. A small cool box and a small trolley sat a little way to the side, and upon the trolley sat several jars of different substances. There were also candles in green, yellow, red, purple and blue. There was a curved knife, a glass of water, a packet of pills, a tall lit black candle and a golden chalice. The only light in the room was from hundreds of pure white candles, scattered across the floor in strategic places and across the few surfaces of the room. The windows had been blacked out and thick, lined curtains covered the glass surface, light-proofing the room just in case the ritual went on into the early hours of the morning.

Once we were all inside the room Oeri shut the door behind him, pushing it firmly so it locked. Ata took a moment to observe her surroundings before she turned to me, "Sookie, you can back out still and none of us will think any less of you, but once you do this there will be no way to go back. The ritual will ensure that no one will be able to suppress the ability ever again." She warned me one last time.

While I appreciated her final offer I gave a nod of my head. "I'm ready, I want this. I want to hear what's going on in Eric's head." I stated firmly, receiving a squeeze of my hand from Eric in response. I could remember Ata's words from a few days ago, she'd told me that I had to truly want it and that I would have to want to listen in on one vampire, and by doing so I would be able to hear them all.

Ata offered me a warm smile before she licked her lips to moisten them. "Okay Sook, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to need you to sit down on the table on top of the cloth, but try not to disturb the pentagram on the floor. Once you're on the table I'm going to cast the circle in salt and place each of the coloured candles, once lit, onto the points of the pentagram. You and I will be the only ones allowed in the circle, no one else can enter. I'm then going to ask you how you enter this ritual, your answer is your own and cannot be influenced by any others, but it must be the truth. You could say you enter it honestly, or with trust, it's totally up to you. Once that is done you need to blow out the black candle and then I'm going to use the Boline, that's the curved knife, and I'm going to make a mark in the black candle. I'm going to say some words and then I'm going to make an incision in my wrist and empty some of my blood into the chalice. Once I've handed it to you, you're to drain it. I'll take the chalice back from you and then I'm going to leave the circle. No one else can get in. You'll probably start to feel light-headed; my blood will be a shock to your system and your spark. I want you to then lay down and close your eyes. My boys and I will stand at each point of the pentagram and while holding hands we'll utter the ritual that should open up your mind and my subconscious will enter yours. I have no idea what you'll experience, so I want you to keep your bond with Eric wide open all the time. Once we start we can't stop, however should your emotions start to overpower you, I need you Eric," Ata paused, turning to my Viking, "to take the negative emotions from her and smother her in all the positive emotions you hold for her. Can you do that for me?" She asked.

Eric nodded in confirmation and a small smile appeared on Ata's lips. "I have no idea how long the ritual will last for, or how long it will take for Sookie to start hearing your thoughts, but I had the room light-proofed and there are plenty of bags of relatively weak fae blood in the cool-box should you need it in order to stay up past dawn. My boys have my blood in their veins so can fight the sun for much longer. I don't intend for this to go on past sunrise and hopefully the Gods will see my reasoning and agree with me." I nodded in acknowledgement. I didn't want this ritual to go on past sunrise but once it was started there was no way for it to be stopped, so I really had no choice in the matter.

Ata nodded towards Ari who suddenly appeared at her side, holding onto a soft cotton nightie. "I thought you might like to change out of your day clothes into something softer and more comfortable, just in case we are here for a while." I couldn't help but smile at my cousins concern and care; it felt strange to have someone do something so simple as to think of my comfort. I would be flat on my back for goodness how long, Ata and her boys would be doing all the work, and yet they were worried about me?

Taking the nightie from Ata, I nipped into the small private library. I took a moment to look around the room, taking in the shelves upon shelves of dusty, ancient textbooks. It'd been a while since I'd last read a book; perhaps Ata would let me borrow one when all of this was over. Shaking the thought away, I stripped out of my day clothes, pleased I had chosen a soft pair of panties and a matching bra which had no underwire. Pulling on the cotton nightie I adjusted it so my panties wouldn't be on show before returning to the training room. Depositing my clothes by the door I swiftly made my way to Ata, wrapping her up in my arms.

"Thank you, cousin." I whispered in her ear, wanting her to know how grateful I was for everything she had done for me so far.

"It's my pleasure." She whispered back in response, rubbing my back for a moment before she pulled away from my embrace. "Go and give your vampire a few cuddles and kisses, this might not be easy on the pair of you." She told me quietly.

Heeding her words, I took one step towards Eric and found myself pressed against his strong chest moments later. I seriously disliked it when he used his vamp speed around me but I could understand his need to have me close right now. We were still in the unknown with regards to Russell and this ritual, and to me this was even scarier than a 3000-year-old psycho, and that was saying something! "I love you, my Sookie." Eric's husky voice brushed over my eardrums and I couldn't help but smile against his neck, tucking myself securely in his arms.

"I love you too, my Eric." I whispered in response, pressing a kiss to his clavicle before finally pulling back to look up at him. His 6'4 frame towered over me and yet I wasn't intimidated by him at all. I knew there was a softy underneath the scary Sheriff exterior.

"I'll be here for you when this is all over, I promise. If you're in any pain, let me take the emotions from you and replace them with all the love I hold for you." He ordered me gently, and I couldn't help but smile at his high-handedness. Some things would never change. I gave in to him however, knowing he was worried about what was about to happen. Letting my lips meet his, I put all of my love and adoration for my Viking warrior into it, wanting him to know that I would love him regardless. I was finding myself even more curious about his thoughts; I just wanted to get on with it now! I had to restrain myself and pull in my rising lust levels, which was always a difficult thing around Eric, as the last thing I wanted was to be all hot and bothered during the ritual. Eric's lips were firm yet soft against my own, moulding to fit perfectly with my own. His lips left mine and he trailed a line of blazing kisses across my jaw line, nibbling on my earlobe, causing me to giggle. His breathy chuckle was music to my ears and, after capturing his lips once more for a tender and reassuring kiss, I pulled out of his embrace before making my way to Ata, who had positioned herself near the salt pentagram.

She'd changed into a pair of soft white cotton pants and a matching shirt, her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail off of her face and she wore no shoes. She was most certainly the female version of Godric. The clothes looked so similar to the ones he'd been wearing when I had found him in the Fellowship. "Yes, they're the same. Apparently he owns many of these." She laughed gently, rubbing her hands over the soft fabric.

"I'm never going to get use to that." I muttered under my breath with a laugh. I'd all but forgotten that Ata could get into my mind to see what I was thinking.

"Let's begin." Ata started, silence falling over the room. Offering me her hand, I took it happily, using her for support as I stepped over the salt pentagram to the table in the centre. Hauling myself up I sat neatly, my legs dangling over the edge. Ari handed Ata the five coloured candles, the lit black candle, the knife, the chalice and the pot of salt, all of which she placed on the table beside me. Picking up the pot of salt, Ata gracefully moved to the eastern side of the pentagram, where she slowly started to pour the salt in a circle, capturing the points of the pentagram within the circle line. "I welcome air to my circle," she reached the southern area of the circle, "I welcome fire to my circle," she moved on to the west of the circle, "I welcome water to my circle," and finally she reached the north of the circle, "I welcome earth to my circle." She finished in a whisper, joining her salt circle together. Having finished, Ata sealed up the salt pot, placing it down beside me.

Picking up the green candle she held it out to me. Immediately I took it in my hands, watching as she placed the flame of the black candle to the wick of the green one, instantly setting it alight. Exchanging candles with me, Ata placed the green candle at the northern point of the pentagram. "Green for the earth we walk upon." She murmured, returning to me a moment later. Handing me the yellow candle, we swapped and repeated the lighting process. Ata placed the yellow candle on the eastern point of the pentagram. "Yellow for the air we breathe in." She returned to me and we lit the red candle. "Red for the fire that burns all it crosses." She placed the candle down on the third point. The purple candle was next and Ata placed it on the following point. "Purple for the spirits of those of our royal bloodline." Finally Ata handed me the blue candle, which we lit together, placing it on the western point. "Blue for the water that hydrates our bodies." She finished.

Returning to me, she stopped right in front of me. "How do you enter the circle?" She asked.

I didn't even need to think about my answer, it came to me the moment the words had left Ata's lips. It was as if my body knew how to respond and did so automatically. "In perfect love and perfect trust" I replied, my voice even and strong. Ata's smile told me my words had been perfect and I gently blew out the black candle as instructed.

Ata picked up the Boline, removing the black candle from my hands. Slowly she started to carve a foot, a cane and what looked to be a curved palm tree into the black wax. "Bes, I welcome you to my circle and thank you for providing your energies to our ritual. I ask for your protection towards both my cousin and I, and I ask for your luck as we enter into the unknown." My cousin's tone was steady and slow as she finished up her carving. I had no idea who Bes was but I assumed he was another of Ata's ancient Gods.

With her carving finished, Ata placed the black candle down on the table, near to where my head would be when I finally lay flat. Raising the serrated edge of the blade to her wrist, she made a deep incision and I grabbed the chalice, placing it beneath her wrist. Slowly Ata allowed her blood to flow steadily into the chalice and, pressing her fingers to the vein in order to slow the blood flow, she finally pulled her wrist away, giving me a nod.

I'd taken both Eric and Bill's blood over the years, so I was in no way squeamish, but the thought of taking my cousins blood was a little disturbing to me as she was still mostly human. Eric pushed reassurance and strength through our bond and before I could think on it any longer I raised the chalice to my lips and downed her blood. I didn't know what I had been expecting it to take like, but I was pleasantly surprised. Her blood was relatively thick for human blood and held a tinge of orange and chocolate to it, mixed in with a deeper undertone of peppermint. It was deliciously sweet. The moment Ata took the chalice from me the light-headedness she had warned me of surfaced. I could barely hold myself up. Ata's hands shot out and she slowly helped me lower myself onto the table. The room felt like it was spinning, it was difficult to focus on any one thing. Screwing my eyes shut I willed the sensations away. It felt like the world was spinning so incredibly fast and I was stuck in the same place, completely still. I felt nauseous. It reminded me of all the times, as a child, when I had spun around on the spot to make myself dizzy, except it was the other way around now. I was standing still and the world was spinning. "Submerge yourself in your bond, let go of everything in the world, let it all go." Ata soothed, brushing my hair back from my face. My nauseous feeling felt like it was being taken away and, slowly, a sense of peace overcame me. Everything was going well so far, too well given my track record.

With my eyes shut I couldn't see Ata as she left the circle, taking her spot in front of the yellow candle, the element closest to our sky. Ata took her boys hands, all of which had taken up positions on the remaining four points. Egor, Agmund and Oscar were back in the living room of the penthouse, as another layer of protection against anyone unwanted trying to get up into the training room.

Slowly their voices entered my ears and I found myself lost in the Latin words being uttered.

"Invoco te, O Hapi, Archangelus Neptuni Et rector Clariuidens vires."

Immediately a burning sensation started in my toes, causing me to whimper. The sensation started to creep slowly up my body, the pain increasing as the sensation continued upwards. The burning sensation was in my knees and I couldn't stop my scream of pain. Eric's love washed over me but try as he might I could still feel his underlying concern and worry. I tried to open my eyes but my eyelids were refusing to cooperate. The fact I couldn't see anything sent me into panic and my back arched off of the table as the burning continued upwards, reaching my thighs. Every nerve in my body felt like it was on fire, like thousands of matches were being lit all over my body.

"Quaeso te ut aperiet tertia oculus Et ostenderet occulta lux. Videat futurum. Videat praeteritum."

Their collective voices carried on as the burning continued upwards to my stomach. For a moment it settled in my lower stomach and I couldn't help but scream out again, the burning sensation seeming to scorch my insides. I felt Eric's void get a little closer to the circle and I felt more of my pain being pulled from me, replaced with love, reassurance and adoration. It was practically impossible for my back to arch up any further. I needed to move some part of my body, anything. I needed to know I was still in control. Going to move my arms I found I couldn't, they felt pinned to my side. Going to move my legs I found I couldn't shift them either. Knowing I was a prisoner in my own body, I felt the panic start to bubble inside of me once more, just as the fire was crawling up my body like a slippery snake, reaching my chest. The burning suddenly attacked my heart and I started to gasp for breath, struggling to breathe. I went to scream but no sound came out. It felt like my heart was being constricted, yanked and pulled. I could feel the blood flow through my arteries. My blood felt heavy and lethargic, making its way through my system.

"IT'S KILLING HER!" My brain registered Eric's panicked yell from the sidelines of the circle.

"DON'T CROSS THE CIRCLE! SHE'S FINE, ERIC!" Ata yelled in response. Eric had almost crossed the circle to get to me; the thought of him doing so sent me deeper into my panic. What would have happened to me if he had crossed it? What would have happened to him? Would the spell have worked or not? My brain was running on overtime with questions.

"Percipere divina Regna ignota. Intelligere sapientia fortium universi. Ita mote sit!"

Their voices went up a few octaves as they recited the final sentence of the Latin chant and the burning sensation finally reached my head. It engulfed my brain and it felt like my head was being torn in two, the burning went from hot to cold repeatedly, and I was finding it difficult to keep up with the changes. A fog was descending on my mind and I struggled against it, fighting my way through the thick blanket, but it was no use. Although powerful in my own right, I was no match for the strength of the fog. Howling out, I felt a surge of love and pride take me over from Eric.

"Succumb to it, Sookie." Ata's tender voice floated through my mind and I found myself unable to go against her wishes. My mind was still burning, scalding, with the flames that had consumed it and yet my body completely relaxed. I could feel no pain south of my head and my body felt like it was floating. It had been such a long time since I had felt physically relaxed, I had always been on high alert, what with Rene, the Fellowship, Maryann, Sophie-Ann, Russell Edgington and the witches that had cursed Eric.

While my body was relaxed however, my mind felt it was working overtime. I could feel what, to me, felt like soft fur drifting through my mind, brushing through my thoughts and memories, pausing to observe key moments in my life before continuing on its path. Claws were digging against the inside of my mind; I could feel every rough edge as it slipped through the passages of my head.

It was such a strange sensation, all of this was occurring inside my mind and yet it was as if I was an outsider looking in on the scene. The cat sliding through my mind was a beautiful shiny black colour; its body slender and its supple bones allowed it free movement through my mind. I could see every hair upon its body, every marking. Turning down one corner of my mind the creature stopped, huge emerald eyes focused on something in the distance. I could see a form at the end of the corridor, and a door.

Instantly the cat reared up, flicking its tail up in the air before landing nimbly on its paws. Its ears were pricked upwards to hear everything going on and its nose was twitching, picking up the scents. The cats' mouth opened and its sharp incisors, which were fang-like, appeared for a moment, and I couldn't help but shiver. Eric's fangs were the only kind I liked.

The thought of fangs reminded me of when I had first moved to Grans house. I had never been in contact with a snake before so the moment I had walked into my bedroom to find a cottonmouth slithering across my floor I'd panicked and screamed. The snake had turned to me, opened its mouth to reveal his sharp and venomous fangs, and had started in my direction. My legs had stopped working, I'd been frozen to the spot, but thankfully Jason had heard my scream and he'd raced into the room seconds later, attacking the snake with the broomstick that we'd kept in the hallway. I'd been scared of snakes ever since.

With its head held high, the cat moved gracefully to the other end of my mental corridor. The form at the end came into focus, shifting from a mass of black to take the form a woman; she was tall and slender, dressed in a red column maxi dress. On her head sat a crown, a feather standing tall on the front of it. She stood before a thick double wooden door, it had a medieval feel to it and I couldn't help but be fascinated with what would be behind it. "Ah Baast, what brings you here?" the woman spoke to the cat. She radiated a sense of power and authority, just like the cat, which I now knew had a name.

"I think you know, dear Ma'at. Her third eye needs to be opened; she can no longer be kept in the dark. " The feline spoke. I don't know what I had been expecting, but it had most certainly not been the Egyptian lilt of my cousin!

The woman's rich laughter vibrated through the corridor in my mind and she offered Baast a small smile, "I keep the earth in balance, if I were to open up the young ones mind she would have an advantage over others, the balance would tip in her favour."

The cat seemed to laugh, its tongue flickering out for a moment to lick its lips. "The balance needs to tip in her favour. You tipped it in my favour upon my birth, and now I ask you tip it for my cousin. We're in trouble, there are those out there who wish to harm us, we need every bit of help available. The scales need to be tipped in our favour if we are to come out of this alive."

Ma'at seemed to think over Baast's words for a moment before she finally crouched, lowering herself to a height similar to that of the felines. "What will I gain from this? I have been guarding her third eye since the day she was born, it is all I know, it is what I have dedicated my life to."

Baast smiled at Ma'at, swishing her tail through the air. "There is another who will need your protection, a child. He is like my cousin and I. He is too young to control his gift though. It is too early for him to be told of his heritage also. I promise you, by the blood, that if you leave my cousins mind, open up her third eye, that I will take you to the boy when all of this is said and done." The cat offered the woman.

The woman mused over Baast's words for a moment before pulling a small knife from her pocket. Baast offered the woman the side of her body and Ma'at was quick to make an incision, capturing the ruby red droplets of blood that escaped. Raising her fingers to her mouth, Ma'at consumed the liquid before offering her wrist to Baast. Baast struck with precision, sinking her incisors into the skin before removing them, her rough tongue lapping up the small blood droplets that welled up to the surface.

Once the exchange was complete, Ma'at rose back to her former height and moved to the door. With one hand on either handle, her voice dropped. "Beloved Baast, mistress of happiness and bounty, daughter of the Sun God, slay the evil that afflicts our minds as you slay the serpent Aapep. With your graceful stealth anticipate the moves of all who perpetrate cruelties and stay their hands against the children of night. Grant us the joy of song and dance, and ever watch over us in the lonely places in which we must walk." As her words ended she pulled at the handles, heaving the door open.

If I had believed the previous pain to be bad, it was nothing compared to this. My brain felt like it was about to implode. My body was fine, no burning sensations had overcome my figure, and yet my mind felt like it was melting. Thousands upon thousands of memories were bombarding my mind, battering my brain, trying to store themselves away. Flashes of the human lives of all of the vampires in the room whizzed through my mind. Ari as a royal guard, following Ata everywhere she went, watching her as she played with Godric in the Nile. Khai and the death of five of his siblings, working as a royal guard alongside Ari, looking over Ata as she went about her day-to-day life. Oeri working as a doctor, examining Ata, writing down every little detail about her, the death of his parents, being approached by Ari and Khai about being turned, faking Ata's passing and sleeping beside her in the day while the effects of the drugs in her system wore off.

I watched as Riei took care of the royal household, as he shopped for Ata, purchasing her the finest of fabrics and jewels, as he dressed her up like his own personal Barbie doll and he doted on her every need. Then there was Egor, how he had been in line to take his fathers crown yet had stumbled upon a cold and hungry Ata in the middle of the winter, how he had offered her a warm bath and nourishment, protected her from 'evil' when she had returned to her Egyptian vampires later that night. I observed the same scenes from Agmund's mind, how they had both adored Ata the moment they had clapped eyes on her.

As these memories tried to store themselves away in my mind, I screamed out at the pain. It felt like pieces of my mind were being picked up, examined, prodded and placed elsewhere. My mind was a jumbled mess and it was difficult to make sense of anything.

Suddenly another set of memories attacked me. They were Eric's, my beautiful Viking. My mind was filled with his memories, his past. I was given the image of his little sisters birth, of how he had cradled her close moments later, spoken to her in his native tongue. There were scenes of his little sister in her first few years, how Eric had wrapped her up in her blankets at night, how he had dressed her and bathed her. It was hard not to cry, witnessing the tenderness he showed her. His actions were so natural to him, so fatherly. It made me yearn to carry his child even more. Then came the scene where Russell's wolves had attacked and murdered his family. Try as I might I couldn't stop the memories from playing out, and I was forced to watch once more as his family were slaughtered. Crying out at the horrible memories as they invaded my mind, I tried to force them away to no avail.

The images shifted to Eric on the battlefield, gravely injured, speaking with his fellow Vikings. There was no doubt about their conversation; Eric was trying to make light of the fact he was dying. I screamed out for him, begging him not to. The image shifted once more to my Eric resting on top of his funeral pyre, his fellow Viking's watching over him. In a blur they were all killed and a young and rather savage looking Godric crouched over him. I was appalled with Godric's appearance, blood smeared down his chin, his hair matted with filth and blood. I couldn't make out their conversation, but it was obvious that Godric had taken such a shine to Eric immediately. I watched as Godric chuckled over something Eric had said before finally he vamped over my beloved, sinking his fangs into his neck to start the turning process.

The memories ended there and the blackness overtook me, a huge dark blanket felt like it was being thrown over me. I had no idea what the time was, and I couldn't open my eyes. My body felt weak and limp and my throat felt scratchy. I was in dire need of some water. "Thank you, Bes, for joining me in this ritual. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again." I heard Ata's voice as a whisper. As if someone knew I would need water I felt the cool liquid being poured down my throat, yet I could do nothing to help it enter my system. A large, cool hand was slowly massaging my throat, helping the water enter my body. When the liquid was finished I felt several pairs of strong arms underneath me, lifting me off of the table. "She needs to rest, to bed with her." Ata's strained voice caressed my eardrums and I felt her lips against my forehead a moment later. I was being moved, and yet I had no idea where. My body was swaying from left to right slowly, and if I hadn't of known better I would have believed myself to be on a hammock, on a golden beach in the tropics. That would be nice. Maybe Eric and I could go on holiday there when all of this is over.

My back came to rest upon a soft surface and the arms that had been carrying me disappeared. Instead one pair of large, muscular arms wound themselves around me, and seconds later I felt cool lips against my own. "God natt min älskade" Eric's husky voice sounded out. Seconds later, the darkness completely overtook me, pulling me under.

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**A/N**

**Invoco te, O Hapi, Archangelus Neptuni Et rector Clariuidens te ut aperiet tertia oculus Et ostenderet occulta lux. Videat futurum. Videat praeteritum. Percipere divina Regna ignota. Intelligere sapientia fortium universi. Ita mote sit! (Latin) = I call upon thee, O Hapi, Archangel of Neptune and ruler of clairvoyant powers. I ask you to open the third eye and show the hidden light.  
See the future. See the past. To perceive the divine. To the realm of the unknown. To understand the wisdom of the mighty universe. So mote it be!"**

**God natt min älskade (Swedish) = Good night my love**

**Just to let you know, information on the whole dream sequence/vision thing and the roles/characteristics of Baast, Ma'at, Hapi and Neptune will be spoken about in the Ata POV chapter, you may have to wait a chapter or two for it but I promise I'll explain it all to you! You'll get another mini history lesson, unless you want to outshine the rest of the class and read up yourself! ;)**


	42. Wake Up

**A/N okay guys, I was going to blend Eric and Godric's POV's together but the Viking threw a 6'4 size tantrum and demanded that he have a chapter for himself, and who was I to say no? ;) Godric's POV in the next chapter!**

**I didn't get very many reviews for the last chapter, so I'm assuming it wasn't to everyone's tastes? I know a lot of you were looking forward to the unblocking of her mind reading but I really wasn't sure how to go about it, so I just let my hands wander across the keyboard and that was what came out…sorry if it disappointed you :/ **

**Much love to Nordiclover and my Guest reviewer, sorry I couldn't respond to you both privately!**

**Right, with that out of the way...onwards into the jaws of death! :P**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_Give me the light when the sun goes down, __cuz what goes around comes around.  
__Give 'em a fight yes it's proper bound, y__ou see what goes around comes around.  
__Now the gloves are off and the talk is done, __I see clearly now what must be done.  
__Go back to the place, back when you were young,  
__You weren't afraid of anything, you weren't afraid of anyone.  
__So wake up  
__Got no money when I wake up strong and then another worry comes along.  
__I found a light 'n I'm'a turn it on, so wake up wake up wake up.  
__All of my teachers' told me I was wrong, b__ut what don't kill you will make you strong.  
__What I found was I was right all along, and if it don't kill you it make you strong.  
__Yes I realize just what I've become; I take that shit head on, oh however it comes.  
__Got my direction back, all my friends are around,  
__I feel the change, I feel alive, I feel the lights, I feel the sound.  
__~ Wake Up, Pepper_

To say I was worried about this evening's event would be an understatement. Sookie has no idea what she's getting herself in to. While being able to hear vampire minds has been useful for Ata over the years, it is only recently that it has become a useful thing for my beloved to have. My Sookie grew up hearing others nasty thoughts, heard them thinking about how 'crazy' she was. Ata grew up knowing how to control her shields; she had contact with Niall at a very early age. I would not have allowed Sookie to undergo this ritual if Ata wasn't present. I know her cousin will teach her how to strengthen her shields so that she'll be able to keep vampire minds out. As a naturally secretive race she'll probably hear and see things she really doesn't want to, or shouldn't. I myself have a few things I don't wish for her to witness. While I have survived this long it has not been easy, I've had to kill hundreds, possibly even thousands, and I've drained my fair share of humans over the years. I don't want my Sookie to see any of that, I don't want her to judge or be frightened by it. I'm different now; she's made me a better vampire.

I couldn't help but appreciate the fact my Maker was taking Pam and Isabel out of the apartment. I loved Pam and I cared for Isabel, due to her friendship with Godric, but the last thing I wanted was for them to be around during the ritual. I had no idea what was going to happen so to have them out of the way meant that Sookie would have my full attention, as she should.

Ata took Sookie's hand, leading her up the staircase to the training area we'd been in the night before. Upon entering I was surprised with the changes that had happened. While surprised, I was also a little wary. In the middle of the vast open space was a table, a delicate white cloth placed over it, reaching the floor, where a pentagram had been created with what looked like salt. A small cool box and a small trolley sat a little way to the side, upon the trolley sat several jars of different substances, candles in green, yellow, red, purple and blue, a curved knife, a glass of water, a packet of pills, a tall lit black candle and a golden chalice. The only light in the room was from hundreds of pure white candles, scattered across the floor in strategic places and across the few surfaces of the room. The windows had been blacked out and thick, lined curtains covered the glass surface, light-proofing the room. I assumed this was just in case the ritual went on into the early hours of the morning. While my age meant I could fight the pull of the sun, it would be difficult to stay awake longer than an hour or two after sunrise.

Oeri shut the door behind us all, pushing it firmly so it locked. I could hear the click of the mechanism and I had to admit that I was pleased no one would be able to get in. The last thing I wanted was any interruptions. Ata took a moment to observe her surroundings before she turned to my beloved, "Sookie, you can back out still and none of us will think any less of you, but once you do this there will be no way to go back. The ritual will ensure that no one will be able to suppress the ability you have ever again." She warned Sookie one last time. A part of me was screaming out for Sookie to back out, while opening her mind would be useful it would make keeping her safe a harder task. I was up to the task, of course, but I could see it being difficult at times, especially considering my little fairies stubbornness.

Sookie gave a nod of her head. "I'm ready, I want this. I want to hear what's going on in Eric's head." She stated firmly. I couldn't help but smile at her reasoning. There had been so many times, over the years I had known her, that I had wanted Sookie to be able to read my mind, a prime example was when I had chained her up in the basement of Fangtasia to use against Russell. If she had been able to read it from my mind then we wouldn't have had the whole misunderstanding. Then again, her anger at the situation was beautiful, keeping her in the dark had made the story more believable.

Giving Sookie's hand a squeeze, Ata offered both of us a warm smile. "Okay, Sook, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to need you to sit down on the table, on top of the cloth, but try not to disturb the pentagram on the floor. Once you're on the table I'm going to cast the circle in salt and place each of the coloured candles, once lit, onto the points of the pentagram. You and I will be the only ones allowed in the circle, no one else can enter. I'm then going to ask you how you enter this ritual, your answer is your own and cannot be influenced by any others, but it must be the truth. You could say you enter it honestly, or with trust, it's totally up to you. Once that is done you need to blow out the black candle and then I'm going to use the Boline, that's the curved knife, and I'm going to make a mark in the black candle, I'm going to say some words and then I'm going to make an incision in my wrist and empty some of my blood into the chalice. Once I've handed it to you, you're to drain it. I'll take the chalice back from you and then I'm going to leave the circle. No one else can get in. You'll probably start to feel light-headed; such a vast quantity of my blood will be a shock to your system and your spark. I want you to then lay down and close your eyes. My boys and I will stand at each point of the pentagram and, while holding hands; we'll utter the ritual that should open up your mind and my subconscious will enter yours. I have no idea what you'll experience, so I want you to keep your bond with Eric wide open all the time. Once we start we can't stop, however should your emotions start to overpower you, I need you, Eric," Ata paused, turning to look at me, "to take the negative emotions from her and smother her in all the positive emotions you hold for her. Can you do that for me?" She asked.

I nodded in confirmation, wondering just how much pain Sookie would be in. While the thought of my beloved being in any pain worried me, knowing I would be able to take it from her and push her all of my love and adoration eased my mind. Sookie would need me for this, and I would happily help her. The situation reminded me of when she'd taken me in, looked after me during my bought of amnesia. I hadn't exactly been concerned and caring for her upon her return from Faery, but I hadn't been able to put into words how I'd been feeling, so instead I had reverted back to my leering ways. I'd told her I'd bought her house, and the last time we had truly spoken to one another had been the night I had told her of Compton's betrayal. Yet, when she had spotted me running down the side of the road, she had taken me in and cared for me. I'd needed her and she'd helped me, even though I had annoyed her and caused her pain – both mentally and physically.

Ata's voice broke through my train of thought. "I have no idea how long the ritual will last for, or how long it will take for Sookie to start hearing your thoughts, but I had the room light-proofed and there are plenty of bags of relatively weak fae blood in the cool box should you need it in order to stay up past dawn. My boys have my blood in their veins so can fight the sun for much longer. I don't intend for this to go on past sunrise and hopefully the Gods will see my reasoning and agree with me." I nodded in acknowledgement. I didn't want this ritual to go on past sunrise but once it was started there was no way for it to be stopped, so I really had no choice in the matter. The fact Ata had gone to such lengths to ensure I would be able to stay up with Sookie warmed me. Of course I was well aware of the effects of fae blood, after all, I'd been able to play in the sunshine for hours after draining Claudine. Thinking of that day caused me to smile, I'd witnessed my Sookie in the sunshine properly. When I'd been burning in the parking lot of Fangtasia I hadn't paid much attention to her appearance, I was more concerned with getting inside, so to be able to see her outside and observe her properly had been magical. I was unsure if Sookie knew the effects our third bond would have, that I might be able to daywalk forever, but I would keep the information to myself. The last thing I wanted was for my Sookie, known for her kind and caring heart, to bond thrice to me simply because she wanted me to see the sunlight after 1000 years of darkness. Our third bond would be formed out of our love for one another, because the moment was right, not because of the gifts and abilities either of us might receive.

Ata nodded towards Ari who suddenly appeared at her side, holding onto a soft cotton nightie. "I thought you might like to change out of your day clothes into something softer and more comfortable, just in case we are here for a while." Ata offered Sookie, holding the clothing out to her. I could feel Sookie's love for her cousin through our bond and I couldn't help but smile right along with her.

Taking the clothes from Ata, Sookie nipped into the small private library, leaving me along with her cousin. "She'll be okay, yes?" I asked quietly as Ari handed Ata her own little bundle of white clothes.

"She'll be fine. I've never done anything like this before, but I can't imagine it'll be too difficult. She might be in pain which is why I need you to take the pain from her, and she may need some of your blood afterwards to speed up the healing process should anything happen. But yes, I believe she'll be okay." Ata offered me a compassionate smile, removing her shirt to place on the white cotton one Ari had handed to her. I had always found it amusing how immortal creatures didn't particularly care for any form of nudity. We'd all lost our morals years and years ago, but I was sure Godric would have my fangs should I witness his bonded in the buff. He was fiercely protective of her. Was that how I was with Sookie?

Kicking off her shoes, Ata wiggled herself out of her pants, before pulling on a pair of matching white cotton ones. Using a hair tie from around her wrist, she pulled her blonde locks up into a ponytail. Taking a moment to observe her outfit I quirked an eyebrow. "Those aren't yours." I pointed out playfully.

Trying to suppress a smile, my beloved's cousin shook her head. "No they're not, I raided his wardrobe, and they're kinda cozy." She ran her hands over the soft fabric, burying her nose in the material on the sleeve, inhaling deeply. "They smell like him too." She murmured to herself.

"Sookie trusts you with this, I trust you with this." I figured it was time I reassured Ata. We were, after all, relative strangers. We knew little about one anothers lives before our meeting, but we shared both Sookie and Godric in common, so I would give Ata the benefit of the doubt. Not to mention Claude's earlier comment that she wished to see me as her child, as I was Godric's. Although I had lived my vampire life, and half of my human life, without female guidance, it might be nice to have that now. I had no idea how human minds worked, and Sookie was still very much human regardless of her fae heritage, so having Ata on hand to help me out would be useful. Pam and her love for Dear Abby was only useful to a certain extent. If Ata hadn't of mentally told me to take Sookie for dinner when we'd had our little misunderstanding then we probably would have continued to verbally attack one another for longer, and it would have been harder to make it up to one another.

"Thank you. I know that trust has to be earnt and I hope to earn your complete trust in the future." Ata's soft response resonated against my eardrums just before Sookie emerged from the library. Leaving her clothes by the entrance door to the training room, she swiftly made her way to her cousin, wrapping her up in her arms.

"Thank you, cousin." She whispered in her ear. I could feel her gratefulness through the bond.

"It's my pleasure." She whispered back in response, rubbing Sookie's back for a moment before she pulled away from her embrace. "Go and give your vampire a few cuddles and kisses, this might not be easy on the pair of you." She told Sookie quietly. Of course my vampire hearing enabled me to pick up on her words, and I knew Ata was referring to the pain Sookie may have to endure.

My bonded took one step towards me and I couldn't wait to have her in my arms any longer. Vamping towards her, I pulled her into my embrace, crushing her against my chest. I knew she disliked me using my advanced speed around her, her reaction to it when I had informed her I was her new landlord was enough evidence of that, but I wanted her as close to me as possible right now. Russell was still out to get us, Felipe was after Ata and someone had tried to blow up Caesar's Palace, probably hoping we were still inside. We weren't clear of any danger yet, and while the opening of Sookie's mind would help get us out of danger, the ritual itself was putting in her more danger. There would never be a moment in her life when she would be clear of danger, she would always be in the middle of it. She couldn't go back to when she was a child, when she didn't have a care in the world, when vampires had no knowledge of her existence, when she wasn't scared of anything.

"I love you, my Sookie." I told her gently, wanting her to know that whatever was about to happen wouldn't alter my feelings for her. Knowing vampires thoughts was probably a scary thing, our thoughts were organized and well planned but due to our lack of morals usually consisted of murdering, killing, fucking and everything else most humans found distasteful. I could feel her smile against my neck and I had to bite down on my lower lip to stop myself from groaning at the sensation. My little fairy was well aware of how much her lips against my neck did it for me. It was ironic really, that although I was the vampire I found others, or more accurately my Sookie, brushing their lips against my neck and nipping it to be a complete turn on. She tucked herself into my arms and I wrapped her up in them, holding her close, listening to the reassuring thudding of her heart.

"I love you too, my Eric." She whispered in response, pressing a kiss to my clavicle, which almost broke my concentration, before finally pulling back to look up at me. I towered over her tiny frame and yet she wasn't scared of me. She'd never been scared of me. Intimidated at times yes, but never completely scared. Most assumed from my height and build that I was a brute, and in the past that would have been an accurate description, but my Sookie was softening me up inside. While emotions could be a vampire's downfall, as Godric had once told me, they were in fact working in my favor right now. My need to protect Sookie meant I was doing everything in my power to ensure her safety, that I was willing to put 110% into everything in order to keep her by my side. I had the one thing any of my enemies didn't, the unconditional love of a warm-blooded woman. While some of them may have kept pets, I had a lover, an equal, and because of that I was the stronger vampire.

"I'll be here for you when this is all over, I promise. If you're in any pain, let me take the emotions from you and replace them with all the love I hold for you." I ordered her gently. Her smile and amusement informed me that she still thought of me as high-handed. With Sookie my hand-handedness would never change. I hadn't lived for over 1000 years by being careless.

Leaning down, I met her lips in a tender kiss, pushing all of my feelings for her through the bond, allowing my kiss to show her how much I loved her. I could feel her lust rising and it took all of my self-restraint not to call off the ritual, grab her and drag her to the bedroom to have my way with her all night. Her soft lips molded to mine perfectly, her slender frame pressed up against me. Pulling away, I scattered open-mouthed kisses across her jaw line, nibbling on her earlobe, which elicited a giggle from her. The sound was blissful, beautiful, a reminder of just how perfect my bonded was. Chuckling against her skin, I met her lips once more for another kiss, allowing my hands to wander across her back and down to the base of her spine, pulling her closer to me. All too soon she was pulling out of my embrace, crossing the room to her cousin who had positioned herself near the salt pentagram.

"Yes, they're the same. Apparently he owns many of these." Ata laughed gently, rubbing her hands over the soft fabric. For a moment I was stumped as to why Ata was talking to herself. As if sensing my confusion, Riei tapped his temple and I immediately understood. Sookie had wondered too if Ata's clothes were Godric's. I was sweet to see her wearing my Maker's clothing.

"I'm never going to get use to that." Sookie muttered under her breath with a laugh. I had to stop myself from laughing; soon she would be hearing my thoughts too.

"Let's begin." Ata started, silence falling over the room. Offering Sookie her hand, she took it happily, using Ata for support as she stepped over the salt pentagram to the table in the centre. Hauling myself her, she sat neatly, her legs dangling over the edge. I could do nothing but watch. Moving myself to the side of the room, I lent against the wall, refusing to take my eyes off of the two females.

Ari handed Ata the five coloured candles, the lit black candle, the knife, the chalice and the pot of salt, all of which she placed on the table beside me. Picking up the pot of salt, Ata gracefully moved to the eastern side of the pentagram, where she slowly started to pour the salt in a circle, capturing the points of the pentagram within the circle line. "I welcome the air to my circle," she reached the southern area of the circle, "I welcome fire to my circle," she moved on to the west of the circle, "I welcome the water to my circle," and finally she reached the north of the circle, "I welcome the earth to my circle." She finished in a whisper, joining her salt circle together. Having finished, Ata sealed up the salt pot, placing it down beside Sookie. Her words caused me to pause in thought for a moment, hadn't Niall said there were four kinds of fae? I'm sure he'd mentioned sky, water earth and fire. I found it fitting that their fae heritage was being included in the ritual, especially considering it was a fairy that had suppressed Sookie's ability. While I could understand Niall's reasoning behind it, it would have saved an awful lot of grief and heartache should Sookie have been able to read our minds. She would have left Compton, we would have never been involved with Russell, I wouldn't have had to tell her about Compton's betrayal, she would have never gone to Faery for a year and perhaps, just perhaps, she would have agreed to be mine sooner.

Picking up the green candle, Ata held it out to Sookie. Immediately she took it in her hands, watching as Ata placed the flame of the black candle to the wick of the green one, instantly setting it alight. Exchanging candles with Sookie, Ata placed the green candle at the northern point of the pentagram. "Green for the earth we walk upon." She murmured, returning to Sookie a moment later. Handing her the yellow candle, they swapped and repeated the lighting process. Ata placed the yellow candle on the eastern point of the pentagram. "Yellow for the air we breathe in." She returned to Sookie once again and they lit the red candle. "Red for the fire that burns all it crosses." She placed the candle down on the third point. The purple candle was next and Ata placed it on the following point. "Purple for the spirits of those of our royal bloodline." Finally Ata handed Sookie the blue candle, which they lit together once more, placing it on the western point. "Blue for the water that hydrates our bodies." She finished.

Although I had walked the earth for over 1000 years and witnessed my fair share of ritual work, both for good and bad purposes, I had never witnessed something like this. I was aware of four of the five candles. The purple one had me stumped, but I could only assume their heritage was the reason it was needed. It wasn't every day that those of a royal bloodline were directly involved with any setting up of religious ceremonies, they usually observed, or were having the ceremony conducted by others for them.

Returning to Sookie, Ata stopped right in front of her. "How do you enter the circle?" She asked.

Sookie didn't even pause to think, she was so confident in her answer that I could practically feel it radiating off of her. "In perfect love and perfect trust" She replied, her voice even and strong. Ata's affectionate smile was enough confirmation for both myself, and Sookie, that my beloved had chosen the right words. Sookie blew out the black candle moments later.

Ata picked up the Boline she'd spoken of earlier, removing the black candle from Sookie's hands. Slowly she started to carve something into the wax. Although my immortality had given me incredible vision, I was unable to see what exactly she was carving. I would look over the candle later, when all of this was said and done.

"Bes, I welcome you to my circle and thank you for providing your energies to our ritual. I ask for your protection towards both my cousin and I, and I ask for your luck as we enter into the unknown." Ata's tone was steady and slow as she finished up her carving. Over the years I had heard of many deities, from lost of religions all over the world, and yet I was unsure as to whom Bes was exactly. I assumed she, or he, was one of Ata's Egyptian Gods. Perhaps it would be useful for me to pick up a few books on the Egyptian and read up on them, it would make things a bit easier and I would understand everything more. I hated being out of the loop, almost as much as I hated being wrong.

With her carving finished, Ata placed the black candle down on the table, near to where Sookie's head would be. Raising the serrated edge of the blade to her wrist, Ata made a deep incision and Sookie grabbed the chalice, placing it beneath her wrist. Slowly Ata allowed her blood to flow steadily into the chalice and, pressing her fingers to the vein in order to slow the blood flow, she finally pulled her wrist away, giving Sookie a nod. The scent of her fae blood hit my nostrils and I couldn't help but inhale deeply, my eyes rolling back into my head at the strong scent. How on earth Godric could restrain himself around her was beyond me. Ata wasn't suppressing her scent, which I found rather strange, but I was able to restrain myself anyway, knowing that Godric would have my fangs should I harm her. Her blood smelt incredible, intoxicating even, but not as incredible as Sookie's. Nothing would be able to replace my bonded's blood.

I hadn't thought Sookie would have a problem drinking her cousins blood, Odin knows Compton forced a vast quantity of his blood into her before she knew all the effects, but the trepidation seeping through our bond made me rethink my thoughts. I know I had given her my blood, not that long ago in all actuality, but it was different with us, Sookie had chosen me, I had given her the option of my blood, I hadn't forced it onto her. Pushing reassurance and strength through our bond, I wanted Sookie to know that it was okay for her to take her cousins blood, that it didn't bother me. Eventually she raised the chalice to her lips and downed Ata's blood.

The surprise through the bond had me wondering what exactly Sookie could taste, how Ata's blood compared to my own. Surely it wasn't as nice as mine? Wait, was I getting jealous over the fact she was enjoying someone else's blood, the blood of her own kin? _Get a grip of yourself, Northman. _I mentally scolded myself, shaking my head at my stupidity.

Ata gently took the chalice from my beloved once it was empty and I could feel, through the bond, Sookie's light-headedness. It was how I imagined one would feel if they were drunk, not that I had ever felt a drunken Sookie through the bond before, though that would be mighty amusing. Sookie started to sway slightly on the table and I pushed myself off of the wall, taking a few steps towards the salt circle. I was concerned, worried even, this was an unknown for me and I didn't deal with the unknown very well. I had always prided myself on my organizational skills, on having a variety of plans in place for every situation and outcome. I didn't have any plans for this though, and that frightened me. I was never frightened.

Ata's hands shot out and she slowly helped Sookie lower herself onto the table. Although we had only exchanged blood twice I could feel the confusion from Sookie, and it felt like my own. I was dizzy, which was a rare sensation for a vampire given our perfect balance and lack of blood flow. Watching as Sookie closed her eyes, I found myself doing the same, willing away the dizziness that had overcome me. I couldn't bear to think of how Sookie was taking all of this. Moving back to the wall I used it as support, allowing it to hold my weight up as I started to pull the confusion and nauseous feelings from my bonded, pushing through my love and strength instead. I would take every negative feeling from her if I could.

"Submerge yourself in your bond, let go of everything in the world, let it all go." Ata soothed, brushing Sookie's hair back from her face. I doubled my efforts to remove her nauseous feeling, pulling it from her and replacing it with all of my adoration and strength. I could feel her emotions shift, a peace falling over her as she allowed my emotions to take her over.

Although I was focusing on keeping Sookie's negative feelings at bay, I watched as Ata left the circle, taking her spot in front of the yellow candle. Quickly I went back through my memories, remembering that the yellow candle represented the air. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that the air was part of her fae element, the sky.

Ari, Khai, Riei and Oeri had taken their positions at the other four candles. Ari stood before the green one, Khai before the red one, Riei before the purple one and Oeri before the blue one. The vampire males had already taken one anothers hands to create a circle, and the moment Ata took Ari and Khai's outstretched hands the circle was complete. The moment the circle was complete a small white light left each of Ata's hands, travelling through her boys until they returned to her. She'd shared her fae powers with her children.

Exchanging glances, the vampires nodded at their Maker and finally they started to speak in unison.

"Invoco te, O Hapi,

Archangelus Neptuni

Et rector Clariuidens vires.

A burning sensation bombarded me through my bond with Sookie and her whimper alerted me to the pain she was enduring. Instantly I was trying to pull the pain from her, I had no idea how much I was taking or how much was left behind for her to deal with, but I knew I had to try. Sookie's scream of pain sent me over the edge and I crumbled against the wall, landing on the ground with a thud. Gritting my teeth I continued to pull the pain from her, dealing with it myself as I sent her tsunami waves of love. I was concerned for my beloved, worried even; we'd had no idea how much pain she was going to go through. I'd willingly allowed her to go through with this, I hadn't stopped to really think of the consequences, to sit down with Ata and her boys and find out what exactly was involved in this ritual. It was my fault she was experiencing such brutal pain right now. Her emotions shifted from peaceful to panic and her back arched off of the table. I tried to stand, tried to haul myself off of the floor, but I couldn't do it, I was taking the brunt of her pain and it was overwhelming. Deciding to crawl across the room, I managed to move myself halfway to the circle. I had never crawled in my life, apart from when I had been born of course, and crawling was often associated with those who were weak. In that moment though I didn't give a shit, I pushed my pride aside, I would happily be called weak for the rest of eternity if I could take away my Sookie's pain.

"Quaeso te ut aperiet tertia oculus

Et ostenderet occulta lux."

Videat futurum.

Videat praeteritum."

Sookie cried out in pain again as the collective voice of Ata and her boys carried on, and I tripled my efforts, taking from her and returning as much love, reassurance and adoration as I could. I wanted her to know that I was here for her, that I loved her. Her back was arched up so high on the table that I was surprised she hasn't slipped a few disks in her spine. Another scream, more panic flooding her system. I couldn't help but let the red tears that had been rimming my eyes flow freely, she was in so much pain, and there was so little I could do for her. Suddenly she was gasping for breath, struggling to breathe. I could hear her heartbeat slow to an abnormal pace and the sound of her blood moving sluggishly through her veins sent me into a state of utter panic. She was dying; there was no other explanation for it. I couldn't lose her, not now, not that she had finally agreed to be my bonded, my equal, not after everything we'd gone through together over the years.

Using all of the strength I could muster, I hauled myself up onto my feet, staggering forward towards the circle in a panic.

"IT'S KILLING HER!" I yelled, taking a few more strides towards the circle.

"DON'T CROSS THE CIRCLE! SHE'S FINE, ERIC!" Ata yelled back to me in response. That was all right for Ata to say, she wasn't currently feeling everything Sookie was, she had no idea of the amount of pain Sookie was going through. I was angry, angry that I had allowed Sookie to go through with this; angry that I had no clue what was going on, angry that Ata had allowed her cousin to suffer. Looking down, I noticed that I had almost crossed the salt circle. Sookie's panic deepened and I realized then that she had heard my little outburst, and Ata's response. Quickly taking a few steps back, I put some distance between the circle and myself, not wanting to risk crossing it and putting Sookie into any more possible danger.

"Percipere divina

Regna ignota.

Intelligere sapientia fortium universi.

Ita mote sit!"

Their voices went up a few octaves as they recited the final sentence of the Latin chant and the burning sensation finally overtook me completely. I yelled out at the sensation, more bloody tears slipped down my cheeks. There was only two other times that I had cried in the past, when Godric had been so adamant on meeting the sun and when I'd had the 'bad dream' regarding Godric during my stay at Sookie's in my bought of amnesia. I was still unsure as to why I'd had those visions of Godric during his travels, perhaps it was because our bond was so stretched that my mind was trying to call him back? Or perhaps I was subconsciously worried that he was going to try and meet the sun again, so I'd tried to mentally reassure myself? I would have to sit down and have a conversation with him about it, and numerous other topics.

Sookie howled out once more, and I pushed more love through the bond, including some pride with it too. I wanted Sookie to know that I was proud of her for going through this, proud of her for making her own decisions and taking her life back into her own hands. For so long others had dictated to her how to live her life, told her what to do and how to go about it. The fierce and sassy blonde I'd once met had disappeared, replaced by a woman tormented by her past, running from everything and everyone, allowing others to make choices for her. She was taking it back now, being her own boss, making her own choices, and I loved her even more for it.

"Succumb to it, Sookie." Ata's tender voice sounded out. I could feel Sookie sink further and further into our bond. She was still experiencing pain and I was still pulling it from her, replacing those emotions with love and adoration.

It was times like this I wished **I **was the telepath. I wanted to know so badly what was going on inside my bonded's head, I wanted to know what was causing her such pain, what she was witnessing from behind her closed eyelids. Sookie's emotions suddenly changed, her pain was gone and in its place sat curiosity and a strange sensation I couldn't name. My bond with Sookie snapped shut and instinctively I snarled. I couldn't feel her very much any more! If it weren't for the fact she was flat on her back on the table before me, and that I could hear her breathing and heartbeat, I would have believed her to be dead, or back in Faery. Prowling towards the circle, I wanted to be as close to Sookie as possible, wanting reassurance she was okay. I wasn't in immense pain like I would be should the bond be completely broken, but it was still painful for it to be shut.

Ata's hands were still holding her boys, her eyes screwed shut in concentration. I didn't know what was going on with her either but the looks of concern her boys were sharing had me worried for the older fae woman.

Prowling around the circle, I kept guard, my eyes never leaving my beloved as I took in her from every angle, making sure there were no marks on her body. She'd relaxed now, laying flat on the table, her hands open by her sides and a neutral expression on her features.

I don't know how long I was wandering around for, but the sound of the training room door opening captured my attention. In an instant I'd vamped over, fangs down, snarling at the intruder. Ata's boys couldn't break the circle, but they'd snapped their own fangs down too and were snarling in the direction of the door.

"It's only Pam and I, my Childe." Godric's gentle voice broke through my possessive haze. The sound of his voice snapped me back to reality and I stood aside, allowing them into the room. Stalking back over to the circle, I continued to stride around it.

"Eric, how long have you doing that?" Pam interrupted the silence, quirking an eyebrow as she took in the sight before her.

Taking a moment, I paused in my stride to refer to my internal body clock. "Four hours." I stated in surprise, not realizing how long we had been working away for, how long my beloved had been out of it, how long our bond had been shut down for.

"Did you enjoy your shopping?" I asked, wanting a distraction for a moment.

"Yes, Godric bought Ata a beautiful dress and Isabel bought her a pair of matching shoes." Pam responded, directing a small smile at my Maker. They seemed to share a look that suggested there was more to the tale, but they weren't willing to share with me just yet, not that I could blame them, I wasn't exactly 100% sane right now.

For a few more minutes I prowled the circle, Godric and Pam watching me curiously. Suddenly Ata screamed, the piercing noise breaking through the silence. Her boys were howling out at her pain, but they were unable to aid her. Godric was first to her side, and all of us watched in horror as the fabric over her left side started to turn crimson, the smell of her blood seeping into the air. Pam's fangs were down, her eyes hazing over with blood lust. "Pamela! As your Maker I command you not to bite her!" I ordered quickly, rushing to join Godric at Ata's side. Pam sunk backwards until she her back was flat against the wall, putting herself as far back from Ata as possible.

"We can't break the circle." Ari wheezed, watching with burning concern and sadness as his Maker's side continued to bleed. Without thinking twice Godric ripped the shirt from Ata's torso, casting it aside. We took a split second to observe the wound, a deep gash all the way down her side, bleeding profusely.

Dropping to his knees, Godric's tongue flicked out, licking up the blood running down her side. I'd been holding myself back, knowing it would be a bad idea for me to help, but Ata's whimper was all it took for me to be right by Godric's side, helping to clean her up. It wasn't fair for her to be left in pain, and though my Maker was capable of taking care of her himself I felt responsible. Although working quickly at licking up the blood running down Ata's side, Godric's eyes turned to me and he gave a small nod, giving me permission to help. Immediately I set to work sealing up the wound, allowing my saliva to help stitch the wound back together again. There was no way to stop Ata's blood from entering my system and the moment it hit my tongue I groaned, she was utterly delicious! How on earth Godric could hold himself back around her was beyond me! It took all of my self-restraint to stop myself from slipping into blood lust. Working quickly, Godric was soon helping me to knit her wound together. Although lost in whatever was transpiring within the ritual, Ata whimpered at the pain.

"I'll need to give her my blood when this is over." He commented once we'd finished healing the exterior wound. "She lost a bit of blood, I don't want it to have a negative impact on her." He added quietly, his cold hands moving to the area where she'd just been injured, checking over her freshly healed skin.

"What caused that?" I demanded, looking to each of Ata's boys in turn.

All of them shrugged, looking to Ata with concern. Her eyes were still screwed shut in concentration and it was difficult to read anything from her. "We don't know, but we can find out when she snaps out of this." Khai murmured quietly. Still holding her hand, he rubbed his thumb over the back of it in a reassuring gesture. It wasn't missed by any of us. The love they held for the female fae was rather adorable, if I could say so myself.

Another hour of silence followed. Godric stood behind Ata, his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. I could feel him pushing his love for her through their bond and I found myself doing the same for Sookie. Pam had approached us, now that there was no free flowing fae blood in the room, and the look of concern on her features amused me. Never had Pam cared for anyone other than myself and Godric, so to see her worried over Sookie and Ata was an interesting, if not rare, sight.

"Sunrise is in thirty minutes, Pam. Please, go rest." I ordered her gently, not wanting to risk her staying up past sunrise. Although my progeny was stronger than most, she was still unable to fight the pull of the sun.

"I don't want to leave, not until I know they're both okay." She whispered, taking another cautious step towards the circle, her eyes flickering from my beloved to my Maker's. The care in her voice made me smile and slowly I approached her, pulling her into my chest for a hug.

"They'll be fine, I promise you. Please go to rest Pam, I can't risk you being exposed to any sunlight." I murmured gently as her arms encircled my waist. I dropped a kiss to the top of her head, letting her know through our Maker-Childe bond that I loved her and, while I wanted her here with me, she needed to seek shelter.

"If anything happens to them while I'm not here, I'll kick your ass." She muttered against my chest, pulling back to look up at me with a small smile. Pulling from my embrace, she gave a nod of goodnight to Godric, giving our two fae women one last lingering look before disappearing down the stairs to seek shelter.

"Blood?" I grabbed a few bags from the side, carrying them back over to my Maker. "I have a feeling we might be up past sunrise." I sighed, offering a bag out to him.

Untangling himself from Ata, Godric took a bag, scrunching his nose up at it. "The thought of taking sustenance from anyone else, even an anonymous donor, doesn't sit right with." He told me flatly, looking up from the bag to me, and then back to the bag again.

"I don't like the idea either. Ata mentioned it being weak fae blood, so that we'd be able to stay up past dawn and, should any sunlight make its way into the room, be able to survive it." I explained, dropping fang and sinking them into the bag. My Maker followed suit, and together we drained down several bags. It had been a while since we'd fed together, and it was something I realized only now that I'd missed. I suppose you could relate it to human families dining together every night, when they go a long time without it then it feels strange to them when they come back together.

With the bags emptied, I checked my internal body clock. It was an hour past sunrise. The blood had stopped me from feeling the pull of the sun, and the blackout curtains and other light proofing methods were holding back the suns harmful rays. It was then my bond to Sookie tore open and I gasped at the sensation, doubling over. Godric's hand landed on my shoulder and he hauled me upright, pushing strength through our bond.

I'd believed I was going to have some peace from Sookie now, I'd assumed the ritual was over. I was wrong. Her screams broke through the silence and her pain flooded our bond. This pain was nothing like it had been though, and instantly I was on my knees, crumbled on the floor. Godric moved down with me, tearing into his wrist and offering his blood to me in order to provide me with the strength I would need to help Sookie. Instantly I lent forward, pulling his wrist to my mouth before I started to take in his life force, letting him smooth my hair back from my face as I fed. The fae blood may have allowed me to survive in the sunshine, but it was so weak, weaker even than Sookie's blood, that it wouldn't provide me with much strength.

For half an hour the pain continued, I'd finished taking from Godric after five minutes, not wanting to take too much as he would need it himself, and Ata would need some. I was greedy in some cases, but the blood was sacred. Finally Sookie's pain stopped, her cries were silenced and Ata's eyes snapped open. She gasped for breath, her hands falling from her boys as she crumbled to her knees. Instantly my Maker was at her side, his arms around her, offering her strength and support. "Thank you, Bes, for joining me in this ritual. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again." I heard her whisper.

Shakily she rose to her feet, a death grip on Godric who was supporting her small weight. Looking in my direction she nodded. I needed no other encouragement. Rising to my own feet I vamped to Sookie's side, running my hands over her face, her throat, her arms, her legs, every area of her skin I could get my hands on, checking her over for injuries.

"She's fine, she'll need water." Ata rasped, picking up the small glass of water that had been on the table with the candles. Opening Sookie's mouth, Ata started to pour the water in, her hands shaky. Sensing she would need some help, I started to massage Sookie's throat, encouraging her to swallow. Once all the liquid was gone, I placed my arms under my beloved to lift her from the bed, but I was joined by Ata's boys' moments later.

"Let us help, please, you've been taking the brunt of her pain." Oeri murmured and I could do nothing but nod. Although I was feeling mighty possessive of my beloved, I knew I wouldn't be able to carry her all the way to the bedroom alone. Accepting help wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

"She needs to rest, to bed with her." Ata whispered. She dropped her head forward, pressing a kiss to Sookie's forehead before pulling back. Slowly we all made our way over to the door, not wanting to jolt Sookie, plus Ata was rather unsteady on her feet at the moment. Scooping her up, my Maker carried her down the stairs. Open entering the living area I was surprised to find the windows in there had also been blacked out, and Egor and Agmund were still awake. Oscar had clearly gone to rest, as his young age wouldn't allow him to stay up past sunrise.

"How is she?" Agmund asked, taking a few cautious steps towards us.

"She'll be fine when she wakes, her throat might be a bit scratchy from shouting out all evening, but other than that she should be okay." Ata responded, glancing over her shoulder to her cousin.

"Are you okay?" Egor asked, taking in Ata's lack of shirt and the faint scar across her side. We'd been able to knit the wound back together again but the scar would remain until Godric had his blood in her system.

"Just a scratch, I'm fine." She reassured him, lifting a hand to pat him tenderly on the cheek. "Go to rest, I'll see you this evening." She ordered. Both blonde vampires bowed to Ata before disappearing off to their room.

Carrying on through the penthouse, everyone entered the room I was sharing with Sookie. The light tight shutters had already covered the windows and carefully we placed Sookie down on the bed. Removing their arms, Ata's boys bid us all goodnight before disappearing off to die for the day.

Ata seemed to linger, checking over her cousin one last time before she slinked out of the room with Godric, closing the door behind her. Stripping myself down to my boxers, I removed Sookie's clothing too before going to the bathroom where I washed the dried blood from my face before returning with a clean cloth to wash my beloved. I cleaned her from head to toe before settling in the bed beside her, pulling her into my side. Unable to resist, I let my lips meet hers in a feather-light kiss. "God natt min älskade" I whispered, pushing her hair back from her face.

I watched her sleep for a few minutes before I heard the sound of knuckles brushing against our door, a heartbeat on the other side. Rising from my spot on the bed, I crossed the room, opening the door to see a very pale looking Ata. She'd changed into a black nightie, which only further added to her pale complexion. "I didn't know it would cause her so much pain, I'm so sorry. I just want you to know that if I had known how long it would have taken, or how much it would have hurt the pair of you, I'd have never allowed it to happen. I hope you can trust me again after this." Her head dropped a little and I knew she was beating herself up about it.

So, in a move completely out of character for myself, I pulled Ata into my arms, holding her against my chest. She was ridged for a moment, the shock practically pouring off of her, until eventually she relaxed, her own arms wrapping around my waist. "I still trust you, why wouldn't I?" I asked rhetorically, smoothing her hair down with one of my large hands in a gesture I usually reserved for Pam and Sookie. "We asked you to do this for us, and you did, so thank you. Besides, you were hurt in the process too. I appreciate it. Sookie appreciates it. You have welcomed us into your home, taught Sookie everything you know so that she can protect herself, expanded my little family, helped us uncover hidden truths and gave Godric a purpose again. I owe you, so don't think for one moment that I don't trust you." I reassured her, continuing to stroke her hair soothingly. I could smell her tears, and feel them against my bare chest, so I dropped a chaste kiss to the top of her head. I had something to fight for now, a family that needed me, friends who needed me, and I would do everything in my power to keep them safe. Sookie was my light in the dark, and when she had given me her heart she had also given me everything I had been missing in my undead life - a family, friends, a feeling of belonging, of home.

I regretted my earlier emotions, feeling angry with Ata for allowing the ritual to happen. She'd been as clueless about it as I had; it wasn't fair for me to blame her when Sookie and I had asked her to help us.

Raising my eyes from the top of her head, they landed on my Maker who was stood against the doorframe leading out into the living area. He'd heard our entire exchange and the smile on his lips and the pride pulsing through our bond told me he was exceptionally happy. Glancing from my father to the woman in my embrace, I realized that perhaps accepting Ata as my mother wouldn't be a difficult thing after all. She had a fierce heart, a strong spirit, and so much unconditional love for someone who was so old, so coveted, that I couldn't help but admire her strength. We stood in silence for a little while longer until she eventually pulled back, having contained her emotions.

"Sorry I cried all over you, I'm just overcome with emotions." She gave a weak laugh, causing me to offer her a small smile.

"It doesn't matter at all, just know that everything is fine with us, nothing changed." I pressed one last chaste kiss to the top of her head before she turned on the spot, moving back to Godric who had offered his hand out to her. With a small wave in my direction, which I uncharacteristically returned, Ata bid me goodnight before she disappeared off with my Maker.

Shutting the door, I clambered back into bed, scooping my Sookie up in my arms, holding her close. I had no time to think about the events of the evening, or the moment I'd just shared with my beloved's cousin, as the fae blood in my system wore off and finally I succumbed to my day slumber.


	43. Lullaby

**A/N sorry for the delay in this update, I was editing the first 20 chapters of this story on here, and working on my wordpress account. There are photos on there now all the way up to chapter 20! Oh and there's also a Brigant family tree up there too on the Misc page! If you're interested in that go and take a peak ^_^**

**www dot midnightopheliac dot wordpress dot com **

**Also, size references for clothes and shoes in this are US based, as I know most of my readers are from the US. For those who aren't, clothing wise size 6 is a UK size 10 and size 14 is a UK size 18. Shoe wise, size 7 is a UK size 5.**

**I want to take a moment to thank all my reviewers, all my readers, all those who have alerted this story and marked it as their favourite etc. It honestly means the world to me that you all enjoy it so much and I find myself unable to stop writing because of your kind words and encouraging comments. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very, very much.**

**The song for this chapter is beautiful, I suggest you youtube it! :) **

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_It's the way that you blush when you're nervous.  
__It's your ability to make me earn this.  
__I know that you're tired, just let me sing you to sleep.  
__It's about how you laugh out of pity,  
__'Cause lets be honest I'm not really that funny.  
__I know that you're shot, just let me sing you to sleep.  
__If you need anything, just the say the word, I mean anything.  
__Rest assured, if you start to doze, then I'll tuck you in,  
__And plant my lips where your necklaces close.  
__It's those pills that you don't need to take,  
__Medicating perfection, now that's a mistake.  
__I know that you're spent, just let me sing you to sleep.  
__It's your finger and how I'm wrapped around it.  
__It's your grace and how it keeps me grounded.  
__I know that you're weak, just let me sing you to sleep.  
__If you need anything, just the say the word, I mean anything.  
__Rest assured, if you start to doze, then I'll tuck you in,  
__And plant my lips where your necklaces close.  
__While you were sleeping I figured out everything,  
__I was constructed for you, and you were molded for me.  
__Now I feel your name, coursing through my veins,  
__You shine so bright it's insane; you put the sun to shame.  
__~ Lullaby, Spill Canvas_

Stepping into the elevator with Pam and Isabel, I couldn't help but be nervous and worried, for both my Ata and Sookie. Neither of them had done anything like this before, plus the outcome was relatively unknown.

"They'll be fine." I heard Pam at my left hand side, tentatively placing a hand on my shoulder. It was strange to receive such a gesture from my cold-hearted grandchild. Obviously she could feel my worry through the bond I shared with Eric, which meant my poor Childe was probably overwhelmed with it.

"I'm sorry, Pamela. I can't help but worry for them." I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. Pam took her hand back, letting it fall to her side.

"What's going on with them, Godric?" Isabel asked quietly, knowing I would be able to hear her exceptionally well in the small space. She was clearly aware that the conversation was a very private one, so her low voice was used to ensure we weren't overheard.

"Ata is opening up Sookie's ability to hear our minds. Ata has been able to do so since she was a child, but Sookie's ability has been blocked." I explained, not knowing much more than that. I disliked being out of the loop, but I would be asking a lot of questions upon returning to the penthouse later on.

"She can hear us?" Isabel asked me in shock, looking between Pam and I. I could see Pam roll her eyes and nod; clearly she still wasn't over the information herself.

"Yes, but she tries not to. I found out by accident actually." I couldn't help but smile at the memory. It had been my beloveds first time, I had claimed her as mine and I was the only man to have ever felt what it was like to be inside of her. I couldn't help but feel rather smug at that thought,

As if sensing my train of thought, Isabel's laughter rang out in the small space as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor. "I don't want to know how you found out!" She shook her head, exiting alongside Pam. I followed behind.

We were greeted out front by a human, his heartbeat was skittering and his palms looked to be a little sweaty. It was rather amusing and I found myself wishing I could hear what was going on in his little head. "Miss Caesar's limo is out front for your personal use this evening, the chauffer will take you anywhere you wish to go." He told his, his eyes flitting over the three of us. Finally his gaze settled on Isabel, obviously deciding she was the least deadly of the three of us. He was right in some sense, I had spent over 1500 years killing for fun, Pam was fierce and aggressive and Eric often allowed her to torture poor souls, Isabel on the other hand had killed very few in her time, and was rather compassionate to humans. She'd once told me that she found them curious, like science projects.

"Thank you very much, young one." I dismissed him politely, his gaze shifting from Isabel to myself. He gave a small nod before glancing to Pam. Bad move. She offered the boy a fangy smile and instantly he gulped, sprinting away.

"Pamela, that wasn't very nice." I chuckled, shaking my head as she clicked her fangs back into place, Isabel was laughing along with me.

"I'm not very nice." She pointed out, sashaying towards the front entrance. Isabel and I followed behind her. I took a moment, before we stepped outside, to observe the lobby. The last time I had witnessed it had been the night of the bombing, when it had been blown to smithereens. The walls and ceilings were all repaired, the holes in the marble flooring had been fixed, the glass in the windows and doors had been replaced and the number of customers had returned to its previous level. The water feature in the middle of the room was still incomplete, the statues that had been positioned in the center were still missing, but I assumed they would come with time. The number of people dressed up to the nines informed me that at least some of the casino was repaired and functional, at least my beloved was starting to rake in some of the money she had lost due to the bombing. I would have financed anything for her anyway, what was mine was now hers; I wanted to share everything with her. I had thought it would take months for the work to be done, for the building to be back to its former glory, but it seemed the workers in Vegas worked quickly, either that or Ata and her boys had thrown money at them to make the damage go away. Stepping outside, I was able to see that the marble cover over the drop-off zone was slowly being rebuilt, the scaffolding in place to start the work.

Isabel, Pam and I all piled into the limo, but none of us had any idea as to where we would go shopping. I usually bought the same clothes for myself all the time; loose fitting cotton pants and t-shirts, occasionally a few button shirts and of course comfy sandals. Isabel had always shopped for herself and Pam was a serial shopper. I had no idea what to buy my beloved; I had simply taken on this task to relieve her of some of her stress. She would no doubt look beautiful in anything I could buy for her, but I wanted this to be special, I wanted the dress to be a statement to the rest of the vampire community that Ata was mine, that she deserved only the finest of things and that I was taking good care of her. For a moment we all sat in silence until the chauffer addressed us through the small glass window partition. "Where can I take the three of you this evening?" he asked, glancing in his rear-view mirror to look at us.

Unsure as to where to go, I exchanged glances with both Isabel and Pam. Pam, ever organized and perfect at taking control, was the one to answer. "We need to buy a beautiful dress, where do you recommend?" she asked the man in an uncharacteristically sweet manner.

"Miss Caesar likes to shop at Nordstrom and Dillard's, perhaps one of those could be good for you?" he suggested. I was well aware of the names of both of those stores, I shopped in them myself on occasion, and I knew the items they sold were not cheap. Good.

"Are they both in the same mall?" Isabel enquired, leaning forward in her seat to speak with our chauffer.

"Yes, both are located within Fashion Show mall. There's even a Macy's and Saks there." He offered helpfully. His well meant words caused Pam to grin and for myself to groan. The more shops there were in the area, the more I would be dragged around them for hours on end, and all I really wanted to do was get this over with as quickly as possible so I could return to my beloved.

"We'll go there." Pam answered quickly, smirking towards Isabel and I as she lent back in her seat.

"I haven't the first clue as to what Ata will want," I confessed as the limo pulled away from the curb, "but it needs to be backless." I told my two female companions, glancing between them.

"Why backless?" Isabel frowned, turning her head to look out of the window at the Las Vegas skyline, lit up with thousands, probably even millions, of ostentatious and obnoxious light bulbs.

"Ata has insisted upon carrying my marks at the party, she's chosen the markings across my back. Someone called Toni is arriving tomorrow to place them temporarily upon her back." I explained, not really 100% sure as to the process, or how long it would take. It was pointless for vampires to have tattoos done after they were turned, their bodies would heal instantly and the tattoo would vanish. Only those that existing before being turned would remain. I had never taken an interest in the whole tattoo world anyway, I already had some of my own and I wasn't interesting in having any others, not that there was much room left for any upon my body anyway.

The only reason I could have for liking them was that a few were a reminder of my human years. Those in my tribe had given the marks upon my arms to me; an identity of sorts, and Ata had been drawn to them, and thus me, the moment we had met. The mark around my chest/neck had grown on me over the years. It was difficult to hide and I found myself showing if off more around Ata, it seemed to be her favourite though I couldn't fathom why. The marks upon my back had remained hidden for most of my undead life, while the sea serpent was beautiful in its own way, the brand that sat beside it was a cruel reminder of my past, the torment and abuse I was forced to endure during my human years. I hated it, and the thought that Ata would carry it tomorrow evening didn't sit well with me, but I knew better than to argue with her, she was as stubborn as a mule.

I couldn't blame Ata for the brand, it wasn't her fault, and even though her father took me from my home in the first place I couldn't find it in me to blame him either. He'd probably been told by a higher man to take over my tribe, to take some of us to Egypt. I was glad, in a way, that he had taken me to Egypt and that I had been taken for a slave. Although parted from my mother, I had been given a new life with Ata, and then I had been given my undead life. It felt strange now for both lives to cross over and join together, but I found myself smiling at the mere notion. If someone had of told me over 500 years ago that I would see my Ata again, in this life, that she was real and alive, I would have drained them dry and tossed them aside like a ragdoll.

"Because Felipe is after her?" Isabel pieced the information together quickly. Her fast mind and sharp reflexes were some of the reasons I had chosen her as a nest mate when I had first moved to Dallas. She'd been an excellent second in command over the years and had kept Stan on a leash. Perhaps, once all of this was over and I had taken my beloved to all of the places in the world that she wished to holiday in, we would return to Dallas. I'd like to spend some more time with Isabel, see how the repair of the nest had gone, wander the streets once again, show Ata where I had spent the past couple of hundred years.

"You should give her your blood before she leaves, fuck her too, that way she'll utterly reek of you." Pam suggested, causing Isabel to laugh and for me to roll my eyes. Pam was always blunt, it was one of the qualities Eric had told me had enticed him to turn her.

"I prefer to call it 'making love' if you will." I responded, suppressing my smile. I knew that Pam had never 'made love' in her life; she was a feed and fuck kind of girl.

As predicted, Pam blanched at my words and, surprisingly, so did Isabel. Although she had loved Hugo it was apparent that the time they had spent together in bed had not been overly important to her, nor meant as much. She still held such a high amount of adoration and love for her Maker, the French man who was her lover in her human years, and I could only guess that no one would ever take that place in her heart. I could sympathize; Ata was the only one for me.

"You must be loosing your marbles in your old age." Pam muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she glanced out of the window.

We fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching the row of hotels and casino's whizzing past the windows, the other cars pootling along on their journeys. "Oh I almost forgot!" Isabel's outburst broke through the silence as she started to fish through her pant pockets. After a moment of rummaging she produced the black box I had asked her to bring with her. I felt like a child at Christmas as I clapped eyes on the box. Immediately I held my hand out, begging for it. Dutifully, Isabel placed it on the palm of my hand.

Pam had turned around at Isabel's little outburst, an eyebrow raised in question. "What's in the box?" she all but demanded, tipping her head to the side in curiosity.

I allowed myself an indulgent smile as I opened the lid, making sure to hide the contents from their roving eyes. "A little piece of history, Pamela. A little piece of history." I answered in a murmur, still unable to take my eyes off of the item in the box. Before either women could question me further I snapped the lid shut, tucking my piece of treasure into the pocket of my pants for later as the limo slowed to a stop outside the mall. Instantly the chauffer was by the door, opening it for us and even offering his hand out for Pam and Isabel. Isabel, being ever polite, took it graciously and climbed out of the vehicle, Pam on the other hand ignored him. I offered him both a thankful and an apologetic look as I exited.

"I'll be waiting in the valet area for you, enjoy your shopping." He bowed lowly before returning to the drivers' side, pulling away from the curb to go and park. Catching up to both Pam and Isabel, who had wandered ahead of me, I took a moment to admire the building. The architecture was very strange to say the least. The building was situated on either side of the strip, so one had to take an escalator up and then cross over a covered bridge in order to reach the other half of the shops. A huge disk like monstrosity sat atop the west side of the building, the side we had pulled up to, and for the building housing Macy's, Saks, Nordstrom and Dillard's I was rather surprised by the strange décor that lacked any real expense or showed any luxury. But then, I surmised, that was Vegas all over. The city was known to be horrendously tacky, from the cringy little wedding chapels lining the streets to the gaudy bright lights on every building. As a creature of the night I was unable to witness the city in the day, so I was subjected to the tackiness of it all. Of course I excluded my beloveds home and business from the list of tacky venues, Caesar's Palace looked incredible when it was lit up at night, it was tasteful.

"I say we get your little fairies dress and shoes and whatever else she might need first, yes?" Isabel suggested, already heading off in the direction of Dillard's, Pam hot on her heels. I could do nothing but agree, I was out numbered after all and my advanced age and strength would not sway the women at all as far as shopping was concerned. The interior of the mall was similar to the exterior. Everything was bare and minimal, shiny floors and two levels of stores accessed by elevators. What was wrong with stairs? Humans were far too lazy these days. From the rafters of the building hung hundreds of different strobe lights; I instantly recognized them as the sort used during runway performances, or on the stage, which was probably why they were relevant to the building, given its name. None of them were turned on though, and in all honesty the black monstrosities just looked horrendous. Why on earth would my beloved shop here?

With determination, Pam and Isabel led me into Dillard's and moved through the crowds of people as if they owned the place. This was there element, and surrounded by racks and rails of female clothing, not to mention hundreds of women, I felt, for once in my life, way out of my comfort zone. "Granddaddy, over here!" Pam hollered over a few rails, causing me to groan in annoyance and embarrassment as a few women turned in my direction to give me a quizzical glance. A couple of hundreds years back I would have snapped down my fangs and growled at them for the looks they were giving me, but I took it all on the chin and strode right on past them, towards the two vampire women who were sniggering.

In a flourish of her arms, Isabel presented to me the dress section and I immediately felt overwhelmed, there had to be hundreds of dresses here and I didn't have the time to go through them all. I wanted to get Ata's outfit and go. As if sensing our need, a young boy who looked to be about 23 came over to us. "Good evening, may I help you?" he enquired, seemingly not giving a care that he was addressing three vampires, either that or he was blissfully unaware.

"My companion's human needs a dress." Pam responded with a flick of her hand in my direction, leveling the young man with a stare.

I was annoyed by Pam's words so decided to correct her, I didn't want the boy to think I was buying a dress for a pet or a whore, my Ata was neither of those things. "My **girlfriend**," I tested the word out for the first time, shooting daggers at Pam before returning my attention to the boy, "is attending a very important formal party tomorrow night and therefore needs a dress for it. It must be backless though." I informed the young lad who had done nothing but smile since he had met us, even through Pam's little disrespectful comment.

"Could you give me a brief description of your Mrs. please? Some colours could wash her out and that would be a disaster." The boy chuckled, his smile never faltering. I had to hand it to him, he was completely polite and there was no hint of fear from him. I could see Isabel, from the corner of my eye, checking him out. He was barely legal and, judging by his outfit, perfectly groomed hair and knowledge of fashion he was also more interested in his own gender, so the thought of her trying to seduce him made me chuckle inside.

"Around 5'4, slender build, blonde hair and blue eyes." I offered. "Oh and she's a size 6." I added as an afterthought, remembering that her size would be important too. Although not too fussed with size myself, and knowing full well it didn't affect us as much as it did humans as we stayed the size we were upon our turning, I had always found the sight of the gaunt and boney models in the magazines and on the television screens to be disgusting. They were a bad influence for the teacup humans of today, the all aspired to be stick thin thinking it was beautiful when, in my opinion, it wasn't. There was nothing wrong with a woman having curves, heck in my human days curves had been all the rage! There was nothing quite like a curvaceous woman, be them a size 6 or a 14.

The thought of curves sent me back in time for a moment, back to when I had been giving my Ata swimming lessons in the Nile. We had been teenagers at the time, and our bodies were starting to fill out. Although slender she had all these beautiful, soft curves that I found myself touching at every opportunity, wanting to have my hands on her smooth skin as much as possible. In today's age our naked frolicking during our teenage years would be frowned upon, but back in our time there was no such morals about nudity. Marriage almost always occurred after sexual adulthood and the average age that the girls entered puberty was 12 to 13, and around 14 for the boys. So of course taking a tumble in the sheets at a young age, and seeing one another nude, was almost always a given. It was strange how times had changed.

Given the nature of the store, the young boy didn't even bother to ask how much I wanted to spend. Instead he gave a nod, making a mental note of my description before leading us over to a plush seating area. "If you would like to take a seat, my colleague here will get you anything you need," he gestured towards a woman currently tended to a few other seated customers, "and I'll go and scour the rails for some appropriate dresses for you." He gave a small bow before disappearing off into the sea of clothing.

"I should shop in places like this more often." I heard Isabel mutter under her breath as the boy's colleague came over to us.

"Can I get you anything?" she offered with a smile that could rival the boys. Clearly they were both after employee of the month.

"Are you on the menu?" Pam asked, leaning forward in her seat and fluttering her eyelashes at the poor woman.

Obviously having figured it out, she visibly paled before nervously laughing it off. "I'm afraid not Ma'am, we carry Tru Blood if you'd be interested in one of those though?" she responded with her ever polite smile. It was starting to unnerve me. The thought of drinking Tru Blood repulsed me, especially considering my beloved was the only one I would drink from, but the stuff was synthetic so I guess that made it acceptable.

"We'll have one each, thank you." I politely dismissed her as the young boy came scuttling back to us, pushing along a dress rail as he went. He navigated it through all the other rails and the shoppers expertly, clearly cut out for the job.

The boy started at the front of the rail and worked his way through, every dress he was showing us was beautiful in its own right but none of them seemed to be what I was looking for. I had this gut feeling that I would know the right dress for my beloved the moment I clapped eyes on it, and none of these were doing anything for me. The woman had returned with Tru Blood for Isabel, Pam and I and we sat drinking them as the boy showed us all of his finds. I could see, as we rebuffed each and every dress for Ata, that his hope of finding the perfect dress for us was slowly decreasing. I felt bad for the poor boy, he'd been so excited to help us and we weren't making his job any easier. I wanted the perfect dress for Ata though, only the very best. With it being Vegas, most of the dresses were glitzy to the point where they looked cheap, and it infuriated me that I was unable to find one single perfect dress. While we'd been shown some of the dresses, Pam and Isabel had expressed an interest in a few so they were currently sat on another rail, waiting to be purchased.

With the rail completed, and with nothing having taken our fancy, the boy handed the rail to another of his colleagues, "I'll go and have another search for you, I'm sure we have something here you'll love." He all but begged us to stay, disappearing off back into the racks of clothing.

Sighing I scratched my head, it had been over an hour now and we hadn't found anything. "We'll find her something." Pam stated, offering me a small reassuring smile. I didn't want to let Ata down, I wanted to find something beautiful and unique for her, to match her, but it was proving very difficult.

We waited in silence until the young boy returned, this time his rail contained very few dresses however they weren't as showy as the ones before, they were far more elegant. I felt my hope rising.

First he produced a golden dress, featuring a ruched bust with low V-neckline with sparkling jewel trim at the empire waist. It had jewel accented wide set shoulder straps, a halter top and the open back I was after. The slim A-line floor length skirt had a sweep train. I knew instantly that I wasn't **the **dress, but I still wanted it for Ata anyway. Her blonde hair and beautiful eyes would go so well with the golden coloring. "I like it, could you set it to one side please?" I asked the boy, whose face positively lit up at my comment. With a pleased nod he put it to one, producing the next dress.

I disliked his next choice, and the several others that followed, but eventually he reached one that captured my attention. It still wasn't **the **dress but the moment I saw it I knew my Ata should have it. "It reminds me of her." Pam murmured lowly as Isabel nodded in agreement. It too reminded me of Ata and of Egypt, of the human life I shared with my beloved, and I knew instantly I had to have it. It was ankle length, made of white fabric and decorated with golden detail. The front of the dress boasted a plunging neckline and the golden detail crossed at the front, looping around the form fitting dress to the back, where it crisscrossed once again between the shoulder blades before thinning out into straps over the shoulders. It was backless and hugged the lower back, another broad golden detailed fabric accentuating the wearers behind "I want that one too, please." I informed the boy who popped it to one side with the golden dress.

The moment he pulled the next dress from the rail, Isabel and Pam gasped and I couldn't help but gawk at the beautiful outfit. "That's the one." I stated quietly, allowing my eyes to wander over the black dress before me. It was perfect, utterly perfect. My Ata would look incredible in it that was for sure.

"It's 100% silk, an Elie Saab." The young boy informed us all, looking rather proud with himself. He had every right too, the dress was perfect. It oozed old Hollywood glamour with a curve accentuating balconette bust and full sequin upper, which trickled down into a chiffon hem and fishtail train. The raw chiffon detail created texture and the large keyhole back added the perfect finishing touch.

"She'll love it, thank you." I thanked the boy as he added it to the pile of dresses we had accumulated. Each of us took our turns paying, I even left a pretty tip for the young boy, and soon we were heading out of Dillard's.

"Ata needs shoes," Isabel started in the direction of Nordstrom, and once again I followed, "I want to buy her a pretty pair of matching shoes." She continued as we entered the store.

Why would Isabel want to buy Ata a pair of shoes to go with her new dress? The hardly knew one another! They weren't old pals or anything, and they had no history together. As if she was aware of my question, which Isabel probably was given the years she had spent in my company, she answered me. "I don't think I've seen you smile as much, or get as worked up over something so simple as buying a dress. Plus, you're kind of cute together." She stated, flitting through the departments of the store, aiming for the shoe section. Pam's snigger caused me to glare at her and she held her free hand up, the one not clutching her vast array of shopping bags, in a sign of submission.

"I'm over 2000 years old, Isabel. I am not cute." I stated adamantly as I joined her in the shoe department, feeling once again overwhelmed with the vast array of choices on offer. I only owned several pairs of sandals and the odd pair of formal shoes for black tie events and such.

"Keep telling yourself that, my dear friend." The Spanish vampiress teased as she started picking up several different shoes, examining them each in turn. "What size is she?"

Deciding to ignore her jab about being cute, I instead took an interest in the shoes being examined. I wasn't paying for them and therefore my say didn't really matter, but I was still mighty curious. "She's a size 7." I offered, picking up a few pairs myself to give them a look over.

"They need to be black, and have killer heels on them." Pam declared, plucking a pair of Prada Open Toe Platform Pump's from the stand. They were pretty yes, but the 5" with 1" platform looked mighty scary, the high back on them would most likely rub too, especially considering the heel looked nothing more than the width of a needle. I didn't want Ata to fall over and break her neck!

"I like these." Isabel suddenly declared, holding up a pair of black Jimmy Choo 'Crown' Pumps, they had a 4¾" heel with a 1" platform. The back on them was lower though, and the peep toe section a little narrower in order to keep her feet in place. The thought of the peep toe reminded of the treatment women had on their feet. A manicure wasn't it? No no, that was their hands. Pedicures! That was it. I'd have to book Ata in for one tomorrow afternoon, if this Toni wasn't able to do them that were.

"Ata was wearing Choo's the other day, good choice." Pam flashed Isabel a grin and I groaned internally. If they were to become gal pals and go shopping together then no ones credit cards would be safe!

Together we trudged to the counter where Isabel paid for the shoes. It was a strange feeling, to watch someone else pay for things my Ata would be wearing, but at the same time I appreciated the gesture. Never again would my beloved have to buy anything with her own money; I had stocks and shares, and businesses, all over the globe that provided a rather healthy income for me, and now subsequently my bonded.

"Ata will need some jewelry." Isabel suddenly declared as we left Nordstrom.

"I have that covered, don't worry about it." Pam responded with a flick of her wrist.

Isabel and I both stopped walking, staring at Pam with slack jaws and wide eyes. "You bought something for Ata? I thought you couldn't stand her?" I asked in shock, not quite sure I'd hear the cold-hearted Pamela right.

With a sigh Pam stopped too, twirling around to face us. "I went shopping with Riei and Oeri the other night, I wanted to get her something pretty and functional. I don't adore her but, for a breather, she's alright." Pam shrugged, turning around and carrying on her way. You could have knocked both Isabel and I down with a feather, Pam actually did care, for both Sookie **and** Ata! Although she hadn't outright said it, her words and her actions could be interpreted to mean as much. Pam showed her affections for someone by buying them things, normal women showed their affections for people by telling them so. But then again, Pam had never been normal.

For another two hours we shopped, Isabel and Pam trying on everything they could get their perfectly manicured hands on. It was like my own personal brand of torture. I wanted to get back to Eric, Sookie and Ata as fast as possible, ensure they were all okay, and yet here I was in Saks watching my two female vampire companions play dress-up. Finally however, with purchases in tow, we made our way back to the limo where the chauffer drove us home.

The drop-off zone was a flurry of activity at the late hour; most people were leaving the casino, clambering into their luxurious sports cars in their designer couture. It was such a far cry from Dallas. The three of us piled into the elevator, ensuring none of our shopping ended up crushed in the doors. A bellhop had offered to take our bags up for us, but we weren't having any of it. What was the point in having inhumane strength if you couldn't put it to good use?

The penthouse was silent when we arrived, and I immediately felt uncomfortable. The room should have been full of noise, of laughter, of vampires and fairies. Instead we were greeted with Egor, Agmund and Oscar, all three of them sat on the sofas together. Oscar and Egor were playing chess while Agmund watched. It was Oscar's turn and the poor boy had very few pieces and moves left.

"Are they well?" I asked as Agmund acknowledged our presence.

"They haven't left the training room yet I'm afraid." He grimaced, shaking his head.

"I can take your bags for you if you want, put them in your rooms. We've been sat here doing nothing ever since they went up." Agmund offered, rising to his feet.

I was about to give in and let him take them from me, knowing I wanted to get to Ata and my Childe as soon as possible, but Isabel stepped in. "I'll do it, it's okay. You two go up and check on them." She decided, placing her own bags on the floor to take the ones Pam and I were holding. "Would you be able to show me my room afterwards, please? I'd like to put all my purchases away and freshen up before sunrise." She directed her question to Agmund, who offered her a large smile and a nod of his head.

"I would love to, Miss."

Isabel's girlish giggle was a shock, before she batted her hand in the air towards Agmund, "Oh shush, it's Isabel."

With a flash Agmund had taken her hand, placing a kiss to the back of it. "Agmund, at your service." He offered her another grin and I swore I could see Isabel swaying on the spot.

"Thank you for accompanying us this evening, Isabel. I'll see you tomorrow night, goodnight." I bid her farewell, instantly moving to the bookcase, Pam at my side after she too had said her goodnights to Isabel. Together we shifted the bookcase and took to the stairs.

Moments before my knuckles brushed against the door, I could hear snarling on the other side and, as I cracked the door open, I witnessed my Childe riled up. He was lost in his anger, his possessive nature. I took stock of Ata's boys, all of who were stood in a circle holding hands with Ata, their own fangs down, snarling in my direction until they realized whom I was. "It's only Pam and I, my Childe." I softly informed my Childe, snapping him out of his haze. He stood aside and allowed us into the room, stalking back to the circle, which he started to stride around.

Now that Pam and I were in the room, I took in the situation. Sookie was flat on her back on a table in the middle of a salt circle that had a salt pentagram inside of it, there were candles at each point of the pentagram and each of Ata's boys stood at one, Ata herself stood before the yellow one, dressed in some of my clothes. It made me smile, to see her donning my comfy clothing. It was a simple thing really, but it made me indescribably happy. The room was silent, both Sookie and Ata had their eyes closed, I could practically feel Ata's concentration and Sookie's relaxation. The room was dark, the lit candles being the only source of light; there were even blackout curtains and other light stopping measures up over the windows. A cool box sat to one side, and it didn't take a genius to know that it contained blood.

"Eric, how long have you doing that?" Pam interrupted the silence, quirking an eyebrow as she took in the sight before her.

Eric paused in his stride, obviously referring to his internal body clock. It had taken me an absolute age to teach him how to do that; he'd always relied on the sun, the moon and the stars to navigate with, to tell him of the time. Being a vampire meant using the sun was out of the question, and with the tilting of the earth ever so often the stars and moons couldn't always be trusted. "Four hours." He stated in surprise, not realizing how long he had been pacing for. They had been at this the whole time?

"Did you enjoy your shopping?" He asked us, though it was obvious he didn't care for the answer, he just wanted a moment of distraction.

"Yes, Godric bought Ata a beautiful dress and Isabel bought her a pair of matching shoes." Pam responded, directing a small smile towards me. Pam hadn't mentioned that she had bought Ata some jewelry so I didn't mention it; she probably wanted it to be a surprise for my bonded. Pam had always been a fan of surprises.

Eric continued to prowl the circle while Pam and I watched him curiously. He was like a caged animal, he'd snap at any moment. I took the opportunity to check my bond with Ata, it had been shut down a little but her life force was still beating away inside of me, a sense of peacefulness overcame me as I checked in on it and I knew instantly that she had sent me the emotion to quell my curiosity.

Suddenly my bond with my beloved was ripped open and a searing pain shot through it, causing me to cry out lowly just as Ata's piercing scream overtook the silence. Milliseconds later her boys were howling out with her, obviously feeling her pain through their strong bonds. Racing to her side, I was trying to find the source of her pain when the fabric over the left side of her torso started to turn crimson, the smell of her blood permeating the air.

Pam's fangs were down, her eyes hazing over with blood lust. "Pamela! As your Maker I command you not to bite her!" Eric ordered quickly, rushing to join me at Ata's side. Pam sunk backwards until her back was flat against the wall, putting herself as far back from Ata as possible.

"We can't break the circle." Ari wheezed, watching with burning concern and sadness as Ata's side continued to bleed. Without thinking twice I ripped the shirt from my bonded's body, not caring that it was my own. Clothes were easily replaceable but my Ata was not. I took a second to take in the wound, a deep gash all the way down her side, bleeding profusely. It looked like it had been done with a knife, but I had no idea how, or why.

Dropping to my knees, my tongue flicked out, licking up the blood running down her side. I could sense Eric holding himself back and I found that his show of respect touched me. Over the years he had shown me respect simply because I was his Maker, and his elder, but to know he was showing Ata and I respect now was rather different.

Ata's whimper was all it took for him to be right by my side, helping to clean my bonded up. Her whimper was like a knife to my gut, it was a sound she should never have to make, unless of course it was of pleasure, with her begging me to take her harder. Shaking my head to stop myself from going down that thought path, my eyes turned to my Childe and I gave him a small nod, giving him permission to help. He wasted no time in sealing up the wound, allowing his saliva to help stitch it back together. I could tell that some of Ata's blood had entered his system when he groaned. Her current state left her unable to suppress her scent and toxicity of her blood. I could see him straining to control himself and sent him a wave of pride and strength through our bond, wanting him to know I appreciated this. Soon we were working together to knit the wound back together and my level of panic and fear was diminishing.

"I'll need to give her my blood when this is over." I commented once we'd finished healing the exterior wound. "She lost a bit of blood, I don't want it to have a negative impact on her." I added quietly, my cold hands moving to the area where she'd just been injured, checking over her freshly healed skin. I hoped my cool skin would help with the pain.

"What caused that?" Eric demanded, looking to each of Ata's boys in turn. He asked the question I was dying to know the answer to. We'd all been in the room, no one had touched her and yet she had been injured.

All of them shrugged, looking to Ata with concern. Her eyes were still screwed shut in concentration and it was difficult to read anything from her. "We don't know, but we can find out when she snaps out of this." Khai murmured quietly. Still holding her hand, he rubbed his thumb over the back of it in a reassuring gesture. I didn't miss it. The love they held for my bonded was beautiful, and I was pleased she'd had a support system over the 2000 years she had been without me. At first I had been jealous of their connection, know I was grateful for it.

Another hour of silence followed. I positioned myself behind my bonded, wrapping my arms around her waist to hold her to me, to remind myself that she was okay. The bond had partly closed once again and I didn't like it at all. Resting my chin on her shoulder, I pushed all of my love for Ata through our bond, wanting her to know I was there to support her, that I would love her no matter what. Pam had approached us, now that there was no free flowing fae blood in the room, and the look of concern on her features amused both Eric and I. It seemed our fae bonded's were softening up Pam, something which she probably resented and would never admit to out loud. It was a wonderful sight though, to see her embracing a few more emotions other than just lust and anger.

"Sunrise is in thirty minutes, Pam. Please, go rest." Eric ordered her gently. Although Pam was stronger than most, another reason why my Eric had turned her, she was still unable to fight the pull of the sun.

"I don't want to leave, not until I know they're both okay." She whispered, taking another cautious step towards the circle, her eyes flickering from Sookie to Ata and, for a moment, they landed briefly on Ari. The care in her voice made Eric smile and slowly he approached her, pulling her into his chest for a hug.

"They'll be fine, I promise you. Please go to rest Pam, I can't risk you being exposed to any sunlight." He murmured gently as her arms encircled his waist. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head. I could understand his predicament, while having Pam around would help soothe him it would be a disaster if she were to be caught up in the sunlight, she had only recently celebrated her 100 year birthday, so the sun would burn her the moment she stepped in its rays.

"If anything happens to them while I'm not here, I'll kick your ass." She muttered against Eric's chest, pulling back to look up at him with a small smile. Pulling from his embrace, she gave me a nod of goodnight, which I returned, giving our two fae women, and Ari, one last lingering look before she disappearing down the stairs to seek shelter.

"Blood?" Eric grabbed a few bags from the side, carrying them back over to me. "I have a feeling we might be up past sunrise." He sighed, offering a bag out to me.

Untangling myself rather reluctantly from Ata, I took a bag, scrunching my nose up at it. "The thought of taking sustenance from anyone else, even an anonymous donor, doesn't sit right with." I told him flatly, looking up from the bag to Eric, and then back to the bag again. I had gone years without feeding, purely because I had grown to find the act disgusting and cannibalistic. I'd grown to hate what I had become, to resent it. All of the slaughtering and murdering, all of the needless bloodshed I'd caused over my 2000 years on this earth. I wanted to repent for my sins and I'd believed, by refusing to feed, that I would do just that. When Ata had offered me her neck, her blood, the night we had found one another again, I'd battled with myself. I wanted to punish myself, to starve myself of the one liquid I had greedily abused over the years, but the thought of taking from my beloved, the trust she had shown me, had swayed me. My ideas had changed then; I would feed in order to be strong, strong enough to protect my beloved and my little family. I would find other ways to repent, other ways to redeem myself. Of course the moment I had realized Ata was my redemption, that doing right by her would be the most unselfish thing on the planet, I had thrown aside all my other plans of redemption and repenting. Ata needed me, and truth be told, I needed her too.

"I don't like the idea either. Ata mentioned it being weak fae blood, so that we'd be able to stay up past dawn and, should any sunlight make its way into the room, be able to survive it." Eric explained, dropping fang and sinking them into the bag. I followed suit, and together we drained down several bags. It felt strange to feed alongside my Childe once again; especially considering the last time we had fed together had been on a young redhead when we had been in the SS. It had been far too long for my liking. Perhaps, once everything was over with and we were free from danger, we would be able to sit down at the table like a normal family for dinner. The thought alone caused me to smile and I had to stifle my laugh, as Ata had put it the night we had found one another again, we would never be normal.

With the bags emptied, I instinctively checked my internal body clock as Eric did the same. It was an hour past sunrise. The blood had stopped us from feeling the pull of the sun, and the blackout curtains and other light proofing methods were holding back the suns harmful rays. Suddenly Eric was gasping, doubling over. Quickly I placed a hand on his shoulder, hauling him upright before pushing vast quantities of strength through our bond. If this had of been any other situation I may have laughed, given my young appearance and small height it should have been impossible for me to lift Eric up, but being an older vampire had its perks.

Sookie's screams broke through the silence and instantly Eric was on my knees, crumbled on the floor. I moved down with him, tearing into my wrist and offering my blood to him in order to provide him with the strength he would need to help Sookie. Instantly he lent forward, pulling my wrist to his mouth before he started to take in my life force. I smoothed his hair back from his face as he fed, exactly like I had done the night he had risen as a vampire for the first time.

For half an hour the pain continued, he'd finished taking from me after five minutes. Finally Sookie's cries were silenced and Ata's eyes snapped open. I felt our bond open completely and she gasped for breath, her hands falling from her boys as she crumbled to her knees. Within seconds I was at her side, wrapping my arms around her, offering her strength and support. "Thank you, Bes, for joining me in this ritual. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again." I heard her whisper.

She had summoned Bes for the ritual? That surprised me.

Bes was a dwarf god during the Egyptian time. He was a complex being, naturally, who was both a deity and a demonic fighter. He was a god of war, yet he was also a patron of childbirth and the home, and was often associated with sexuality, humor, music and dancing. Although he began as a protector of the Pharaoh, he became very popular with everyday Egyptian people because he protected women and children above all others. If I could remember correctly, he was one of the most popular gods of ancient Egypt, and was often depicted on household items such as furniture, mirrors and cosmetics containers and applicators as well as magical wands and knives. He was often depicted on knives in the hope that this would extend his protection to the bearer of the blade. I'd seen his image on numerous pieces of furniture my Master had owned. Over time he came to be seen as the champion of everything good and the enemy of everything evil. He was described as a demon, but he was not considered to be evil. On the contrary, he was actually a supporter of Re, who protected him from his enemies.

He was particularly protective of women and children and was often depicted with the young Horus, protecting him as he matured. I could see now why Ata had called for him during the ritual, she wanted her cousin protected and Bes could do just that. As a result, he also became a god of childbirth. It was thought that he could scare off any evil spirits lurking around the birthing chamber by dancing, shouting and shaking his rattle. If the mother was experiencing a difficult birth, a statue of Bes was placed near her head and his assistance was invoked on her behalf. Rather sweetly, Bes remained at the child's side after birth to protect and entertain them. It was said that if a baby laughed or smiled for no reason, it was because Bes was pulling funny faces.

The thought alone caused me to remember the birth of Ata's half-siblings, the twins Cleopatra had with Marc Anthony. I could remember the hurt and betrayal I had witnessed on Ata's features when she had been told that the female child had been named after her mother. It was a great gift, back then, for a child to be named after one of their parents. Ata hadn't been gifted with her mothers name; the only thing she carried was her father's surname. Ata had thrown a huge tantrum the moment she had learnt of the girls name, she'd marched into her mothers chamber and yelled at her using rather colorful language I had believed my Ata not to have any knowledge of. She'd despised Marc Anthony from the start; especially considering her father had been Marc's mother's cousin. Her mothers' relationship with him had caused the cracks in their relationship to appear. My Ata had always loved her father dearly, she'd been utterly loyal and devoted to him, so to know her mother had married someone else so quickly, a relative of her fathers to boot, had stung.

Racking my brain, I remembered that Bes also drove away the evil spirits who caused accidents and created mischief. Many Egyptians placed a statue of Bes near the door of their house to protect them from mishap. My Master had one by his door himself, though now I found it ironic; given the 'mischief' he created being a vampire and the 'accident' of my turning.

Shakily Ata rose to her feet, a death grip on me as I supported her small weight. Looking to Eric she nodded. My Childe needed no other encouragement and vamped to Sookie's side, running his hands all over her to make sure she was okay.

"She's fine, she'll need water." Ata rasped, picking up the small glass of water that had been on the table with the candles. Opening Sookie's mouth, Ata started to pour the water in, her hands shaky. Sensing she would need some help, Eric started to massage Sookie's throat, encouraging her to swallow. Once all the liquid was gone, he placed his arms under Sookie to lift her from the bed, but he was joined by Ata's boys' moments later.

"Let us help, please, you've been taking the brunt of her pain." Oeri murmured and Eric could do nothing but nod. I could tell through our bond he was feeling mighty possessive of Sookie, and I couldn't blame him given how I was feeling towards Ata right now, but he graciously accepted their help.

"She needs to rest, to bed with her." Ata whispered. She dropped her head forward, pressing a kiss to Sookie's forehead before pulling back. Slowly we all made our way over to the door, not wanting to jolt Sookie, plus my Ata was rather unsteady on her feet at the moment. Deciding that she didn't have to walk, I placed my arms under her knees and around her back, scooping her up bridal style to carry her down the stairs.

Upon entering the living area, the windows were still blacked over and Egor and Agmund were still awake. Oscar had clearly gone to rest, as his young age wouldn't allow him to stay up past sunrise.

"How is she?" Agmund asked, taking a few cautious steps towards us.

"She'll be fine when she wakes, her throat might be a bit scratchy from shouting out all evening, but other than that she should be okay." Ata responded, glancing over her shoulder to her cousin.

"Are you okay?" Egor asked, taking in Ata's lack of shirt and the faint scar across her side. We'd been able to knit the wound back together again but the scar would remain until my blood was in her system.

"Just a scratch, I'm fine." She reassured him, lifting a hand to pat him tenderly on the cheek. "Go to rest, I'll see you this evening." She ordered. Both blonde vampires bowed to Ata before disappearing off to their room.

Carrying on through the penthouse, everyone entered the room Eric and Sookie were staying in. The light tight shutters had already covered the windows and carefully they placed Sookie down on the bed. Removing their arms, Ata's boys bid us all goodnight before disappearing off to die for the day.

Ata seemed to linger, checking over her cousin one last time before she slinked out of the room with me, closing the door behind us. Together we walked to our own bedroom, my arm wrapped around Ata's waist for support. "I'm fine." She croaked as we entered the room.

"You're not, my darling. You're tired and weak." I murmured gently, pressing a kiss to her temple as I sat her down on the bed. Moving to the wardrobe I removed a black silk nightie, returning to the bedroom where I undressed my bonded. Her skin was ghostly pale, rivaling even that of vampires, and her black nightie did nothing but make it worse. Bags had formed under her eyes due to her lack of sleep.

"Could you get me a glass of water, please? What does my dress look like?" she asked me quietly. I went to the bathroom, returning with a glass of water for her. I would do anything she asked of me, no questions. If possible, I would even go and get the moon for it, and hand it to her on a stick. Handing her the water, I sat down beside her on the bed, grabbing her hairbrush from the nightstand. As she sipped her water, I brushed the tangles from her blonde locks.

"It's beautiful, but not as beautiful as you." I complimented, feeling her love through the bond, my advanced hearing picking up the slight stutter to her heartbeat. Knowing that my words made her feel special, caused such a reaction from within her, made me smile.

"Can you describe it to me, please?" She asked gently as she finished off her water. Although all the tangles were gone from her hair I continued to brush it, remembering from our human years how much she had loved such a simple act. Sometimes, when I had been successfully snuck into the palace, I would sit and brush her hair for hours while we talked about nonsense. The feel of the soft tendrils through my fingertips, the golden colour shining in the low light from the bedside lamp, I felt an overwhelming sense of contentment.

"No, my beloved. I want it to be a surprise for you. Isabel has hidden it, so don't think about snooping." I ordered in a whisper, leaning forward to kiss her exposed shoulder blades.

My Ata gave a soft laugh, turning her head to face me, her lips capturing mine in a soft, tender kiss. "I love you." She reminded me.

"I love you too." I replied instinctively, knowing I would tell her every day from now until my true death that I loved her.

"I want to go and speak to Eric." She rose to her feet slowly, popping her glass on the bedside table as she padded towards the door. Placing her hairbrush down, I followed her to the door, wrapping an arm around her waist for support as I led her across the living area to the other sleeping quarters. I hung back however as Ata approached the door, opting to lean against the doorframe connecting the sleeping quarters to the living area.

Raising her knuckles to the door, Ata gave a light knock, and seconds later Eric opened the door, dressed in his underwear. "I didn't know it would cause her so much pain, I'm so sorry. I just want you to know that if I had known how long it would have taken, or how much it would have hurt the pair of you, I'd have never allowed it to happen. I hope you can trust me again after this." Ata spoke, her head dropping a little. I could feel her sadness through the bond, her annoyance that she hadn't known what the process would be like.

I was caught completely off guard when Eric pulled Ata into his arms, holding her against his chest. She was ridged for a moment and I could feel her shock through the bond, eventually though she relaxed, her own arms wrapping around his waist. I couldn't stop my smile at the sight of my Childe and my bonded embracing one another. My little family.

"I still trust you, why wouldn't I?" Eric asked rhetorically, smoothing her hair down with one of his large hands. The pride was practically pouring off of me, and into both bonds. "We asked you to do this for us, and you did, so thank you. Besides, you were hurt in the process too. I appreciate it. Sookie appreciates it. You have welcomed us into your home, taught Sookie everything you know so that she can protect herself, expanded my little family, helped us uncover hidden truths and gave Godric a purpose again. I owe you, so don't think for one moment that I don't trust you." He reassured her, continuing to stroke her hair soothingly. I could smell her tears and feel her overwhelming emotions through our bond. I was unable to focus on any one in particular so instead I pushed her some of my strength, hoping she would be able to pull it under control herself. Eric dropped a chaste kiss to the top of her head and I was filled with hope, a hope that they would accept one another as mother and child, defend one another, fight alongside one another, laugh together. I was aware of how much my Ata wanted a child of her own, I would never be able to give her that though, but knowing that she and Eric might be able to come to some understanding and share a mother and child tie was the next best thing.

Eric's eyes lifted from the top of Ata's head and met mine. For the first time in a long while I allowed myself to give my child a proper smile, not an indulgent one, or a restrained one, but a full-blown happy one. I was so proud of him. I'd turned him into an emotionless killing machine, but now he was returning to his humanity, embracing it, he'd fallen in love with Sookie, was welcoming the thought of a new family, allowing himself to feel. I'd deprived him of so much in that manner during our time together, but knowing he was finally having it all made me happy beyond words.

Feeling Ata pull herself together, I broke eye contact to look to my bonded.

"Sorry I cried all over you, I'm just overcome with emotions." She gave a weak laugh, causing Eric to look down and offer her a small smile.

"It doesn't matter at all, just know that everything is fine with us." He pressed one last chaste kiss to the top of her head before she turned on the spot. Holding my hand out in her direction, Ata padded over to me, taking hold of my cold hand in her warm one. Raising her free hand, I watched as my beloved gave my Childe a small wave goodnight, which he returned. I couldn't help but grin.

Together we returned to our bedroom and immediately Ata clambered into the queen size bed. Divesting myself of my clothes, I joined her, slipping under the sheets. "Will you take my blood? You're very pale, my sweet." I murmured, moving her hair from her face.

With a nod she agreed, and together we sat up. Shifting on the mattress, I spread my legs, pulling Ata over to the space between them, her back to my chest, the silk fabric of her nightie rubbing over my exposed skin. Dropping fang, I pierced my wrist, offering it out to her. Tentatively she took it, her small hands wrapping around my wrist as she pulled it to her mouth, starting to suck. I felt myself leaning against her, resting my forehead against her shoulder as I groaned at the sensation. Feeding Eric and feeding Ata were two completely different things. I had all these paternal feelings when offering Eric my blood, but with Ata my emotions were much stronger, it was taking all my restraint not to try anything funny with her. My body was betraying my mind however.

Turning her head so her eyes met mine, Ata continued to take from my wrist. A light blush crossed her features as she slowly, almost nervously, let her small hand crept behind her, grasping me gently. A fleeting groan escaped me as she started to stroke in time with her pulls on my wrist. So much for my restraint. It didn't take long before I was thrown over the edge, shuddering behind her with my release. The combination of her small, warm hand working me into frenzy and the deep pulls she was taking from my wrist was truly exquisite.

As the wound on my wrist sealed over, Ata licked the remaining blood away before licking her lips clean. I was still recovering from my impromptu orgasm as she rose to her feet, a little steadier this time, and disappeared into the bathroom to clean off her back. Returning with a wet cloth, she cleaned me up before casting the cloth aside, not even bothering to take it back into the bathroom, as she slipped under the sheets beside me once more.

Scooting down, I wrapped her up in my arms, spooning her as she snuggled under the sheets. "That wasn't fair." I whispered playfully in her ear, pressing myself to her.

She laughed lightly, the sound beautiful and melodic to my sensitive eardrums. "You can repay me later." she breathed. Her hands took mine, her small fingers lacing with my own as she clutched me tightly. I could feel her exhaustion. She was barely hanging on. I found it strange, how exhausted she was. Although I wasn't aware of what had transpired between Ata and Sookie, I was sure she shouldn't be as dog-tired as she was. Her frame molded perfectly to mine, the fact I was slightly taller meant that I could wrap myself around her, protect her from anything and everything. My arms were locked around her, unrelenting.

"Will you sing me to sleep, please?" she asked in a hushed tone. Dropping a kiss to the nape of her neck, I tucked the sheets in around us, nuzzling my nose to her shoulder blades before I dropped more kisses there. For a moment I thought about the lullaby I wished to use, I could have chosen one from my home, but something inside of me compelled me to choose one from my beloveds home. Her act of asking for a lullaby all but broke my silent heart. She was vulnerable, that was the only time she had ever asked me to sing to her before, and yet I had no idea why she was, I couldn't help her with it. She was too tired for anything right now. I would ask her at sundown though, I needed to know she was alright, why she was vulnerable.

"This is what we call this Egyptian lullaby. Until you are missed, sleep and close your eyes. While the moon drifts overhead, the pyramids gold and red, ancient beings bred. Sleep and close your eyes as I sing my Egyptian lullaby. While I'm sitting here beside your bed, and you close your eyes and rest your head. Then Re will wait until you sleep and leave your fate, your soul to keep. So when you open your young eyes, your thoughts will drift, your Ka will fly. Then and only then will appear the sun to shed one sun beamed tear, and you will shout for all to hear that Egypt's little star has shined." I spoke softly, brushing my beloveds' hair from the nape of her neck, which I continued to drop small kisses to every now and then.

Her breathing had evened out, signaling that she had slipped into her slumber. The fae blood in my system would keep me awake for a little while longer, I surmised. I didn't feel like stopping though, I wanted to carry on, to finish the song.

"Then the sphinx will roar and sand will spout from Egypt's core, the Pharaoh will come to abhor, my little child, you know no more. So as I sing, softly slumber my little Queen, in rows in numbers gently raise, when the moon fades and the sun away rides. My love you bear is to me true and those who dare split us will soon be ruined. So close your eyes, my little one, until the night is over and done. Sleep little one, close your eyes, as I sing softly my Egyptian lullaby." I finished, looking down at my beloved, who'd shifted and turned over, her face buried in my chest. Wrapping my arms around her back, I locked my hands together, not wanting there to be any possibility of Ata moving without a fight. She'd been injured earlier and I was still unsure why, and it drove me to feel far more protective than necessary.

The paleness of her skin had disappeared, and it's in place sat a healthy golden glow, a reminder of the blood coursing through her veins. The blood of two powerful royals, both fae and human, and then of course there was mine in the mix. My blood was in her, and hers in me. I could feel her; I could feel her blood as it drifted through my veins, caressing its way through my system. Focusing on our bond, I felt my own blood sliding through her system too, binding us. I was the darkness and Ata was my sunshine, a light at the end of the tunnel.

With that thought in mind, the weak fae blood wore off, and I slipped into my day slumber, clutching my bonded to me.

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**A/N**

**I researched Ancient Egyptian lullabies for AGES but kept coming up with a blank, however I found this one on Quizilla and I thought it was so beautiful. I changed it a little ('Queen' instead of 'King' in one of the lines) but I want to thank Silvyn246 for it, it's utterly perfect and so so so beautiful! I thought it was the sort of thing that would have been sung to Ata as a child :) Should Silvyn246 be reading this and dislike the fact I'm using it, I'd be more than happy to get rid of it and find something else, I just thought it was super sweet! :)**

**Also, if you wish to see THE dress, google 'ELIE SAAB Backless Sequin Gown' and it's the first website in the list! :)**

**We join Sookie when she wakes the next day in the next chapter guys! :)**


	44. I'm Going Slightly Mad

******A/N Sorry for the delay again, I was updating my wordpress page further, it's coming together really well and I'm so happy about it! Also, this chapter really didn't want to be written, it was being super awkward which is why it's late, the party really starts in the next chapter!**

**I know the end of the previous chapter was super mushy and probably reallyyyy OOC for Godric but it was too cute not to, sorry!**

**Ohhh and I was wondering if anyone wanted to make me a few graphics/banners/gifs etc for my wordpress page? They'd be super appreciated and I would love you forever *hint* ;D **

**I will say now, the supernatural creature Ata tells Sookie of? Yeah I thought of it before we found out about the monster chasing down Terry this season…they're similar critters, but not the same thing…**

**I have a gay friend who's a hairdresser btw, Toni is based on him x]**

**HUGEEE thanks to everyone who alerted/put this story on favourite/reviewed. YOU GUYS ROCK! ****Think we could hit 400 reviews by the end of the week? NAKED VIKING GOODNESS IF YOU ACHIEVE THAT! ;)**

**Also a big thank you to my guest reviewer, I love that you like the little family dynamics taking place in this story, I love that it's something they're exploring in this new season of TB! **

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_When the outside temperature rises a__nd the meaning is oh so clear  
__One thousand and one yellow daffodils, b__egin to dance in front of you - oh dear  
__Are they trying to tell you something?, y__ou're missing that one final screw  
__You're simply not in the pink my dear, t__o be honest you haven't got a clue  
__I'm going slightly mad, __I'm going slightly mad, __It finally happened - happened  
__It finally happened - ooh oh, __It finally happened - I'm slightly mad  
__Oh dear!  
__I'm one card short of a full deck, __I'm not quite the shilling  
__One wave short of a shipwreck, __I'm not at my usual top billing  
__I'm coming down with a fever, __I'm really out to sea  
__This kettle is boiling over, __I think I'm a banana tree  
__Oh dear, I'm going slightly mad  
__~ I'm Going Slightly Mad, Queen_

I had never in my life woken up with a hangover, heck I'd never been drunk enough in my life for a hangover, but it was fair to say that the current pounding in my mind, and my overall disdain at getting out of bed, was very much like a hangover. Slowly I opened my eyes, shutting them a moment later to rub the heel of my hands over them in a desperate attempt to remove the sleep, and to try and stop the relentless banging in my mind. The memories of the night before flooded my mind and left me gasping for breath, the chanting, the candles, the cat in my mind, the smog-woman, the burning sensation.

I was grateful for the darkness of the room, I had a funny feeling the light wouldn't be my friend today. Tipping my head to the side, my eyes landed on my sleeping vampire. My shields weren't in place and rather than being greeted by a void I was met with a fuzzy patch, had it worked? Would I be able to hear him this evening? The thought caused me to smile. Tentatively I stretched, unsure as to the physical response my body had to the ritual. I was pleasantly surprised to find my body was well, my limbs could all be moved and there was no pain in them.

Deciding it was time to get out of bed, I went to roll onto my side and instantly regretted it. A sharp, shooting pain ran down my spine and I cried out at the sensation, "FUCK! Ouch!" I cussed, freezing my movement to let the pain subside. Taking a deep breath I hauled myself up out of bed, clenching my jaw to stop myself from crying out with the pain once again. Sighing in frustration, my feet met the plush carpet and I padded, rather slowly, over to the wardrobe. Pulling on my underwear, I dressed myself gingerly in a pair of comfy navy blue Capri pants and one of Eric's black wife-beaters.

Cautiously I made my way to the door, not wanting to jar my back. Stepping out into the hallway I was grateful that it was windowless. Wandering down the hallway I approached the door to the living area. Taking a deep breath I pushed it open, suddenly drenched in sunlight. Squinting, I raised a hand to shield my eyes, taking a moment to let them adjust.

"Morning Sook." Ata's voice floated across the room.

Blinking rapidly, I took several steps into the room, spotting my cousin curled up on one of the couches in front of the television. The flat-screen was on, CNN news on mute.

"Morning Ata." I croaked in response, shuffling over to her. My back was still a little sore. On the coffee table sat two trays, both had a plate of bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, fried bread and waffles on. Two glasses of orange juice sat with them, a set of pills beside one of the glasses. There was also a heavy looking metal box on the table that hadn't been there yesterday.

Shuffling on the couch to make some room for me, Ata pulled her legs up underneath herself. "How are you feeling?" she asked with concern lacing her voice. Slowly I lowered myself onto the couch, hissing as pain shot through my spine. Ata leant forward, grabbing a glass of orange juice and the pile of pills. "Advil and a multivitamin." She explained to me. Taking the pills from her, I chucked them into my mouth before taking a gulp of orange juice, swallowing it all down.

"Thanks." I placed the glass back down on the coffee table, rearranging myself into a comfortable position. "My head really hurts, and my back does too. Is that normal?" I asked as my cousin grabbed a blanket from the side, placing it over my lap to keep me warm before she popped the tray of food on my lap for me.

Settling herself down next to me, Ata took her own tray of food. "I would say your back pain is from all the arching it was doing last night, and late into this morning. I'm surprised your spine didn't snap." Ata grimaced. "Your headache is normal, especially considering your little mind occupant." She shook her head.

Mind occupant?

"That was real? That smoke-woman and the cat, it actually really happened, in my head?" I breathed, my eyes widening. Holy shit!

"Yeah, it's a really long story." Ata wafted her hand through the air, trying to throw me off my train of thought. I wasn't having it though.

"Tell me, we have time. What is the time anyway? What time did we finish?" I frowned; despising the fact I knew so little about what had happened to me last night.

"It's midday, we have about an hour before Toni gets here to start dressing me up for Creepy Felipe's party this evening. We finished up a few hours after sunset, which was at 6am. I think it was around 8am when we finished, I'm not too sure." Ata shrugged, rubbing at her own eyes. It was clear she was exhausted too.

"Will you tell me what happened? Please? What was that thing in my mind?" I begged, tucking into my food.

Sighing, Ata relented with a nod, cutting off a piece of sausage, which she popped into her mouth. Chewing it slowly, she finally swallowed. "Okay, the thing in your mind is called a Jinn, or Djinn. The Jinn are a race of spirit-like beings, created by Allah from smokeless fire. They were created thousands of years before Adam and Eve; they're probably as old as the earth itself. They were the only creation, besides man, that was given free will. Because they're created from fire, they're usually invisible to human eyes, but of course we aren't entirely human." Ata gave a humorless chuckle. "Jinn have the ability to take the shape of nearly any creature, including humans, allowing them to seen by the human world." She continued.

"That's why I saw it as a swirl of smoke! Then it changed into that woman, Ma'at! I felt this burning sensation over my whole body, now I know why!" I exclaimed, having finished my mouthful. It made sense now, how the smoke had been able to transform into a solid shape, a person, and how I had felt like I was being burnt from head to toe.

With a small smile and a nod, Ata continued. "When Allah created Adam and Eve, he commanded the angels and the Jinn to bow to him. One of the angels, Iblis, refused and was cast down to earth. He became Shaitan, King of the Jinn. Jinn live mostly on the mythical mountain of Kaf, in Jinnestan, where they continue to be ruled by a line of Kings called Suleymans. However, for a price one can pay a certain Jinn to defend something, to protect it. Probably due to their fiery nature, Jinn have an advantage over humans in that many laws of nature have no hold on them. As a result, they are able to travel quickly from place to place and wield a form of magic, making them the perfect protectors. I think Niall, or maybe Fintan, paid the Jinn that was in your mind to protect you from vampire thoughts, knowing that should you be able to hear them you would never lead a normal life." Ata shook her head, clearly annoyed with the fact that my ability to hear vampire minds had been taken from me.

"That Jinn thing has been living in my head my whole life?" I couldn't quite stop myself from feeling a little disgusted and weird about it. A supernatural creature had set up camp in my mind and I hadn't known about it. I felt violated. It was better than knowing I'd gone mad though, over the years I had been subjected to everyones nasty thoughts about me, thinking I was retarded and mentally damaged. It was enough to make anyone think they were mad. I actually found myself rather scared about how many supernatural creatures there actually were out there. Maybe I'd ask Ata to compile a comprehensive list of every supernatural being out there for me one day.

"Kind of, its been living in your subconscious, which is why you were never aware of its presence. Your mind is split in two, your conscious mind and your subconscious mind. Each part of your mind is built up like corridors, with doors leading to different sections, for example family memories or information from your school years. The more you view your telepathy as a positive thing, the easier it'll be for you to rummage in others minds and find the information easier, as you'll be able to navigate the corridors quicker and more efficiently. It's also important for when you're faced with other telepaths, you'll be able to lock doors so they can't access certain information." Ata explained. My brain was already hurting from the ritual, now it was throbbing. I prayed silently that the Advil would kick in soon. My shields were still down but Ata had hers up, so I received nothing but the fuzzy noises from the sleeping vampires in the penthouse, and even then they sounded miles away due to the soundproofing of the bedrooms.

"So why was the Jinn guarding that certain door? Why did it turn into that woman? And what the hell was the cat? Why did they cut one another?" I rattled off questions, continuing to eat. Ata popped more food into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before carrying on.

"That door was built on purpose, by someone who holds way more power than either of us, which is why I think either Niall of Fintan paid for the Jinn. The door was locked, blocking out your ability." Ata seemed to pause for a moment, gauging my reaction to her words.

"The woman the Jinn shifted into was Ma'at, one of my Gods. The cat was me, well, my subconscious to be exact. Everyone's subconscious takes a form; the form it takes is usually based on family and the lifestyle of the person. Baast's parents are Isis and Re. My mother was Isis reincarnated, and she always thought of my Re as my father. Re was the sun God, and the sun represents light, warmth, and growth. My father turned the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire, he grew the country, the empire, conquered far away lands such as Godric's home, Gaul. Baast was not only the Goddess of cats, and I do adore cats, but of the sun and the moon. As a sky fairy I'm a child of the sun, as are you, and yet I keep the company of vampires, children of the moon. Baast's name implies that she is sweet and precious, but that under the surface is the heart of a predator, quite fitting don't you think?" Ata answered two of my four questions with a small laugh. My headache had subsided enough for me to pay attention to my cousin's words, but my brain was playing catch-up in storing away the information. Ata would never escape her parents, never escape Egypt or the ways of her people, and yet I got the impression that she didn't really mind. If I were here, I'd have run away screaming by now.

"The reason the Jinn chose Ma'at was because it knew I would recognize her. It chose that form in order to make me more comfortable and to explain its presence to me. Not only did the Jinn recognize my subconscious but it automatically knew which Goddess to become, which suggests to me that whoever paid it knew I would go for a snoop. Ma'at is the Goddess of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice. It's why she was speaking of the balance being tipped, and why I mentioned the fact the balance was tipped for me. Ma'at gave me the ability to hear vampire thoughts, giving me an advantage over others, so I asked her to give you that advantage too." Ata finished off her food. I'd finished mine a couple of minutes earlier and had already placed my empty tray on the coffee table. Taking a sip of orange juice, I nodded in encouragement, allowing myself to file away everything Ata had told me so far.

"What the Jinn and I created is a blood oath, I swore on my life to deliver the Jinn to another's mind as it's the only job the creature has ever known, meaning that the Jinn in question is a protector by trade. I figured Hunter will have had limited contact with vampires, but as he grows up he will most likely bump into them more and more, especially if the VRA is passed. The Jinn will be able to protect Hunter's mind while he grows up and, when he's mastered his powers and feels confident enough, will leave his mind for good in search of another mind to protect. We had to exchange blood to make it magically binding. Unfortunately whatever happens to my subconscious happens to me." Ata laughed humorlessly, moving the side of her shirt up to show me a bandage over her side.

Catching sight of the bandage, my hand flew to my mouth. "Cheese and rice! You were hurt!" I exclaimed, feeling guilty that my cousin had been hurt in the process.

"Eh it was nothing. Godric and Eric cleaned me up and sealed over the wound. I got a few pulls from Godric's wrist last night too, but I chucked on a bandage just to make sure." She covered over her side, hiding the bandage from the world.

"Eric took the brunt of the pain, Sookie. He was incredible last night, truly. You're very lucky." Ata told me with a small smile, reaching over to give my arm a rub. I couldn't remember anything about last night bar Eric's shouting; I hadn't even been able to feel our bond over the pain coursing through my system.

"He's a good man." I murmured under my breath, unable to stop my small smile.

"He is, Sook, he is." My cousin agreed with me, taking her hand back to rest it in her lap.

"Tell me more about the Jinn?" I asked, shifting so that my back, which was now suitably numb thanks to the Advil, was against the arm of the chair, allowing me to face my cousin. Mirroring my actions so she no longer had to turn her head to face me, Ata continued. "The Jinn are divided into five classes based on the strength of their ability to use this magic. The lowest class is the Jann. They have very little ability beyond transforming themselves into animals, and are known as Transformed Jinn. The next class is the Jinn, which also lend their name to the species. The middle class of Jinn is Sheytans, which are evil Jinn. The next class is the Efrits, who are powerful evil Jinn and prefer to live in abandoned buildings. The most powerful class of Jinn is the Marids. Marids are also evil and have an affinity with water, often dwelling in lakes or wells. To the Jews, they were known as Mazikeen, Shedeem, and Shehireem. The Shedeem were also considered to be the offspring of Adam and Lilith. I don't know if you're aware but Lilith was the first vampire, the original." Ata informed me.

I had no clue as to vampire history, there were of course all the myths and legends floating around but I had never heard of anything concrete. Perhaps it would be something to ask Eric about later on.

"As with humans, the Jinn are subject to death, but the life span of a Jinn far outweighs that of a human, it almost matches our lifespan. They can also be killed, but it is unclear how this is accomplished. They do, however, fear iron, and even shouting the name of iron is enough to drive Jinn away. It's why they usually protect the fae, because we share the same weaknesses, we understand one another." My cousin explained. I could see now why the fae would keep Jinn as close allies, the ability to shift into any being was most defiantly useful, goodness knows how many times Sam has had to shift into a critter to save his life!

"So, what's in the box?" I frowned, nodding to the hunk of metal on the table.

"The Jinn from your mind." Ata answered with a shrug of her shoulders. Coming from her lips it sounded like something one would say every day, something normal human-fairy hybrids spoke of. "When it opened the door to your advanced telepathy it threw itself into my subconscious. It drained me down quite a bit, hence the calorie-fest we had for breakfast. You see the Jinn has no need to settle in my mind, so it simply sat there, using my energy to fuel itself. I was dog-tired because of it and my head was pounding. I actually ended up asking Godric to sing me to sleep last night as I was in need of some sanity; I haven't asked him to do that since our human years." My cousin laughed. I was suddenly swamped with mental pictures of the 2000-year-old vampire singing and found myself unable to contain my own laughter. I would pay good money to witness that!

"When the boys wake for the night I'm going to ask them to put the box in our main safe. I don't want it out and about where it could be knocked over or opened." Ata stretched, taking the two empty trays and the now empty glasses over to the kitchen area where she proceeded to load up the dishwasher. A dishwasher was a luxury I couldn't afford and I was a little envious. Perhaps, with the money left over from Dallas, I could buy myself a new kitchen when I return home. I'd keep the country feel but after all of the blood and death my little house had witnessed, a new kitchen, and perhaps a few new other bits and pieces, would do it some good.

"I'm going to go and change, Toni should be here in a moment. Our daytime guards will be bringing him up, so don't worry if you hear the elevator." Ata disappeared off back to her bedroom to change, leaving me alone in the living area.

Reaching for the TV remote, I hit the mute button to return the sound. The news channel was still on and the reporter was speaking of the VRA. "The Vampire Rights Amendment would enable vampires in America to vote in general elections, to own both private and commercial property in their names, to marry humans, the right to own firearms, to adopt children with their human partners, to own businesses in their names, to have the protection of the US government, the rights to benefits and healthcare, the rights to loans and mortgages, to be recognized as American citizens and to have the protection of the US legal and justice system, both in the US and while abroad. The state of Vermont has already accepted the VRA and many vampires are travelling to the area with their human counterparts in order to receive the full benefits. In a weeks time every state in the US will vote, in those states with over a 50% acceptance rate the VRA will be put into action immediately. In today's world equality is vital, we no longer live in an era where there are those beneath us. If America can pass the VRA then there is hope that vampires will receive equal rights the world over, and our co-existence will continue to be a peaceful one." The new reporter ended with a huge smile. The news ended there and the screen went black. I couldn't help but snort at the reporters closing sentence. While I fully supported the VRA knowing the amount of good vampires far outweighed the bad, and would be voting for it, the thought that we could all co-exist peacefully was ridiculous. In a way though I was biased, I was right in the middle of vampire politics, I had been on the receiving end of all of their blood and gore and chaos since day one, and had been used by vampire monarchs in order to further their power, to allow them to walk in the sunlight. If only humans knew the truth.

The sound of the elevator opening drew my attention across the room and I rose from my seat. The were guards entered first, followed closely behind by a tall and slender man. He looked to be in his early twenties, his brown hair was longer on the top than the sides and was perfectly coifed. He had a light dusting of facial fuzz and a pair of black-rimmed glasses on. His eyes were hazel and alert and in his hands he carried numerous big trunks, one of the were guards was wheeling another trunk in. He was actually rather cute, and he screamed beautician and hairdresser. "Ahh you must be Sookie!" he gushed, all but dropping his trunks to scamper over to me before pulling me into a bone-crushing cuddle. "Oh darling, there are so many things I can do for you! Your complexion is just wonderful so I wouldn't dare to work with that, but your hair, have you ever thought of going a shade darker for the winter? What about painting your nails a sinful red!" he exclaimed, letting go of me to lift up my hands, examining my nails. To say I was shell-shocked would be an understatement, I didn't even know this guy and here he was with his hands all over me, wanting to doll me up!

"Toni! Don't frighten away my cousin!" Ata's laughter echoed around the room as she remerged from the bedroom, dressed in a white robe, her blonde hair pulled up into a bun and a small box in her hand.

Instantly Toni let me go, running across the room to scoop my cousin up in his arms. Dropping myself back onto the sofa I watched them together. "Atzi! Oh goodness girly, you look fabulous!" he took a step back to admire Ata before they exchanged cheek kisses. "Now, I hear you're going to a fancy shindig this evening, and that both you and your gorgeous cousin need to be primped!" Toni looked over to me with a huge grin. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get away with saying no.

Padding her way to the kitchen, Ata worked quickly to gather a pitcher of sweet tea and three glasses, bringing with her a plate of cookies and biscuits. Placing them down on the coffee table, she opened the small box she had entered with, revealing a camcorder. "I figured we could start filming our days, so our vampires can see what we get up to." She told me with a grin, setting it up before she placed it on the kitchen counter facing us. Sitting back on the sofa, Ata stretched her legs out in front of her. "Primp us then, my dear!" she grinned, settling down.

Over the years I had received very few spa treatments, I'd never had the money to do so, but the few times I had been they were extremely relaxing. "Ata, I'm not going to the party." I murmured to my cousin as Toni moved his trunks over to us, opening one.

"That doesn't mean you can't enjoy all of this with me Sookie!" Ata informed me happily. Clearly this sort of treatment was something she was use to and loved. Toni set up two inflatable footbaths and, with a huge jug in hand, went to the kitchen to gather some water for them. "Have you ever had anything like this before?" Ata asked me as Toni returned, a grin on his features as he filled up my footbath; he disappeared off again to get more water for Ata's tub.

Shaking my head, I dropped my gaze. "I was never able to afford all this luxury. Occasionally I would get things like this done, but I usually needed the money for the mortgage or food." I stated with a shrug of my shoulders. I could never have a lifestyle like Ata's, she could spend all day lounging by the pool, shopping, having beauty treatments, etc. Of course she ran her business, and she ran it well, but she had the help of her progenies with that, and with their vampire speed they were able to get through things an awful lot faster.

"Now ladies, lavender or rose?" Toni broke through our conversation, holding up two bottles of bath bubbles now that he had filled up Ata's footbath.

"Lavender, please." I asked gently, watching as Toni poured in a considerable amount of liquid. Swishing his hand in the water, the bubbles appeared and he took my feet, rolling up my pants to make sure they wouldn't get wet before sliding my feet into the water. It was blissfully warm, and smelt incredible. I found myself sinking into the sofa. Ata watched on with an indulgent smile. "I could do with one of these after a shift at Merlotte's." I muttered as Ata selected the rose bubbles, slipping her feet into the water a moment later when the bubbles had appeared.

"Sook, I know it's not really my business, but when all of this is said and done, are you really going to be returning to your old job?" Ata questioned, sinking back into the sofa herself. "You could work here with me?" she offered with a large smile. "Or, in one of my multiple businesses, or you could even work for Eric in one of the businesses he owns!" my cousin suggested.

Sighing quietly, I shook my head. "I like my job at Merlotte's, I know how to do my job, I know the people there, and I'm good at waitressing. While I appreciate your offer I could never relocate to Vegas, I love Louisiana too much and my family home and all my memories are there." I explained, swishing my feet in the tub a little. Toni chuckled at my childish swishing, taking one of my feet in his hands. Grabbing a foot scrubber he started to work off the dead skin in slow, even strokes. "I could never work for Eric either, that would be weird, plus I wouldn't want people to think I got the job because I'm sleeping with the boss." I cringed, memories of the times when I had heard Sam fantasizing about us in his head sprung to mind.

"Sook, you may not have a degree but you have your gift, you could use that to make some money. I read my human employees all the time, ensure that they're all loyal. Or you could set up a business for Supes, where you read their human employees?" Ata suggested as Toni swapped over, tending to my other foot.

"I don't know Ata, I really don't know. Merlotte's offers me some sense of normality y'know? I get to interact with people who are fully human." I pointed out, grasping at straws as to why I should keep my job. In all honesty Ata was right, there was no way I could return to Merlotte's after everything that had happened in the past few years of my life, Sam deserved reliable waitresses and I was above all of the nasty thoughts of the customers. To them I would always be 'Crazy Sookie'; they would never respect me or treat me like their equal. If I were to work in a Supe establishment, or start up my own business, then I would get some respect, I would be treated well and I'd probably earn a little more than I would on my Merlotte's wages.

"You'd earn a lot more. Your service would be unique, you could charge as much as you wanted Sookie. Think about it, you could renovate your house, buy yourself a new car, treat yourself to pedicures and manicures each week." Ata grinned in my direction as Toni moved on to her feet, scrubbing them free of any dead skin. As Ata obviously underwent this treatment frequently it didn't take long for her feet to be free of dead skin.

"I haven't the first clue how to set up a business, and if I did that then more Supes would know about me, know what I am." I pointed out, nibbling on my lower lip.

"I have businesses and Eric has businesses, we'd help you." Ata informed me as Toni took our feet out of the footbaths, draining the water out of them before towel drying us down. "You might find should you provide an excellent service, that many Supes will be in your debt as you rat out their untrustworthy employees. You'd most likely gain their protection. I ratted out the King of California's gold-digger girlfriend, she was planning on staking him during the day, and ever since then Edgar has looked out for me. He's taking care of me this evening." Ata grinned.

"What colour polish would you like, Sookie?" Toni looked up with a grin. I noted Ata lean over to grab her glass of sweet tea, offering me mine. Graciously I took it, taking a sip before answering.

"A bright red, if you have one please." I decided, picking out Eric's favourite colour in a hope he would appreciate it. With a nod Toni pulled out a beautiful shocking red polish and set about buffing, filing and painting my nails.

"Have you seen the dress Godric get you yesterday?" I asked my cousin, watching as she picked up the cookie plate, offering me one. Taking one I took a small bite.

"No, but I managed to pull from his mind last night that it's a dark blue colour, so I think I might go for midnight coloured nails with glitter bits on, to look like the stars." She grinned, her excitement bubbling over. I couldn't help but giggle, though I was worried for Ata this evening I had a feeling she'd be okay, there were plenty of people there to watch out for her.

We lapsed into silence as Toni finished off my toes. Placing tissue between them, he told me to not move or the varnish would smudge. Obliging, I sat and watched as he expertly painted Ata's toes a beautiful shade of midnight blue, grabbing a small canister of glitter, which he shook over them to create a night sky effect. "They're so pretty." Ata gushed, wiggling her toes as she admired them.

"You seem to love everything I do for you, Ata." Toni chuckled, moving back to his bag to pull out a small hand dish. Going to the sink in the kitchen, he filled it with warm water, adding the lavender bubbles in for me again. Placing the dish on a tray, he popped it onto my lap, placing my hands in the water. He repeated the process for Ata, adding in the rose bubbled for her.

"It's because you're so good at your job." Ata teased the boy. I couldn't help but smile at him as he took one of my hands out of the water, starting to file my nails into a perfect curve.

"You flatter me too much." He gushed, blushing an adorable shade of red. I couldn't help but coo! "Would you like your hands the same colour?" he asked me, continuing to buff my nails. With a nod I made my decision, watching as Toni started to paint my fingernails. "I will say now though, Atzi, drawing up those tattoos was a nightmare, where the heck did you get them from? They were so darn intricate" he shook his head, poking his tongue out of his mouth a little in concentration.

"My bonded, I figured it would be the ultimate fuck off to Felipe." My cousin gave a small laugh, shrugging her shoulders.

Toni stopped working, having finished one of my hands, and turned his head to look at Ata. "It's Felipe's party you're attending? Rather you than me sugarplum." He gave a cheeky grin. You didn't have to be a telepath to know Toni wanted to ask about Godric, but he kept his mouth shut and focused on his work. Having finished my hands he instructed me to hold them in front of me, fingers spread, in order to help them dry quicker.

Moving on to Ata, Toni took one of her hands, starting to paint it the same shade as her toes. "What was it like?" I asked, suddenly feeling this overwhelming curiosity to hear about Ata's life and everything she had ever done. Last night she had proven that she still held fast to her old religion, that she still believed in her own Gods and Goddesses and yet she had also taken on a more modern Wiccan element to the practice, trying to make it more socially acceptable. Of course Wiccan's were still sometimes thought ill of, which was a crying shame. Having grown up an outcast, pushed out from the crowd and laughed at by others, having people think mean things about me and torment me for being 'disabled' I'd learnt that not everyone was what they seemed, that there was always more to a person, events that shaped them. Of course the passing of Ata's family and her loss of Godric had shaped her initially, but after she left Egypt I had no clue what she had done with herself for the 1000 years before she met Egor and Agmund.

"What was what like?" Ata asked me gently as Toni finished one hand, moving on to the other.

"Life, during Egyptian times, and after." I answered. I'd already poked around in Toni's head and had been surprised to find out that he knew all about Ata, about her heritage and her lineage. Ari had glamoured him so as not to speak about it to anyone, and only a vampire as old as he would be able to un-glamour the boy. With 2000+-year-old vampires in short supply, they had nothing to worry about.

My cousin fell silent for a moment, and the same distant look that entered Eric's eyes whenever he was thinking of his past entered her own. "It was so different to today, our life revolved around survival and family, around food and water. We couldn't pop out to the corner shop when the milk was running low; we had to work for it. As a member of the royal family I wasn't allowed to work, but I would watch others from the palace windows. I use to watch Godric as he would work, you should have seen him Sook, honestly." A small smile crossed her lips and though I could tell she was happy she had been gifted with his company during her childhood, it still weighed down on her that her father had taken him from his home, separated him from his mother at such a young age.

"You can show me." I offered out the hand Toni had painted first, knowing it would be dry by now. Slowly I placed it on Ata's exposed arm, the skin-to-skin contact boosting the strength of our telepathy. "I want to see everything, all the time you spent with him from your first meeting to the last time you saw him." I stated firmly. I needed to do this, I needed to see what Ata's life had been like, how she'd been treated. Although I had grown up an outcast, I had the unconditional love of my grandmother, and I feared that Ata had never received such love. It was a theory of mine as to the reason why Ata so freely gave her love to everyone around her. She didn't need to take in Oscar, but she did, she didn't need to be nice to Isabel and get along with her last night, but she did, she didn't need to be civil to Pam and yet she was. She seemed to accept everyone when no one had really accepted her. I could only guess it was why she kept vampire company; they had no right to judge given their own traits and abilities. The interactions I had witnessed between Ata and her boys had been sweet, they had given her the respect a mother should deserve and yet they acted like best friends, old pals who knew everything about one another. I was reminded of Tara, of Lafayette.

During our school years we had all been the outcasts, bullied because of the fact we were different. We'd all joined together out of a need to have friends, to have people who could understand us and support us. Tara had been called out for her alcoholic abusive momma, and even her race. The South and racism had always gone hand in hand but over the years I'd witnessed it slowly retreating, but of course there were always a few, like Arlene, who were still firm on their ideas and beliefs. Lafayette had been bullied due to his sexual orientation, even from an early age he'd dislike women on a sexual and romantic level, but just like racism, which he also suffered from, he was abused because of it. There were few men in the town that would look his way, let alone speak with him. I couldn't blame him for looking further afield for his lovers, like Jesus. Jesus had been wonderful for Lala, he'd kept him grounded and he understood him. I think it helped that he looked after his momma; Gran had always told me that a man who got on with the parents was always a keeper. It was just a shame momma and daddy would never get to meet Eric. They probably wouldn't have been very accepting of him, but Gran would have been.

I had to hold back my tears at the thought of Gran. I'd been so young when I'd lost my parents that I hadn't really mourned for them, and when the time came when I understood that the fact they had 'taken a vacation with Jesus' meant they had died, I couldn't muster it up inside of me to cry and bawl over them. I'm such a bad Christian, and a bad daughter. I had been able to mourn over Gran though, and I would forever be haunted by the vision of her on Halloween. She'd told me there was nothing to be afraid of, that we're all alone in the end. Such a statement was true if you actually had an end, but now that Eric was my mate, and that we would no doubt complete the third bond some time, I would never an end, I'd live on forever. Two years ago the thought of living forever scared me, as I had always assumed the only way I would ever be able to do such a thing would be to sprout fangs and sleep in the day, but knowing I would get to keep my heartbeat, I would be able to lounge in the sunshine and eat human food, it didn't really sound too bad. My only concern was Jason, one day he would grow old and die and I would stay looking young and radiant, an immortal.

Feeling myself falling into a vast swirl of darker thoughts, I pulled myself up and out of it, snapping my attention back to Ata who was looking at me curiously, her head tipped sideways a little like a puppy dog. Eric would do that on occasion, whenever I'd said something that confused him or if he found something curious, and the thought of the two of them sharing the same traits caused me to smile. I prayed they would be able to get along.

I wanted to see Ata's life with Godric so I could try and understand what 2000 years worth of love was like, how such a tie could be formed and then reawakened 2000 years later. I knew deep down inside of me that Eric was the only one for me; there would never be any other, not even Bill. Bill would always hold a piece of me, he'd been my first everything and I had almost married him, but Eric took all those firsts and bettered them, he didn't baby me and lie to me, pretend to be something he wasn't. I was well aware of his vicious and cold nature, I'd witnessed him kill a man by plucking his heart out of his chest and then drink from his artery for goodness sake, but I was also aware of the man underneath that, the man who was in need of some affection and love from a female companion, an equal.

Toni rose to his feet from his position kneeling before us. He'd finished polishing our nails by now. Extracting a hair tie and two headbands from his kit bag, he tied up my hair before he used the hair band to push my fringe out of the way. He used the other headband on Ata, though her hair was tied up already so there was no need for him to do that. From his bag he took out a tub of green coloured gel and my initial reaction was one of horror. It looked disgusting, what on earth was he planning on doing with that? "It's a face mask, don't worry. It'll make your skin look and smell incredible, keep it smooth like a babies bottom!" he grinned, removing the lid of the container. I still wasn't sold on the idea but if Ata was going to allow him to smear this gunk on her face then I would too. When in Rome, do as the Roman's do. I couldn't help but burst into laughter at that thought, I actually was sat with someone who was half Roman, true Roman! Shaking my head at the absurdity of it, I knew I would have to find time to reflect on how mad my life had become over the past few years, but for now my survival was my top priority. Nothing like the calm before the storm eh?

As Toni started to apply the cool gel to my face, I closed my eyes and almost instantly I was transported back in time. It was like a movie playing in my mind and I knew it was coming from Ata, after all, who could the cute blonde girl with shoulder length curls, a flawless complexion and bright blue eyes be? We were in a palace, the high walls made of limestone, hieroglyphics carved into them. The young Ata was padding down the hallway, a doll in her hands. She had to be no older than ten, and yet it was clear she was well advanced for her age. "Itf!" the young Ata squealed as a man who appeared to be in his forties came into view.

"Ata!" he responded in a booming voice, crouching down and throwing his arms wide open. Ata took off in a run down the corridor, flinging herself into his arms. He enveloped her in his embrace, holding her close to his chest as he scooped her up, swinging her around happily. Their musical laughter was sweet.

The man popped Ata down, and the moment she was stood beside him I noticed their similarities. Although their hair was different in colour, and the man was stating to go bald, their eyes were the same shade of blue, their skin the same pale white. Ata even had his nose. It was obvious that he was her father. I was witnessing Julius Caesar! He was tall and well built, dressed in a senator's tunic and was well groomed.

"Your mother is choosing new slaves for the palace." He informed her. His lips were moving and yet those were not the words he was uttering. Ata was translating for me! I was grateful for it; I would never understand Ancient Egyptian, or Arabic. I'd like to learn how to read and write hieroglyphics though, it was quirky and so few people knew it off by heart that I might be able to use it in the future to communicate with others. Little Ata pushed open a huge set of double doors and entered an ancient throne room. The path was blocked by a group of men but the moment Ata approached they parted, allowing her through. I watched as she told her mother she wanted a new friend and then set about scouring the line of slaves. Her mother had been beautiful, long jet black hair, soft hazel eyes and a slender build. Her limbs were shapely and it was obvious, though she had retained her femininity, that she was strong and knowledgeable. Although I was witnessing the scene as an outsider, I could feel everything Ata had felt at the time, could hear the thoughts of the slaves, which Ata thankfully translated for me. I watched as she paused before Godric, running her fingers over the marks on his arms, moving his bangs out of the way.

I could feel the magnetic pull she'd had to him, the moment her feelings had instantly blossomed towards the young Godric. She picked him as her companion and then the memories sped up, flashing before my eyes. The pair of them walking alongside the Nile together, swimming together, talking together, when Godric plucked a flower from a bush and placed it in Ata's hair, when Ata would watch him work the fields, his young muscles flexing in the bright Egyptian sunshine, when she went to visit him at his home during the day, when he'd slept beside her as she'd drawn him and when he'd given her her very first kiss. I felt each and every emotion as the scenes played over in my head, shocked and surprised by the love that grew between them. The pulling of their souls, due to the fae bond having been started upon their first meeting, had caused their feelings for one another to grow quickly, though they had both been worried to voice their feelings because of their different backgrounds, the social standards of the time.

The flashbacks ended as I felt a light tugging on my skin, and my eyes flew open to witness Toni pulling the now dried green gel off of my face. It had hardened and created a mask of sorts, and he was busy removing it. My skin felt clean and my pores tight. There was no way I was going to be suffering from an outbreak any time soon. "You were childhood sweethearts." I cooed as Toni removed Ata's mask. A smile crossed over her lips and she nodded, mentally telling herself that she very much liked that description of them.

"Ata, how do you want your hair this evening? Are you going to be wearing a crown?" Toni asked as he pulled out a barstool, arranging it in the middle of the room so he would have 360-degree access to whoever was sat on it.

"I'm thinking a middle parting, in loose curls. I won't be wearing a crown though; I'll probably don a tiara instead. Although it's my right to wear a crown, if I do so around Felipe it would show a struggle for power, people may think I'm trying to uproot him as monarch. Plus some might get the wrong idea and think I'm his Queen." She pulled a face, wrinkling her nose. I laughed at Ata's expression. I had never met this Felipe and yet judging by the conversation regarding him he wasn't a particularly nice man.

Taking a cookie from the plate before me, I contemplated everything Ata had shown me. Their love was so pure and it had lasted for so long, I could only pray that the love Eric and I shared would last as long. I would always fight with Eric, it was a given we would clash horns every now and then, we were too alike not to, but I hoped that we would overcome anything and everything thrown our way. Now that we were together, properly, Eric had started to tell me more. Should he ever make plans I wanted to be in on them, to know what was going on around me. For so long now I had relied on others, always been left in the dark. If I couldn't have a fucking normal life then I would want to be as in control of it as possible.

Toni pulled out a pair of curling tongues, plugging them in and resting them on a heat up mat in order to protect the surface they were on. After a moment they beeped, signaling that they were hot enough. Running a brush through Ata's locks, Toni set about pinning sections up, curling the underside before spraying them with hairspray to keep them firmly in place. "Ata, if the VRA passes, what will you do?" I asked, curious as to how it would impact on Ata's life. I could imagine that Eric would put Fangtasia in his own name, though I was unsure whose name it was currently in, and that he would take full advantage of the benefits the government could offer him. Although I had a feeling Eric wasn't really a fan of politics and the hierarchy, I knew he played the game in order to keep himself afloat, to ensure he led a relatively peaceful existence.

My cousin lost herself in thought for a moment, contemplating and formulating her answer. "I want to travel, the other night Godric said he would come with me, we could see the world together. I'd go and do that, knowing he would have the same rights as everyone else. I'd leave this place to my boys, put it in their name so they would have some security and I'd give the role of Sherriff to Ari. I'd probably buy a home, a proper one, with a large garden and a vegetable patch. It's been a while since I've had a garden that I could go out and tend to. Before vampires came out of the coffin I was forced to spend all day inside, locked away with the boys. I hardly ever saw the sunshine. It was the only way to keep me safe. I ended up having to go to Faery in order to recuperate. I might even look into adoption; I'd like that, to have a child running about the house. Of course I would ask Godric his thoughts on the matter, I wouldn't just pitch up with a child and expect him to help me take care of him or her. I just want a peaceful existence. I want to get rid of all the politics, the stress."

As Ata spoke of what she wished for herself, for her little family, I couldn't help but find myself agreeing. I use to think I would be able to get away from all the vampire politics, that there would be a time where I wouldn't be an asset or a political pawn. But, as Gran would say, you can't have your cake and eat it. There would always be some vampire after me for their own personal gain, disregarding my feelings and thoughts on the matter.

"What would you do?" my cousin asked in response as Toni unpinned some of her hair, curling the next layer.

"I always use to want to get married, have babies and grandbabies, sit on my porch swing and watch them play all day. But after Bill proposed, and I found out he was only doing it on his Queen's orders, I don't know if I would want to get married. It'd kind of put me off. I mean, I know that technically once I'm bonded three times I'll be married by vampire custom, but I don't think I could do the whole white dress and church thing anymore. I don't think I would adopt either, not with all the vampire shit following me around. I would never want to put a baby in that position." I confessed with a sigh, running a hand through my hair. My nails were now dry so I didn't have to worry about ruining them.

"But Bill and Eric are so different Sookie, while Bill was going to marry you on his Queen's orders, Eric would marry you because he loves you." My cousin pointed out. The thought of marriage still sat uncomfortably with me.

Squirming in my seat, I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know Ata, I just don't know. He doesn't strike me as the sort to settle down, we haven't even spoken of monogamy yet." I confessed feeling a little silly. Vampires were sexual creatures by nature, they were bound to seek pleasures from others all the time, yet my Southern upbringing, and of course my human sensibilities, meant that the thought of anyone else wanting my Viking angered me, as did the thought of him being with anyone else.

"Has he fed on anyone else since the two of you became official? Has he had sex with anyone else since the pair of you decided to become one?" Ata questioned me in a serious tone as Toni took the last few strands of her hair, curling them around the hot irons.

Taking a moment to think about it, I realized Eric hadn't drank from, or had sex with, anyone else in the whole time we'd been together. He'd drained Claudine during his period of amnesia but her scent had overpowered him, I couldn't blame him for that. Otherwise, I wasn't aware that he'd even taken a single partner ever since I'd found him running down that road, shirtless and barefoot. "No he hasn't," I answered quietly.

"I know he respects you and loves you enough not to take from someone else. You might want to talk to him about it though, you need to hear it from his lips." My cousin offered with a smile as Toni finished off her hair.

"Where's your tiara my dear?" he asked, hair-spraying her to death before fluffing her blonde locks.

"Locked away in the safe, Ari will get it for us when he rises." Ata responded, taking the handheld mirror Toni offered her.

"Ohh I love it!" she gushed, fluffing it a little herself as she admired the perfectly formed curls. I had to admit myself that Toni had done a really good job.

"If you marry this Eric the two of you were speaking of, I am so doing your hair on your wedding day my dear, I already have so many wonderful ideas for it!" Toni exclaimed, turning to look at me with a Cheshire cat grin. Groaning internally, I offered a shy smile in response, already feeling the blush blossoming across my skin.

Offering Ata his hand, Toni helped her down from the stool. "Now my darling, strip for me!" he ordered, moving to the trunk one were guards had brought up with him. Opening it he revealed three sheets of a plastic and paper looking material. One sheet was huge, the other medium sized and the final one was small. Without a second though Ata removed her robe, throwing it onto the vacant sofa. She stood in a small pair of cream underwear and a matching backless bra, held up by halter neck style straps.

Grabbing a spray bottle, Toni poured in a solution from another bottle that was unlabeled. He then went into the kitchen and filled the spray bottle with water until it reached the top. "If the VRA passes, would you marry Godric?" I asked, grabbing another cookie from the plate to eat. Ata leant over the table, picking up a cookie of her own which she started to pick at.

"In a heartbeat." She responded quickly, a smile forming on her lips at the thought as she took a nibble of her cookie. "We were deprived of it in our human years, I want to tie myself to him in every way possible, let the world know that I love him." My cousin responded honestly as she took another bite of her cookie.

"I hope to get an invite." I grinned, imagining how the pair of them would look getting married.

"You'd be my maid of honor, Sook." Ata told me tenderly. I couldn't help but tear up a little at her words, my emotions getting the better of me. I had always hoped to be Tara's maid of honor, but with her recent confession to preferring women over men I knew it would be a while before she would be allowed to marry while residing in the south. As I'd thought earlier, Tara was facing abuse because of her race and her sexual orientation, and it would be a long and slow process for the south to accept both things and put laws in place to allow them the same treatment as others. The thought of being Ata's maid of honor, seeing her tie the knot after 2000 years of romantic loneliness, it was endearing and heart warming, and I could honestly say I only had the best of wishes for her and Godric.

If someone had of told me, up on that roof in Dallas two years ago, that I would find a cousin who would teach me everything and give Godric some purpose again after 2000 years of anger, hatred and killing, I would have laughed at them and called them deranged. I'd witnessed Godric lost in his despair, willing to meet the sun to atone for all of his sins, and I had witnessed Ata's despair the other day when we had been training, when she'd been being forced to marry a man she didn't love and care for. Now they'd both forgotten about those dark times, focusing on one another, rebuilding their relationship.

"I bet he'd buy you a huge diamond." I couldn't help but tease, watching as Toni took her arm, picking up the medium sized piece of plastic and paper. He lifted Ata's arm up, surveying it for a moment and cleaning it before he peeled off the plastic. My eyes captured the pattern on the paper and I couldn't help but smile. Godric's zigzag tattoo was on the paper. Positioning it perfectly on Ata's arm, Toni used the spray bottle to dampen the back, using a cloth to rub the liquid in to transfer the markings onto Ata's pale skin.

"Nah I doubt it. It would mean more to me if he designed it himself, y'know? I don't need a huge diamond; just knowing he crafted it himself would be enough for me. I know it's suppose to be the mans choice, but I'd love it to be a Harry Winston, I've wanted one ever since he started up his business in 1932." I could practically see Ata swaying on the spot, swooning over the prospect of owning such a rock. It wasn't really my place to get involved, but I stored the information away for the future, so that I could help Godric choose a ring for her in the future.

"What would your ring look like?" Ata questioned me, knocking me out of my thoughts as Toni took out a hairdryer, plugging it into the wall. He peeled off the paper backing to the markings, leaving the beautiful zigzags across Ata's arm. Popping the hairdryer onto a cool setting, he blasted with a diffuser for a few minutes to help it absorb into her skin and set. It was a fascinating process. Picking up the smaller piece of paper and plastic, he moved to Ata's back, positioning it on the back of her shoulder. Peeling the plastic off he cleaned her skin before he stuck it to her, using the liquid in the spray bottle to help it transfer.

I had already squashed the idea of marriage from a young age, before I had known about vampires, knowing that marrying a human would forever be out of the question, as I would always know what they were thinking, and any physical contact would always amplify their thoughts. Of course the silence I had once received from vampires was gone now, so I would need to work on my shields more, or teach Eric how to, for those nights when I was too tired to focus on keeping my own up.

"I don't know, I think I'd like something old and traditional though." I mused, pursing my lips together. "It doesn't even need to have a diamond in all honesty, or any rock at all." I decided, imagining what my ring would look like. I would love an old ring, which had seen many days. While Ata was a fan of new rings and shiny stones, I found myself craving something historic and traditional.

Toni started to peel the paper from Ata's back and Godric's brand appeared on the back of her shoulder, the exact same shade of red. It was a perfect copy and I had to admit that Toni had done a good job. "How does it look?" Ata begged, twisting and turning in an attempt to view it. Laughing at how much she looked like a little puppy dog chasing its child, I got up from the sofa and grabbed the handheld mirror, holding it up behind her as Toni held up another mirror infront of her. Ata's squeal of delight filled the room and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "It looks so real!" she gushed as Toni and I popped down our hand held mirrors.

"Well dur, I made it!" Toni rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips. Toni's thoughts had been slowly filtering through my mind over the afternoon. Thankfully he was a quiet broadcaster so his thoughts hadn't given me a splitting headache. The Advil from earlier had worn off by now and my spine was feeling much better, my headache practically none existent. Toni's thoughts had all been wonderfully pleasant, ranging from how much he adored Ata and thought of her as younger sister, even though she was much older than he was, all the way to how much he missed his boyfriend, who was in his home at the moment, and his family who were all back in New York. He didn't seem to have an issue with Ata's telepathy, and he didn't seem to mind mine either. He was a smart guy, having figured out that as we were related I was more likely to share Ata's talents. He didn't even judge about the fact we had vampires as our mates. If anything he seemed pleased by it.

As Toni picked up the large sheet, he cleaned Ata's back before peeling back the plastic. Smoothing it onto her skin, he started to spray it with the solution, rubbing it in. Waiting for a few minutes he finally peeled the paper off, leaving behind the beautiful sea serpent tattoo. Using the hair dryer once again he helped it set before declaring her markings all done. Of course Ata would need her make-up doing, but it was not unusual for a woman to dress and then apply her make-up, so as not to get her powder or lipstick on her outfit as she pulled it over her head. It was then that I felt Eric wake up in the bond, and seconds later my head was bombarded with loads of different thoughts. Rather than just receiving Eric's thoughts I was receiving them from all of the vampires in the penthouse. Eric was wondering where I was, Godric was wondering where Ata was, Ari and Khai were thinking of the things they had to do this evening, Riei and Oeri were wondering about Toni's transformation of Ata, Oscar was hungry, Pam was contemplating what to wear and Egor and Agmund were hoping the security guy would turn up soon, if he wasn't already here, to fix Ata up with some tech. I was pleasantly surprised however to find that, just like Ata, the mental voices of the vampires matched their physical voices.

Groaning at the onslaught of thoughts, I doubled over on the couch, clutching my head between my hands. Ata was at my side instantly, sitting me back up. "Breath through it Sook, breath." She instructed in a calm yet firm tone. She grabbed hold of my wrist and I could feel her starting to help me rebuild my shields, throwing in some strength as she worked_. "Sookie's in pain!" _I heard the unmistakable sound of Eric's voice in my head before Ata completed my shields, blocking out all the noise. There was only blissful silence when a whoosh could be heard, a blonde Viking running into the room. Instantly Eric was beside me, pulling me onto his lap. Ata had thankfully taken a few steps back, allowing Eric easy access to me.

"Sookie! Sookie! What's the matter?" my vampire demanded, his tone laced with worry and his eyes conveying the same emotion.

"You were all so loud." I grumbled, reaching up to rub my temples.

"You can hear us?" Eric's concern insantly vanished and was instead replaced with a large grin. Nodding my head in confirmation, Eric laughed happily. "That's fantastic! What am I thinking now?" he asked, bowing his head so he could look me in the eyes, as if that would improve my telepathy.

"I don't know, my shields are up and I don't feel like bringing them down any time soon. Ata injected some of her mental strength into them when she helped me rebuild them." I explained, worried about the onslaught of thoughts I could possibly hear the moment my shields were down. I was going to need some serious training with them. It would be like starting over again.

As if remembering Ata's presence in the room, Eric lifted his head to look at my cousin, his eyes drifting to the mark on her arm, her lack of clothing and then to Toni. He didn't seem too bothered by the number of vampires slowly filtering into the room; in fact he even offered smiles to Ata's boys, all of whom returned them. It was the click of fangs that captured everyone's attention and we all turned to find a very amorous Godric stood in the doorway, pupils dilated as he took in the scantily clad form of his bonded, now bearing his marks. As Ata wavered under his lustful gaze, I felt the wall around my mind crumble a little. Ata was obviously helping me somewhat in keeping them in place and as her own resolve was crumbling, so were my shields. Snippets of the thoughts of the vampires in the room entered my mind, including the passionate thoughts of the 2000-year-old vampire stalking towards Ata with intent. Grabbing her around the waist he pulled her in for a searing kiss, snaking his hands lower down her body. Ata's resolve returned and I felt the little cracks in my shields fill back up again as she disentangled herself from his embrace. He'd donned a pair of track pants, most likely for modest more than anything else, and seeing the matching markings on the pair of them made me laugh out loud.

Twelve sets of eyes turned to look at me and I had to stifle my laughter at the number of raised eyebrows. Taking a moment to pick out whose eyebrow quirk was the best; I figured Pam won hands down. She had the naturally snarky attitude that worked well with such a look. Clamping my hand over my mouth to stifle any more embarrassing noises, I allowed Eric's hands to wander as he checked me over for any marks from the night before. "I'm fine, Eric. All healed, see?" I offered, holding out my arms for him before I lifted my legs, letting him have a look at those too. "I had a bit of a sore back this morning but it was nothing a few Advil and a Mani Pedi couldn't fix." I wiggled my fingers and toes, showing off the red polish. A deep rumble from Eric's chest informed me that the colour choice was to his liking.

"You know red is my favourite colour." He purred, waggling his eyebrows.

I responded with what I hoped was my best coy smile. "Why I didn't know that at all." I feigned innocence, knowing it was one of the reasons Eric had been so captivated by me the moment we had met. He'd been use to the endless procession of pathetic fangbangers who only ever cared about sex and being bitten. I'd been different than them, seen things in a different way.

"Let me see." Godric's soft voice floated over to us as he held Ata out at arms length, slowing twirling her around to get a full 360 view of her. He spent some time admiring her back, following all the lines of the marking Toni had just placed upon her skin. "They're very good," he complimented, "thank you." He offered to Toni with a smile.

"It's no problem at all. They were difficult to draw but it was fascinating to look them up to find the meaning behind them. I was working away and getting a history lesson at the same time." He grinned, already at ease with Godric. I knew from his mind that he had never been glamoured before, that he was a nice enough guy that vampires instantly liked him and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Of course there were a few he was frightened of, but he would never admit it out loud, let alone show any outward signs of it. The vampires, with all their parties and get togethers, were his best clients.

"Have the security people arrived yet?" Agmund asked taking a step closer to Ata. Slowly he took her from Godric, embracing her for a moment before she was passed around to each of her children, greeting them for the evening. Ata even pulled Oscar in for a hug. Upon reaching Pam however, she didn't dare to offer such physical contact and instead went for a small nod, which Pam responded.

"They haven't I'm afraid, but there's still an hour before the car will be here to get me." Ata sighed, tucking a loose strand of her blonde locks behind her ear as Godric pulled her back into his arms, not daring to let her go.

"Are you okay, Sookie? Not in any pain?" Pam surprised me by appearing at my side. If I hadn't of known better I would have sworn there was a hint of worry in her voice, concern even. This was Pam though, and as nice as she had been to me the other night, and as much as we may have cleaned out the past, she would always be cold and emotionless.

"I'm fine, thank you. I guess it was just a shock to my system last night, that's all. I barely remember any of it if I'm being honest with myself. Ata had to fill me." I gestured to my cousin before pointing towards the box.

"Ari, can you pop that in the safe for me, please? Make sure no one opens it, I don't want the bastard getting out." Ata remembered her idea from earlier to lock away the Jinn.

"What's in the box, my sweet?" Godric nuzzled her neck, inhaling her sweet scent; seemingly oblivious to the fact she was stood in little more than her underwear.

"A Jinn. It was in Sookie's mind, protecting her from hearing vampire thoughts. I had to make a deal with it and then it invaded my mind. I spent all morning booting it out." She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"There was a Jinn in your mind?" Oeri's eyebrow rose as he directed the question at me. With a nod I confirmed his query. Although Ata had told me a lot about the Jinn earlier on, I didn't feel like I had the knowledge to answer any more questions on the subject.

"Whoever planted it there has serious resources." Eric mused aloud.

"We think it might have been Niall, or Fintan." Ata offered as a way of explanation, to which Eric seemed to nod in agreement.

"That explains why you were bleeding last night, why you were so tired." The pieces seemed to fall into place in Godric's mind as he made sense of it all. With a nod similar to mine, Ata confirmed his speculation. During our brief exchange Ari had taken the metal box and locked it away, and now he was back in the room.

"Ata, I suggest you dress for this evening so Toni can apply your make-up. I don't want to overstep any lines but once again I suggest you let your hormones run a little loose, and take a few deep pulls of Godric's blood, you need to have his scent all over and in you. It'll be the only way for others to know you're off the market, and that you're not Felipe's." Ari suggested, having already donned a pair of perfectly tailored black suit pants and a crisp white shirt.

The furious blush that overtook Ata's features was highly amusing to me, though I was sobered by the fact that I probably looked like whenever Eric made a sexual comment towards me, or simply loomed over me. That man was both intimidating and gorgeous at the same time, it should be illegal for someone to be flawless.

"Hm I'm agreeable to that." Godric all but purred, pulling Ata back towards the windowless corridor that led to their bedroom.

"You have twenty minutes Atzi, then I need to do your make-up, so make it a quickie!" Toni called out with a chuckle as the pair left the room, seemingly not fazed with the fact one of his best gal pals was about to get laid.

Still seated in Eric's lap, my Viking vampire brushed my hair out of my face, checking me over once again for any marks. "I'm fine Eric, honestly." I breathed, gently batting his hands out of the way.

"I was so worried about you last night, you were in so much pain." He whispered, the pain of remembering evident in his voice. He'd been pulling the pain from me all night, I knew that much. He had been taking the pain for me so that I wouldn't suffer.

"You took it away though, you carried it with me. Thank you." I murmured in response, pressing my lips to his in a reassuring kiss.

"Are you okay? Ata's injury last night didn't hurt you as well did it?" I could faintly hear Pam conversing with Ari, her voice laced with a very low level of concern. It was obvious Eric picked up on it too as he smiled against my lips, slowly pulling away to open his eyes, gazing over my shoulder to watch his Childe as she conversed with Ata's eldest.

"I'm fine, Pam, honestly. Though I thank you for your concern." The old Egyptian reassured her with a warm smile, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. I had a funny feeling that had it been anyone else touching her Pam would have ripped him or her apart.

"Yeah well, good." She murmured before her voice took on its usual stonic tone. "Can't have you injured and unable to protect Ata this evening, if something were to happen to her it would devastate my Grandsire." She placed a hand on her hip.

Ari lips twitched, the faintest hint of a smirk appearing on them as he took note of her cover up reasoning. Pam was so transparent at times. "You're right. We can't have that at all, can we?"


	45. The Promise

**A/N little bit lemony, G needs to claim A before she goes off to partayyy!**

**S and E lemony goodness shortly! It's been a while since either couple got some loving me thinks :3**

**Okay, quick question, I bought Season 4 of TB from the US via Amazon as it was the DVD/Blu-Ray/Digital version and that wasn't out in the UK (plus it was cheaper than just buying the DVD set in the UK) however I seem to be unable to redeem the digital copies….I went to go through iTunes however it booted me out because it's only available on the US store and I don't have a US address…plus apparently Apple check IP's or something like that to make sure you're from the US…**

**Anyway, what I'm saying is, I can download it via Amazon US (which I have an account with and bought the set from) but does anyone know I go about this? What sort of thing I have to do?**

**If there is no way for me to do that, I was wondering if one of my long-time readers who resides in the US would download them for me from iTunes and then share them with me via a sharing folder thing on MSN or something? I really want them for my iPad and iPhone you see :( You don't have to worry about the whole 'Unable to play' on my iTunes because you downloaded them in your name, I have software that can crack encryption codes and such (not that I like to shout about that….hahaa)**

**It might be a win:win for us both is someone was to do this for me, you'd get a HD copy for free of the whole of Season 4 and I'd get my copies, hence why I've said long-term readers. I want someone REALLY trustworthy to do this with as the box set was still mighty expensive anyway and I don't wanna be fucked over :/**

**If anyone has experienced this or whatever, PLEASE let me know, I really want the digital copies :(**

**Also, some parts of this chapter might be a repeat from the last one, it's a different POV of the last chapter really and of course the vampires get to watch the video from the day, that the girls forgot was recording every conversation ;)**

**Updated my wordpress - www dot midnightopheliac dot wordpress dot com**

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_You know I still get lost in your eyes  
__With your lips and your kiss and your hand in mine  
__You're all that I need  
__And I promise I'll sleep fine tonight  
__Just knowing you're here by my side  
__Don't give this up, don't give this up  
__I'm not saying that I don't believe, I'm exactly where I want to be  
__Don't you take that from me no  
__You keep on running, you're running away  
__I'll be here waiting wishing you could see  
__But I'll just remember the promise that you made whoa  
__I'll keep on fighting, I'm fighting for you  
__I swear I would give you the sun and the moon  
__If you'll just remember the promise that you made  
__Oh, oh, oh, oh  
__I'm not saying that I don't believe, I'm exactly where I want to be  
__Don't you take that from me no, I'm not saying that I don't believe  
__I'm exactly where I want to be, don't you take that from me  
__Don't you take that from me  
__~ The Promise, Framing Hanley_

Waking to find Ata missing from our bed I had instantly sought out her location, using our bond to track her. She was still in the penthouse thankfully. Pulling on a loose fitting pair of track pants I decided to go without my shirt. I quickly set up the wardrobe with Ata's new dress and shoes before emerging from the room to hear the sound of chatter and laughter from the living area. I could sense my Childe in the room, along with Pam, Sookie, Ata's boys and, of course, my bonded.

Turning into the room my eyes were instantly drawn to Ata and without so much as a warning my fangs dropped into place, my lust reaching an indescribably level as I took in the appearance of my mate scantily clad in pretty underwear while bearing my markings upon her creamy skin. Ata wavered under my lustful gaze. _Oh the things I want to do to her! Rip off those panties and fuck her mercilessly against the wall, rub myself all over her, sink my fangs into her neck. _Stalking towards her I had my arm wrapped around her waist in no time, pressing my lips to hers in a passionate and heated kiss. My hands slipped lower, cupping her behind as I pulled her even closer, pressing my prominent arousal against her crotch, which I could already tell was a little damp with her own arousal. For a moment I felt her loose herself in our kiss, but then suddenly she pulled back, obviously having gained a grip on her emotions. I was still lost in my emotions though, seeing her bearing my markings and dressed in next to nothing had stirred such primal feelings deep inside of me that I thought I had conquered long ago.

Sookie's laughter broke me out of my lustful daze, and I turned to face the young giggling fae. The young fae clamped a hand over her mouth before she conversed with my Childe, showing off her freshly painted nails. I couldn't keep my eyes off of my beloved however.

"Let me see." I asked in a soft voice, moving Ata out to hold her at arms length, slowly twirling her before me so I could get a full 360-degree view of her. She looked incredible; my markings were perfect upon her body. Though I preferred her unmarred skin I found myself liking the fact she was branded as mine, I felt sick with myself at the thought however. For a moment I realized that was how my Master, and subsequently my Maker, had felt when he had burnt the red brand into my shoulder blade. If vampires could throw up I probably would have by now. As Ata's back came into sight I stopped her movements, looking over the sea serpent tattoo. It was beautiful and many hours had obviously gone into drawing it up to make it look exactly like mine. I had noticed Toni while Eric and Sookie had been talking, and it didn't take a genius to figure out he had dealt with Ata's hair and markings, and that he would do her make-up later on.

"They're very good," I complimented the boy, "thank you." I offered him with a smile, wanting to be on good terms with him. He was no threat, there was no way my Ata would be romantically interested in him, and therefore I felt at ease around him and wanted the same in return.

"It's no problem at all. They were difficult to draw but it was fascinating to look them up to find the meaning behind them. I was working away and getting a history lesson at the same time." He grinned, already at ease with me. He obviously worked with plenty of vampires and their human companions then.

"Have the security people arrived yet?" Agmund asked taking a step closer to Ata. Slowly he took her from me, embracing her for a moment before she was passed around to each of her children, greeting them for the evening. My beloved even pulled Oscar in for a hug. Upon reaching Pam however, she didn't dare to offer such physical contact and instead went for a small nod, which Pam responded.

"They haven't I'm afraid, but there's still an hour before the car will be here to get me." Ata sighed, tucking a loose strand of her blonde locks behind her ear as I pulled her back into my arms. I didn't want her to go to this party this evening, I wanted to lock us away in our room and have my way with her until dawn, take her on every available surface in every available position.

"Are you okay, Sookie? Not in any pain?" Pam asked Sookie, seemingly concerned for her new Mistress.

"I'm fine, thank you. I guess it was just a shock to my system last night, that's all. I barely remember any of it if I'm being honest with myself. Ata had to fill me." Sookie gestured to my beloved.

"Ari, can you pop that in the safe for me, please? Make sure no one opens it, I don't want the bastard getting out." Ata gestured towards a metal box on the table, and the shift in her emotions had me curious as to the boxes content.

"What's in the box, my sweet?" I nuzzled her neck, inhaling her sweet scent; not caring that she was stood in little more than her underwear. She smelt so intoxicating, her soft warm skin rubbing against my cold marble skin. It was an incredible sensation and I felt myself stirring inside my pants.

"A Jinn. It was in Sookie's mind, protecting her from hearing vampire thoughts. I had to make a deal with it and then it invaded my mind. I spent all morning booting it out." She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"There was a Jinn in your mind?" Oeri's eyebrow rose as he directed the question at Sookie. With a nod she confirmed his query.

"Whoever planted it there has serious resources." Eric mused aloud.

"We think it might have been Niall, or Fintan." Ata offered as a way of explanation, to which Eric seemed to nod in agreement.

"That explains why you were bleeding last night, why you were so tired." The pieces seemed to fall into place in my mind as I made sense of it all. With a nod Ata confirmed my statements. She had been hurt getting the Jinn out of Sookie's mind, and it had taken up residence in her mind for the time being. Pressing a tender kiss to her temple I couldn't help but admire how strong she was. Even in her human years she had been so strong, and now she was even stronger. I was in awe of my beloved, how much she had lived through, facing the days alone, dealing with the discrimination against women that had been common in the past. During our brief exchange Ari had taken the metal box and locked it away, and now he was back in the room.

"Ata, I suggest you dress for this evening so Toni can apply your make-up. I don't want to overstep any lines but once again I suggest you let your hormones run a little loose, and take a few deep pulls of Godric's blood, you need to have his scent all over and in you. It'll be the only way for others to know you're off the market, and that you're not Felipe's." Ari suggested, having already donned a pair of perfectly tailored black suit pants and a crisp white shirt for later on the evening. Although I was now aware of their Maker-Childe bond and that there was nothing else to their relationship, I couldn't help but be jealous of the other male. He'd been turned when he'd been much older so he appeared a lot more mature; people probably took him seriously and felt threatened by his height and build. He took care of Ata when I was unable to, and they looked at one another with such adoration that I found myself unable to hold back my possessiveness.

"Hm I'm agreeable to that." I purred, tightening my hold on Ata's waist as I pulled her back towards the windowless corridor that led to out bedroom.

"You have twenty minutes Atzi, then I need to do your make-up, so make it a quickie!" Toni called out with a chuckle. Twenty minutes was plenty of time, I could make my little fairy scream my name several times before then.

The moment we were in our bedroom I slammed the door shut, pinning Ata to it. I was careful not to let her back come into contact with the wood though, using my hands to create a gap. I was unsure how dry her markings were and I didn't wish to smudge them. My lips met hers in a furious kiss and her legs wound themselves around my waist, tightening to pull me close, causing our crotches to rub together. Groaning lowly at the feeling, I hissed as Ata dragged her nails across my scalp, thrusting her tongue into my mouth. Pulling back, she wiggled free from me, her feet meeting the floor. Walking me back a few steps she gave me a shove and I landed on our bed, bouncing slightly as I sat. "You're wearing too much." She declared, divesting me of my track pants within seconds.

Springing free from the confines of the material, Ata licked her lips, a low groan reverberating from her chest. "I can't wait to taste you." She whispered, looking up at me from under her naturally long lashes as she sunk to her knees before me. Her words did nothing to quell my rising lust. Although I'd seen nearly everything the world had to offer in my 2000 years, the sight of my beloved on her knees in front of me, drawing me into her mouth, was exhilarating and I had to rely on my centuries of control to not lose it and fuck her right away. Her tongue laved over the head, causing me to shudder in bliss. Slowly she started to nibble on me, nipping sharply every now and then, which drew a hiss from me, before she soothed her nips with long, languid strokes of her tongue. Her small hands were wrapped around the parts of me that she couldn't get in her mouth, and slowly she started to pump. Running her tongue along the underside of me, she soon engulfed me completely. Crying out at the sensation of her hot, wet mouth wrapped around my cool member, my hands knotted in her hair as I pulled her closer, causing my shaft to slip down her throat for a moment. Pulling her head back a little, she started to bob, sucking me like I was some sort of sugary treat. She suddenly pursed her lips and nibbled once again. "FUCK! ATA!" I shouted out her name, my hips jerking upwards involuntarily. Letting me go after a moment, I found myself panting though I had no need to breathe, my fangs still down from earlier on, showcasing my need for her.

If she kept this up I was going to lose control, and Ata was yet to meet her own release. Pulling her off me, I lifted her up onto my lap, her knees on the bed either side of my thighs. Crashing our lips together I could taste myself on her. It was incredible. I could scent her arousal in the air and it was utterly intoxicating. With a flick of my wrist her panties and bra were on the floor, but my love was oblivious to her ruined underwear, she was too busy rocking her hips against mine, causing my shaft to slide against her wet folds. Both of us groaned at the sensation and we pulled apart, our eyes locking. Without giving her a moment to think about it I stood up and flipped her over, bending her over the bed at a 90-degree angle, nudging her legs apart to give me the perfect view of her pert behind and easy access.

With a sharp thrust I buried myself to the hilt inside of her, causing her to cry out at the sensation. I set a fast pace, knowing we were on a tight timeline, one hand grasping Ata's hips as I held her in place, the other knotting in her blonde hair to pull her up, causing her to arch her back and moan loudly. Looking down at her back, my markings covering her skin, her blonde curls bouncing with every thrust, it was almost my undoing. I would not have my pleasure until my beloved reached hers though!

Snaking a hand around her waist, I rubbed the nub at the apex of her legs furiously; her cries of pleasure and the feelings washing over me through our bond told me she was fast approaching her climax. Picking her up I vamped us to the sofas in our room, sitting down with Ata straddling my lap, our chests pressed together as I continued to thrust into her, her hips rocking against mine. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her body close to me, fusing our lips together in a passionate kiss. With a few better-angled thrusts my Ata toppled over the edge, screaming my name. The clenching of her internal muscles was my own undoing. "You. Are. MINE." I yelled just as she bit down on my neck, breaking the skin and causing my blood to flow freely into her mouth. Her deep pulls reduced my recovery time to practically nothing and I found myself already ready for round two, but I knew there was no time.

"Take more my sweet." I whispered soothingly, moving her hair from her face as she continued to pull on the bite. Feeling her taking my blood from my neck was far more intimate than anything we had ever done together, it was erotic yet tender at the same time, sensual yet comforting. Taking several more deep pulls, the wound healed over and my beloved slumped against my chest, panting and wheezing for breath.

"We need to do that more often." She breathed, craning her head to look up at me. With a deep chuckle I dropped a kiss to her forehead, scooping her up in my arms before crossing to the bathroom. Placing her down on the sink counter, my little fairy squealed as the cold marble came into contact with her warm skin.

"That we do my darling, that we do." I agreed in a murmur, getting a damp cloth. Quickly I ran it over her whole body, careful to avoid her new markings however, in order to freshen her up a little.

"Do I get to see my dress now?" she asked me in an excited whisper as I set her back down on the floor. Smiling indulgently I took her hands, leading her out of the bathroom and through the bedroom to the wardrobe. Stopping before the doors I moved behind her, popping my hands over her eyes. I could feel her excitement and happiness through the bond, it was a beautiful and innocent thing and I found myself wanting to feel such emotions from her more. Perhaps I would buy her lots of other things, if only to feel her excitement more often. Leading her into the room, I stopped a few feet from her new dress. Quickly I removed my hands, knowing I had no time to stall and drag out the moment. My internal body clock was telling me we had around 3 minutes before we were required back in the living room.

As my hands fell away from her face, Ata's eyes opened and she took a sharp intake of breath, her hand clamping over her mouth, which had formed an adorable little 'O' shape. Wide blue eyes swung to me, unshed tears shimmering in them. "Do you like it?" I asked quietly, suddenly very nervous of my choice as my beloved looked back at the midnight blue dress hanging up before her.

I could feel her pulling her emotions under control and she nodded furiously before suddenly leaping into my arms, smothering me in affectionate kisses. "It's perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed, turning back to her new dress. With a squeal that most girls only ever made in the movies, she grabbed a pair of cute blue panties and the matching bra, pulling them on before she moved to the dress. With cautious hands she ran her fingers over the fabric, gasping as the silk slipped between them.

Crossing to her side at human pace, I took the dress from the hanger, pulling down the zipper before I held it down for her to step into. Using my shoulders to support herself, she stepped into the dress and I pulled it up over her legs, her hips, her stomach and then her chest, until it sat perfectly upon her frame. Gently closing the zipper, I leant down for the shoes. Ata took a seat on a white chair in the wardrobe and I slid her shoes on, kissing her smooth and toned legs as I fastened them in place. "Isabel bought you the shoes, my sweet." I informed her quietly, not wanting to take credit for the whole ensemble.

"They're perfect." She whispered in response as I finished fastening them. Using my vamp speed I pulled on a fresh pair of track pants before I offered Ata my hand, helping her up from the chair. Giving her hair a small fluff, I took a step back to admire my beautiful twice bonded. She looked incredible, and smelt of me completely. Every vampire at that party would be jealous of me this evening. Carefully I moved to her jewelry box, taking out a white gold necklace. Although it wasn't silver I hoped some of the younger vampires would be idiots and think that it was. Carefully moving her hair aside, I clipped it on, moving her hair back to cover the clasp moments later. Walking her to the mirror, I let her stand before it, taking in her appearance. "I feel beautiful." She whispered as she caught sight of her reflection, twisting so that she could see her back, my marks standing out clearly through the cut out section.

"You are beautiful." I reminded her firmly, standing behind her as she straightened herself out. Dropping a kiss to the top of her shoulder, I took a deep breath. "It's missing one thing though." I murmured, moving over to the pair of pants I had been wearing last night. I could feel Ata's confusion through our bond and, try as I might; I was unable to hide my nervousness. Taking the black box that Isabel had brought with her from my safe back in Dallas, I returned to my loves side. Gently I took her hand, kissing the back of it before turning it over, placing the black box in her palm. Her eyes dropped to the box, her mouth open a little as a light frown crossed her features. Giving her a moment to inspect the box, I noted how wary she was of opening it. "Open it, please?" I asked quietly, anticipating her reaction.

Slowly she removed the lid, her jaw dropping as she caught sight of the item inside. Her eyes widened as she looked up to me and I could see nothing but pure adoration shining in them, I could feel her love for me pulsing through our bond as confirmation. Slowly I took the box from her, extracting the ring. "I had it made during our human years, I worked the fields in the day to save up the money for the white gold, not wanting my Master to know. Osaze crafted it for me. Originally it was just a band of metal, I was saving it to give to you when the moment was right, but over the years I've had it melted down and added to. The diamonds are a new addition." I laughed nervously, taking her left hand in my own.

My bonded said nothing, but the emotions coming from her and the expression on her features told me that she was shocked, but unbelievably happy. I'd learnt, when I'd been taken to Egypt, that the ring was linked with the supernatural, a never-ending band linked with eternal love. Quite fitting now I thought. I'd had more white gold added to it over the years, to increase the quality to 10-karats. Having been a slave boy I hadn't been able to afford very much white gold and had been forced to pad the band out with other metals. As technology advanced I'd removed the cheaper metals, adding the white gold. I'd even hand picked the 11 brilliant round diamonds set along the twisted, linking bands. I'd chosen for the bands to be twisting and linking at the top to represent our lives, how entwined we had been with one another in our human years, only now did I realize just how entwined we really were. It was not an engagement ring; the engagement ring my beloved would wear would be bigger, fancier. This was a promise, and I knew my beloved understood that.

Lifting my gaze, I captured her eyes with my own, pushing all my love for her through the bond. "I give you this ring as a promise to you, a promise that I'll be here and I'll always be true to you. I promise that I'll hold you when your day isn't going right and I will comfort you through the night. I promise that I'll make you smile and that I'll be here when you feel like crying. I promise that I will guide you when the future isn't clear; I promise I will be there to wipe away your every tear. I promise that no matter what we will make it through, I give you this ring as a promise, it's a promise that I will always love you." My voice cracked a little as I held the band just in front of her wedding finger, having found out it was the usual finger that promise rings were placed on, seeking confirmation that this was what she wanted.

Never had I been so frightened in my life, even the battle of Salsu felt mediocre compared to this. Ata was holding my whole happiness in the palm of her hand, and after 2000 years of being emotionless, of only caring for myself and my Childe, it felt so strange to trust another being so completely with my life. My words snapped my beloved from her shocked daze and with a small nod she gave me the permission I had been asking for. Slipping the promise ring onto her finger, I kissed the band before kissing the back of her hand once again. I had no time to think before Ata's lips were on my own, her small body pressed against mine firmly. Her kiss was tender and loving, and the bond was alive with her adoration towards me. Slipping my arms around her I held her close to me, returning her kiss, feeling relief that she had accepted my 2000-year-old gift.

"Whatever I have done to deserve you I do not know, but I am so happy I did whatever it was." She whispered against my lips, pulling back to look into my eyes. Her cheeks were tear stained so I leant forward, licking away the moisture. Her tears were so sweet. Her eyes dropped to her left hand, which she held out to the side of us. Her head turned to her side, admiring how perfectly it sat around her finger. Turning my own head to look at it upon her finger, I found myself yearning to put an engagement ring there too, and a wedding band. Pressing a kiss to her temple, she nuzzled my nose. "I love you, thank you." She whispered, pressing her lips to mine once again. The sound of knuckles rapping lightly on the door pulled us from our little moment.

"Ata, we need to sort out your make-up and wire you up for the evening." Khai's soft voice floated through the door. Removing ourselves from one anothers arms, I took Ata's right hand in my left one, locking our fingers together as we moved through our bedroom, opening the door together. A shocked expression crossed Khai's features as he took in my bonded's attire, and he gave it a nod of approval. It was then his nostrils flared and he tried to suppress his smirk, "There's no denying you're claimed, you stink." He teased, earning himself a swat to his chest. Of course the moment my beloved lifted her left hand to smack him the diamonds on her promise ring shimmered in the artificial light. With super vampire reflexes Khai grabbed her hand, hauling it up to his face to peer at the band. His bright green eyes turned to me and I couldn't help but pull Ata closer in to my side. "A promise." I assured him with a smile, not wanting him to think I had proposed and not asked his permission first. I would have to ask the permission of all of her boys most likely, as they were the closest things she had to fatherly figures.

"What a way to piss off Felipe." Khai commented as Ata and I stepped out of the bedroom and started down the hallway behind him.

"I didn't give it to Ata in order to anger Felipe, though I will admit the timing works well. I gave it to her because I love her and I want her to know that all the time." I responded, giving my beloveds side a gentle squeeze as we entered the living area.

"What did you give Ata?" Eric was quick to ask, quirking an eyebrow in my direction. I had no time to come up with a suitable answer before Ata had lifted her left hand showing everyone in the room, including Isabel who had obviously arrived during our romp, the diamond and white gold band I had placed around her finger moments ago.

"Oh my goodness!" Sookie shrieked happily, scrabbling off of Eric's lap before she darted to Ata and I. All of Ata's boys had gathered around us, taking turns to grab her hand and admire the band, Toni was stood with them and even Pam and Isabel had crowded together to see. "It's so beautiful!" Sookie gushed, looking between us happily.

Both Eric and Ari were looking at me with quirked eyebrows, and I quickly realized they all thought I had just proposed. "It's a promise ring, I'm not going anywhere without my Ata ever again." I informed them all, pressing another kiss to Ata's temple, her eyes turning to me to look at me with such love that if I had of been human, and in need of breath, I probably would have forgotten how to breathe for a moment. Sookie, Oscar and Toni cooed at my words, practically swooning on the spot. It seemed the young fae, the baby vamp and the gay hairdresser all had romantic souls. Isabel offered both Ata and I a sweet smile. My former nest mate was dressed in a floor length black skirt, a black and white corset accentuating her Hispanic curves and a flowing black shawl covered her shoulders and arms. Ata's boys offered me a nod and I couldn't help but feel accepted by them, like a part of the family. Of course I technically was family, a very small fraction of my human blood was in their systems, but it felt good to know they accepted me of their own accord, not just because of our blood ties.

Eric was looking at Sookie as she cooed over Ata's new ring, a tinge of longing passing through our bond. Ah my Childe wanted to tie himself to his own fairy, perhaps I would be able to go shopping with him one evening to help him pick out a ring for her. Usually Pam's features were stonic, but my vampire Grandchilde actually looked pleased for both Ata and I, and she defiantly approved of the diamonds. Pam had always been a fan of anything expensive and sparkly.

"I really do hate to break up this moment but I need to do your make-up Atzi." Toni addressed my love, gently taking her from me to sit her on a barstool.

"Thank you for my shoes, Isabel. They're beautiful." She thanked my former nest mate, complete sincerity in her voice.

Isabel gave my bonded a soft smile, crossing to stand before her as Toni rummaged in the make-up bag he had brought with him. "I'm just glad you're here, and that you've given Godric a purpose again." She shocked me, and everyone else in the room, when she pulled my little fairy in for a hug. It was quick, but it was a hug nonetheless.

"I suppose it's time for my gift for you." Pam spoke up, crossing to the coffee table where she picked up a little Cartier bag. Everyone in the room frowned, even Ata as Pam handed her the little bag.

"You bought me something?" she murmured in disbelief. Pam nodded, a nonchalant expression on her features, but Eric had opened up my bond with him, enabling me to feel Pam's nervousness.

All eyes were on my beloved as she opened the bag, removing a beautiful red box from instead. With curiosity burning in her eyes, she lifted the lid and gasped, removing a beautiful silver bangle from the box. The piece was old, that was for certain, and the Cartier logo had been incorporated into it, including several large and beautiful diamonds. "Oh Pam! It's beautiful!" Ata gushed, lifting her gaze from the bracelet to my Grandchilde. Try as she might, Pam couldn't stop herself from smiling at my bonded.

"I thought you might need something practical that will help you to defend yourself with at this party, a gun or something is highly impractical." She stated in an offhand manner. I couldn't help but think there was more to it than her need for Ata to have some form of protection. Hadn't Pam bought Sookie something in order to patch up their friendship? Was that what she was trying to do here?

Placing the bangle down in the box on the counter, Ata surprised everyone in the room, eliciting a few quiet gasps from Eric, Isabel and even Sookie as she embraced Pam. We watched fascinated as Pam returned the affectionate gesture, all be it not as confidently, but I figured if I were human I would have passed out from shock by now. This was defiantly an evening for surprises!

Letting go of Pam, Ata slipped the silver bangle on, sliding herself back onto the stool. Toni set to work right away, using a powder to even out her skin tone before he applied a generous amount of mascara, accentuating my loves eyes; they had always been my favourite feature of hers. The beautiful blue colour had mesmerized me the moment we had met, and had continued to do so for over 2000 years. Plucking a red lipstick out of his make-up kit, Toni set to work applying it to my beloveds' lips.

"The security guys are here, I'll go and bring them up." Riei broke through the silence, taking Oeri with him to go and meet the team that would be wiring Ata up for the night. Sookie had returned to her spot on Eric's lap, Isabel sat on one side of him and Pam on the other. Agmund, Egor and Oscar had taken the other sofa while Khai and Ari perched themselves on the remaining barstools. I had no problem standing and therefore took my place beside Ata, watching with a critical eye as Toni worked on her make-up.

I wanted to know what he was doing, the order he did things in. I had never witnessed a woman applying make-up before, or having someone apply it for her. Isabel had been the only woman I had lived with for the past few centuries, and even then she only left her room once she had a full face of make-up on. Toni flipped a switch, turning on a short round metal pole that had a funny looking clip on one side. "Curling irons." Toni explained for me with a small smile as he picked up Ata's slightly ruined hair, fixing it in no time at all. I took note of his actions as he worked, storing the information away. Maybe Ata would let me curl her hair one day?

The sound of the elevator doors dinging alerted us all to the presence of the security guys, just as Toni finished on Ata's hair. "Evening Miss Caesar." The eldest of the two greeted my beloved like an old acquaintance. He was easily in his 50's, rather short in stature and yet fit for a man of his age. His hair was graying out and his almond coloured eyes were warm and welcoming. The other male by his side was a spitting image of him, yet younger by at least 30 years. He must be the elderly mans son. I disliked the way he was so clearly eye fucking my beloved though, and made a show of wrapping an arm around her, holding her left hand to draw attention to the diamond band there. The young boy noticed the gesture, and the ring, and he seemed to scowl.

"You should let the boy have his dreams, honestly. It doesn't bother me." Ata's tender voice flooded my mind. I had to suppress a growl at the thought of how many men had leered at my bonded over the years, had thought such filthy thoughts about her when they knew nothing of her.

"It bothers me, you're mine." I reminded her, adding a mental possessive growl to my statement.

"Good evening James." Ata greeted happily, slipping off the stool. Toni started to pack his things away, leaving behind a powder and a lipstick so Ata could touch up her make-up later. "I'll wire you your money in the morning." Ata and Toni exchanged French cheek kisses before the hairdresser and beautician waved to us all, disappearing off with Riei and Oeri to be escorted from the building.

"What goodies do you have for me this evening then boys?" Ata paused near a sofa. Agmund and Egor were up instantly, clearing a space for Ata and myself. The two Viking vampires took their usual positions on either side of the elevator doors. Ata sat neatly on the sofa, not wanting to crease her dress, and I took the other vacant seat, wrapping an arm around Ata's waist in a protective manner, yet it wouldn't wrinkle her clothing.

"For you this evening we have," the elderly man placed a metal trunk on the counter, flicking some catches to open up the content. Pulling out a silver brooch, he handed it over to my love, a fake purple pearl sat in the middle of the floral shaped object. "A microphone hidden within the brooch, wirelessly connectable to any computer via this and completely silent, so no vampire will hear that it's there. The material is one sided, like the glass in police line-ups, so no vampire will be able to see the microphone either." He held up a memory stick, a smile on his lips. My love squealed, leaning over to take the memory stick from him.

"Ari! Plug this in!" she instructed, holding the memory stick out to her eldest Childe. Taking it, Ari vamped off only to return a few seconds later with a MacBook. Plugging the memory stick into the side, Ata pinned the brooch to her dress, picking an area that wasn't made of silk so as not to tug and ruin the fabric. The purple and silver worked well with the dress and her other jewelry. No vampire would be able to touch her this evening due to the amount of silver on her. The moment the brooch was in place the sounds from the room came out through Ari's laptop speakers.

"That is so cool." Oscar breathed, moving to look over Ari's shoulder at the screen. Oscar's voice carried through Ata's microphone and out of the laptop at the exact same moment as it was spoken, showing how quick the responsiveness of the microphone was.

"That's fabulous! What else have you got for me?" my bonded asked straining up to try and see over the lid of the metal case.

Pulling out a small white capsule, the elderly man opened it to reveal a pair of contact lenses. "Pop these in and you'll get a live video feed direct to the laptop with that memory stick plugged in." he instructed.

Taking the capsule, Ata popped the lenses in like a pro, blinking several times to adjust them. A video feed started up automatically on the laptop screen and Agmund and Egor left their posts by the elevator to come and see.

"Look at me, my sweet." I murmured, rubbing Ata's knees. She turned to face me and I lent forward, looking into her eyes to see if I could spot the lenses.

"You won't see them Sir, they were developed to be easily concealed." The younger male finally piped up. While I was still disgusted with the way he had looked at my bonded, he had at least been professional enough to address me formally.

The sound of the elevator returning captured everyone's attention and Riei and Oeri entered the penthouse. "Ata, the car is waiting for you downstairs." Oeri informed my beloved, effectively ending the little tech session. Ata thanked the two men profusely, promising to send them their payment in the morning. Riei and Oeri escorted them out as Ari pulled on his suit jacket, buttoning it up.

Moving to the bookcase, Ata removed a small wooden box and approached Ari. Handing it to him he took it from her, watching as she opened the lid. From inside she produced a dark blue handkerchief. Slowly she tucked it into the front pocket of his jacket, arranging it so it sat perfectly flat against his chest. I couldn't help but feel jealous of their current situation. Ata was about to walk into Felipe's home and I wasn't there to protect her, instead she was relying on her Childe. It angered me that my lack of political power was stopping me from aiding her, from being beside her all night, when my physical age far surpassed almost every other vampire in the New World. Ata and Ari were so familiar with one another, so in tune with each other, that I couldn't help but feel jealous of the bond they shared. "Wait here one moment." Ari instructed his Maker with a grin, disappearing off for a moment.

Having sensed my jealous spike, my beloved crossed the room to me, pulling my arms around her for a hug. Her lipstick meant I couldn't kiss her, but holding her was the next best thing. Gently I tucked her into me, resting my chin on top of her head. "Be careful this evening my sweet, if at any time you feel worried please find Isabel. I have another friend who's going to be in attendance looking out for you, she may introduce herself or she may not, I don't know." I told her, rubbing her shoulders in what I hoped was a reassuring gesture.

The mention of Nora caused Ata's jealousy to spike, and I couldn't help but feel a little smug knowing I wasn't the only jealous one in our relationship. "Edgar will be on the lookout for you too." Khai stated, still curiously watching the laptop screen. Thankfully Ata's eyes were closed or else he would have been treated to an up close and personal look at my exposed chest.

Letting go of me, Ata moved to her cousin, gently taking her face in her hands. "I'm going to remove the walls I've helped you build around your mind, I know you don't know how to control vampire thoughts yet but I need to be able to communicate telepathically with you. I can converse with my boys and both Godric and Eric, but I need you to keep a link open so you can relay what I'm saying to Pam and Oscar and keep them informed too okay?" My beloved asked Sookie, who gave a small timid nod as Eric gave her side a reassuring squeeze. "Okay, this might hurt, I'm sorry." She whispered as her eyes closed, Sookie's following afterwards.

The young fairy started to whimper, and Eric watched on with concern, yet there was nothing we could do, neither of us were true telepaths. It was unfair that Sookie would have to suffer with her shields until Ata could help her build them up to be strong enough, but now she would be able to hear us we would have even more of an advantage over the enemy. I found it rather fascinating in all honesty, how such creatures could have the upper hand over vampires and yet still appear completely innocent. They were the ultimate predators, able to roam the earth during the night and the day, ensnare others with their charm and looks, destroy everything and everyone in seconds with their light and live for millennia. Sookie had captivated Eric without even trying, and my Ata had captivated me in exactly the same manner. Not to mention the fae seemed to be wild cards once the bedroom door was shut.

"GODRIC!" Sookie squealed, her features turning pink with her blush as her eyes snapped open. Obviously she had heard me. Giving an innocent smile, I offered a shrug of my shoulders.

"I thought you would have been use to males thinking such thoughts around you." Ata teased her cousin as Sookie groaned at the onslaught of thoughts. Ata pulled back, watching her cousin for a moment. "Sort through the thoughts Sookie, file them away in appropriate places, pick out only the current thoughts that are on top, discard other thoughts." Ata talked Sookie through it and soon the young fae was breathing steady, appearing a lot calmer than she had before.

Ari returned to the room, carrying with him a wooden box similar to the one Ata had taken his handkerchief from, however he was wearing leather gloves. I noticed Isabel, Pam, Sookie and Eric were sharing my frown of curiosity. Placing it down on the kitchen counter, Ari opened the lid and removed a silver tiara. Even though I wasn't right up close to the item I could tell it was worth a bit, the diamonds alone would be mighty expensive these days. It was a simple band, two large ornate flowers in the middle with swirled leaves and branches along the rest of the band. Diamonds were scattered across it, glittering in the artificial lighting of the living area. Ata dipped her head a little and slowly Ari placed the tiara into its rightful place, adjusting a few of her curls so it sat correctly. Rising back to her full height, she received a nod of approval from her eldest Childe.

Turning to face us, I was captivated with my loves appearance. She was beautiful without her tiara but now, seeing it on her head, I felt a pang of sorrow that she had given all of it up because she believed me dead, that she had handed over her crown. A crown needed to be on her head, she suited a crown and crowns suited her. I had taken that from her, my own stupid worry that she wouldn't want me anymore caused her to give up what was so rightfully hers. "Don't you dare." She breathed, crossing the space between us to pull me into her arms, pressing a light kiss to my lips, not caring that it could smudge her lipstick. Ari had scooped up her cosmetics, popping them inside the inner pocket of his jacket.

"I love you, I'll see you later." She whispered in my ear, dropping a kiss to the soft spot below my ear lobe.

"Be careful Ata." Sookie rose from Eric's lap, embracing her cousin. Ata returned her hug and Eric rose to his feet too, pulling Ata in for a cuddle, careful to avoid all the silver she was wearing.

"Come back in one piece." Pam demanded, her eyes drifting between Ata and Ari. I was unsure as to whom she was speaking to, but the thought that she wanted Ari to return in one piece to made me smile. It would seem our cold-hearted Pam, who swore blind she preferred women over men, was starting to develop a soft spot for the ancient Egyptian male.

Restraining myself, I watched as Ata left the penthouse with Ari and Isabel, the elevator doors sliding shut to hide her from me. I didn't like this, not one bit. Ata was out of my sight; I would be unable to go to her if she were in trouble. I didn't like this, not at all.

As if sensing my turmoil over Ata's departure, Sookie piped up. "Ata filmed our day today, by the way." She pointed over towards a camera positioned on a counter. Turning my head I caught sight of the small grey electronic device, wondering why on earth I had missed it earlier. I could feel Eric's curiosity spike through our bond and even Pam quirked an eyebrow. The three of us sat down on one of the sofas and Eric pulled Sookie onto his lap. Khai placed the laptop down on the coffee table, the screen facing me so I could keep an eye on Ata.

"Are you able to hook it up to the television please?" I asked Riei, watching as the fashion savvy vampire took the grey camera and hooked it up to the flat screen. Almost instantly the screen lit up with images of earlier on in the day. The sunlight was streaming in through the window, bathing both Ata and Sookie in its golden light. Neither Eric nor I could stifle our gasps at finally getting to see our mates in the sunshine. It had been over 2000 years since I had watched Ata in the sunshine; so seeing her now was like a blessing. The sunlight lit up her blonde locks and shone in her blue eyes. Sookie too looked very beautiful in the sunlight and I could feel Eric's yearning and lust through his bond with her. The young telepath cringed, nuzzling her face into Eric's neck in an attempt to hide.

We watched as Ata stretched her legs out in front of her upon sitting on the sofa, Sookie at her side.. "Primp us then, my dear!" she grinned, settling down.

"Ata, I'm not going to the party." Sookie murmured to Ata as Toni moved his trunks over to them, opening one. Although Sookie had spoken quietly and the video hadn't picked up the sound all too well, vampire hearing enabled us to hear everything the video could offer.

"That doesn't mean you can't enjoy all of this with me Sookie!" Ata informed her happily. Toni set up two inflatable footbaths and, with a huge jug in hand, went to the kitchen to gather some water for them. "Have you ever had anything like this before?" Ata asked Sookie as Toni returned, a grin on his features as he filled up Sookie's footbath; he disappeared off again to get more water for Ata's tub.

Shaking my head, Sookie dropped her gaze. "I was never able to afford all this luxury. Occasionally I would get things like this done, but I usually needed the money for the mortgage or food." She stated with a shrug of her shoulders. I couldn't help but feel proud of my Childe for picking a mate who could take care of herself, who wouldn't live on his money and had responsibilities of her own. Over the years he had shared a bed with numerous princesses and supermodels, but they had all wanted him for the money he flaunted. It was refreshing to find women these days that were driven to work for their own cash and not simply take from their other halves.

"Now ladies, lavender or rose?" Toni broke through their conversation, holding up two bottles of bath bubbles now that he had filled up Ata's footbath.

"Lavender, please." Sookie asked gently, watching as Toni poured in a considerable amount of liquid. Swishing his hand in the water, the bubbles appeared and he took Sookie's feet, rolling up her pants to make sure they wouldn't get wet before sliding her feet into the water. Ata was watching on with an indulgent smile. "I could do with one of these after a shift at Merlotte's." Sookie muttered as Ata selected the rose bubbles, slipping her feet into the water a moment later when the bubbles had appeared. I could feel Eric's slight hint of annoyance at the mention of Merlotte's. Was that some sort of club or something Sookie worked in? If her feet were sore then it defiantly wasn't a desk job. While it was good that she was earning her own money she shouldn't be spending hours on her feet serving rednecks, if there was one thing I had learnt from the few times I had spent with Eric in Shreveport, they were all rather rude.

"I think I might go and change into my PJ's, just in case I nod off." Sookie suddenly declared, dashing from Eric's lap out of the room. Something told me she wasn't interested in changing, more like she was embarrassed about the up and coming conversations the video had recorded.

"Sook, I know it's not really my business, but when all of this is said and done, are you really going to be returning to your old job?" Ata questioned, sinking back into the sofa. "You could work here with me?" she offered with a large smile. "Or, in one of my multiple businesses, or you could even work for Eric in one of the businesses he owns!" She suggested. I could instantly feel Eric worked away on a mental plan of some kind and had a funny feeling Sookie would be changing jobs sooner rather than later. I was well aware of my Childe's vast expanse of businesses, after all, someone had to keep Pam in designer shoes.

Sighing quietly, Sookie shook my head. "I like my job at Merlotte's, I know how to do my job, I know the people there, and I'm good at waitressing. While I appreciate your offer I could never relocate to Vegas, I love Louisiana too much and my family home and all my memories are there." She explained, swishing my feet in the tub a little. Toni chuckled at her childish swishing, taking one of her feet in his hands. Grabbing a foot scrubber he started to work off the dead skin in slow, even strokes. "I could never work for Eric either, that would be weird, plus I wouldn't want people to think I got the job because I'm sleeping with the boss." She visibly cringed and I felt there was more to the story than she was letting on. It seemed Eric and Pam had the same idea as my Viking Childe bristled at the comment, his eyes narrowing as he observed the scene on the screen.

"Sook, you may not have a degree but you have your gift, you could use that to make some money. I read my human employees all the time, ensure that they're all loyal. Or you could set up a business for Supes, where you read their human employees?" Ata suggested as Toni swapped over, tending to Sookie's other foot.

"I don't know Ata, I really don't know. Merlotte's offers me some sense of normality y'know? I get to interact with people who are fully human." She pointed out. Every vampire in the room could tell her argument was weak, and it seemed even Ata had picked up on that.

"Can we see if we can find an opening for her somewhere, Pam." Eric didn't even turn his head to his progeny and yet he caught her nod as she pulled her phone from her pocket, texting furiously at vampire speed. Apparently Pam was developing a soft spot for Sookie, she seemed to want to keep her safe and around Eric at all times. Then again, they were twice bonded and planning on bonding thrice, so should she die then Eric would too. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth given Sookie's track record as a trouble magnet, but hopefully with Ata by her side she could get her powers under control and stay out of harms way a little more.

"You'd earn a lot more. Your service would be unique, you could charge as much as you wanted Sookie. Think about it, you could renovate your house, buy yourself a new car, treat yourself to pedicures and manicures each week." Ata grinned in Sookie's direction as Toni moved on to her feet, scrubbing them free of any dead skin.

"I haven't the first clue how to set up a business, and if I did that then more Supes would know about me, know what I am." Sookie pointed out, nibbling on her lower lip.

"I have businesses and Eric has businesses, we'd help you." Ata informed her as Toni took their feet out of the footbaths, draining the water out of them before towel drying them down. While it was rather high-handed of Ata to mention Eric's businesses I could see why she had used them, she was playing on Sookie's emotions just like the young fae had played on mine up on the roof in Dallas. Oh I'd been well aware of her little tricks, the fae were known to be devious creatures after all, but I had decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and carry on living, after all I had been a stranger to her and yet she had come to be with me in my time of need, to stay with me so I would not have to leave the world alone. Very few humans, or fairies, would have done such a thing.

"You might find should you provide an excellent service, that many Supes will be in your debt as you rat out their untrustworthy employees. You'd most likely gain their protection. I ratted out the King of California's gold-digger girlfriend, she was planning on staking him during the day, and ever since then Edgar has looked out for me. He's taking care of me this evening." Ata grinned. Ah that was where the King of California fitted into everything! Obviously he was seriously indebted to Ata if she saved his life. I felt a little relieved that he would be keeping an eye on her.

Flicking my gaze to the laptop screen on the coffee table, I watched in silence as Ata clambered into the limo with Ari and Isabel close behind her. I missed Sookie choosing her colour of nail polish but the lustful feelings from my Childe were enough to tell me he approved of her choice, and the roll of Pam's eyes informed me that she found it so pathetic for him to get so worked up over a nail polish colour. I had to hold back a laugh.

"Have you seen the dress Godric get you yesterday?" Sookie asked her cousin, watching as she picked up the cookie plate, offering her one. Taking one Sookie took a small bite.

"No, but I managed to pull from his mind last night that it's a dark blue colour, so I think I might go for midnight coloured nails with glitter bits on, to look like the stars." She grinned and Sookie giggled. ARGH! She'd been in my head! I scowled at the thought, trying to think of a way I could keep her out. Ata had mentioned mental shields, perhaps I could think up some of my own?

"Seems you were out smarted." Pam teased me. I was tempted to take the bait and start a sass match with her, but Pam would have won hands down, and I was in no mood to play really, I was worried about my Ata being in the same building as Felipe de Castro.

My eyes drifted back to the laptop screen, watching as Ata gazed out of the window, the bright lights of Vegas whizzing past her. I could see her reflection in the window and sent a tidal wave of love through our bond. I watched as she gasped, her eyes fluttering shut as she received the emotion. Seconds later I received the love in return, smiling to myself as Ata smiled at her reflection in the limo window. "I love you." She mouthed and I couldn't help but send her another wave of love, acknowledging that I had witnessed her declaration.

"I will say now though, Atzi, drawing up those tattoos was a nightmare, where the heck did you get them from? They were so darn intricate" Toni shook his head, poking his tongue out of his mouth a little in concentration.

"My bonded, I figured it would be the ultimate fuck off to Felipe." Ata gave a small laugh, shrugging her shoulders. Hearing her claim me in front of others made me wish more than ever that my dead heart would beat, just once. I'd claimed her in front of others so many times already, and the marks on her body would be another form of claiming later on this evening, so to have the tables turned was a strange sensation, but deep down I knew I liked it, I liked being owned. In the past I hated it, my ownership had been abusive and had caused my turning, but Ata's ownership of me was different, she owned me out of love and affection, care and concern. My Maker had only ever owned me out of greed and selfishness, his own sadistic wishes.

Toni stopped working, having finished one of Sookie's hands and turned his head to look at Ata. "It's Felipe's party you're attending? Rather you than me sugarplum." He gave a cheeky grin.

Moving on to Ata, Toni took one of her hands, starting to paint it the same shade as her toes. "What was it like?" Sookie asked and her words carried the weight of her curiosity.

"What was what like?" Ata asked gently as Toni finished one hand, moving on to the other. I could feel Eric's curiosity in the bond and the other vampires sat watching us had all lent forward in curiosity also.

"Life, during Egyptian times, and after." Sookie answered. As I had lived during that time I wasn't overly curious myself, however I could feel that my Childe was, as was Pam. Even Oscar appeared to be curious about my loves response.

Ata fell silent for a moment, and her eyes took on a distant look, the same that entered the eyes of vampires as they recalled the past. "It was so different to today, our life revolved around survival and family, around food and water. We couldn't pop out to the corner shop when the milk was running low; we had to work for it. As a member of the royal family I wasn't allowed to work, but I would watch others from the palace windows. I use to watch Godric as he would work, you should have seen him Sook, honestly." A small smile crossed her lips and I couldn't help but feel my heart swell. Some of the other slaves had told me on occasion that someone was watching me, but I refused to believe them, knowing my Master never showed himself in the day. To know Ata had observed me both warmed me and caused me pain. She shouldn't have been watching me; she should have been prancing around the palace with other noblemen or ordering people around. Of course I had always been jealous of the men who had everything, who wanted Ata as their bride, but I'd had so little in the way of self-worth after my Master had beaten me into submission that the thought of Ata ever having anything more than platonic affection for me had seemed ridiculous, so the concept of her being with someone else had irked me but I had accepted it. I'd had the promise band made as a way of showing my growing romantic feelings for the young princess without having to outright say it, without having to embarrass her. Of course it was silly of me to have thought she didn't return my feelings, after all why else would she sneak out of the palace to visit me, why else would she allow me to sleep beside her at night?

"You can show me." Sookie offered, holding her hand out in Ata's direction. She placed it upon Ata's exposed arm. "I want to see everything, all the time you spent with him from your first meeting to the last time you saw him." She stated firmly. A part of me was unsure about how wise it was for Ata to share our past with Sookie, some parts were far from kind and vampires were naturally secretive creatures, something about it didn't sit right with me. Then again, Ata had been privy to Eric's human years and although he had been angered at first he had accepted it for what it was, knowing Ata could have just rummaged through his mind for it anyway. Sensing my inner conflict over the matter, my Childe sent me a huge wash of calm and love. My shoulders slumped as I relaxed and I returned the emotions with pride, causing my Childe to make that low purring sound he had the other night. Of course Pam heard the noise and quirked an eyebrow, but with a shake of my head she dismissed it.

Toni rose to his feet from his position kneeling before them. He'd finished polishing their nails by now. Extracting a hair tie and two headbands from his kit bag, he tied up Sookie's hair before he used the hair band to push her fringe out of the way. He used the other headband on Ata, though her hair was tied up already so there was no need for him to do that. From his bag he took out a tub of green coloured gel and the look Sookie's face was priceless. My Childe laughed loudly at the horror and disgust on her features and Pam even sniggered behind one of her perfectly manicured hands.

"It's a face mask, don't worry. It'll make your skin look and smell incredible, keep it smooth like a babies bottom!" Toni explained to her with a grin, removing the lid of the container. It was obvious by her wavering that Sookie had not be sold on the idea but had accepted it as Ata seemed completely at ease. She suddenly burst into a fit of laughter and my little family and I could only watch on in confusion at the scene.

"I was remembering the saying my Grandmother use to use, when in Rome do as the Roman's do, and then I remembered that Ata actually is half Roman." The sound of Sookie's voice floated through the air as she returned in a set of giraffe print PJ's. The shorts and tank top matched well and had a cute little bow on them; it was defiantly a step up from some of the other nightwear Eric had informed me she wore.

Her explanation caused us all to laugh and Eric pulled her onto his lap as she wandered past him, not letting her out of his vice like grip. He dropped lots of kisses to her exposed neck and shoulder blades, licking the patch of skin after he had kissed it.

As Toni started to apply the cool gel to her face, Sookie closed her eyes. Ata followed by shutting her own eyes and we were treated to silence. "You can fast forward it for about 20 minutes." Sookie informed Riei and the vampire was quick to fast forward the tape, knowing we had limited time until Ata would arrive at Felipe's compound. Dropping my gaze to the laptop I watched as she conversed with Ari and Isabel, both vampires laughing over something Ata had said. The sound had been muted for the time being so we could all watch the days record.

Toni was removing the hardened green gunk from Sookie's face. "You were childhood sweethearts." Sookie cooed to my love as Toni removed Ata's mask. A smile crossed over her lips and she nodded. I too was smiling at the description of Ata and I; it was completely correct and rather sweet. I'd heard the saying before on some TV show Isabel had once made me watch, so I was well aware of the definition of the description.

"Ata, how do you want your hair this evening? Are you going to be wearing a crown?" Toni asked as he pulled out a barstool, arranging it in the middle of the room so he would have 360-degree access to whoever was sat on it.

"I'm thinking a middle parting, in loose curls. I won't be wearing a crown though; I'll probably don a tiara instead. Although it's my right to wear a crown, if I do so around Felipe it would show a struggle for power, people may think I'm trying to uproot him as monarch. Plus some might get the wrong idea and think I'm his Queen." Ata pulled a face, wrinkling her nose. Sookie laughed at Ata's expression and yet I couldn't stop the anger flooding through me at the thought of Ata being Felipe's. An involuntary growl slipped from between my lips, Ata was mine! From the corner of my eye I caught the laptop screen; Ata had turned to look out of the window again and had bristled, a look of concern on her features. I felt her pushing calm and curiosity through the bond. Eric and even Pam were doing the same, and Sookie was looking at me with worry. Although it wasn't necessary, I breathed in and out to calm myself, and soon pulled my emotions under control.

I was snapped out of my breathing routine as Sookie's voice came from the TV screen. "Ata, if the VRA passes, what will you do?" She asked.

My Ata fell into silence for a moment, and I found myself leaning forward in my seat, not daring to remove my eyes from the screen. I wanted the VRA to pass so badly, to have the same rights as humans, to be treated as an equal. It was the first serious step towards co-existence. "I want to travel, the other night Godric said he would come with me, we could see the world together. I'd go and do that, knowing he would have the same rights as everyone else. I'd leave this place to my boys, put it in their name so they would have some security and I'd give the role of Sherriff to Ari. I'd probably buy a home, a proper one, with a large garden and a vegetable patch. It's been a while since I've had a garden that I could go out and tend to. Before vampires came out of the coffin I was forced to spend all day inside, locked away with the boys. I hardly ever saw the sunshine. It was the only way to keep me safe. I ended up having to go to Faery in order to recuperate. I might even look into adoption; I'd like that, to have a child running about the house. Of course I would ask Godric his thoughts on the matter, I wouldn't just pitch up with a child and expect him to help me take care of him or her. I just want a peaceful existence. I want to get rid of all the politics, the stress." The thought of my beloved missing out on the sunshine and needing to go to Faery to heal worried me, but it answered the question as to why she had spent time in Faery and why Niall had missed her. I had no idea how long she had been there for but the thought that she'd been so ill, so worn down, stirred something primal in me, a need to protect my bonded and provide for her. If she left Caesar's Palace with me I would buy us a beautiful manor house with a garden as large as she wanted, with her own vegetable patch. I'd hire a cook to make sure she stayed healthy, and a maid so she wouldn't have to worry about housework.

The thought of us adopting a baby together made me burst with love, although the child wouldn't biologically be mine and Ata's we would still take care of him or her together, they would call us momma and daddy, carry our surnames. Shutting my eyes I could picture it now, a small blonde child running around the garden of a manor house, bright blue eyes twinkling in the moonlight, a smile on her rosy lips and laughter tumbling from them. I could picture Ata packing her lunch for her and walking her to school, picking her up hours later and hearing all about her day. Then, at nightfall, I'd rise for the evening and she'd run to me, throw her little arms around me and give me a cuddle, she'd call out 'Daddy!' and grin happily before showing me the drawings she did at school, stick men of the three of us stood together in the sunshine. I wouldn't be burning though, I'd be smiling and content in the sunlight, my little girl would want me to play in the sunshine with her. I'd watch as my bonded and daughter would eat dinner together and then I'd take my little girl upstairs, tuck her into bed and read her a story. I'd stay with her until she fell asleep and then return to my beloved downstairs, spend all night with her, talking and making love, going over our businesses and watching movies. We'd have the perfect life, in a perfect home. A sense of hope washed over me at the prospect of the life we could have together once the VRA was passed. Ata wasn't in my mind at the moment, her shields were up, therefore I didn't have to worry about her witnessing my little fantasy, but looking to the laptop screen I could see her looking to her reflection, a light frown on her features.

"What's up?" she mouthed and, knowing that because her mental shields were up she wouldn't be able to hear me, I sent her a wave of love and adoration, of hope and contentment. The emotions seemed to soothe Ata for the time being and she offered me a smile through the car window, returning all of my emotions by the bucket load.

"What would you do?" The sound of Ata's voice on the recording snapped me out of my night dream and my emotion exchange with my beloved. Looking to Sookie as she sat upon Eric's lap, I noticed she was anything but relaxed and yet the hold Eric had on her had relaxed a little, allowing her freedom of movement.

"I need the bathroom." She declared, scrabbling out of Eric's grasp before he could get to her. Something told me she didn't wish to be in the room when she answered Ata's question.

"I always use to want to get married, have babies and grandbabies, sit on my porch swing and watch them play all day. But after Bill proposed, and I found out he was only doing it on his Queen's orders, I don't know if I would want to get married. It'd kind of put me off. I mean, I know that technically once I'm bonded three times I'll be married by vampire custom, but I don't think I could do the whole white dress and church thing anymore. I don't think I would adopt either, not with all the vampire shit following me around. I would never want to put a baby in that position." Sookie confessed with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. Now I could understand why she hadn't wanted to be in the room, she was worried about Eric's reaction to her confession, scared he wouldn't want what she wanted. It was hard not to miss Eric's sadness in the bond at the thought of his mate not wanting to marry, but Eric's poker face remained in place.

"But Bill and Eric are so different Sookie, while Bill was going to marry you on his Queen's orders, Eric would marry you because he loves you." Ata pointed out.

Sookie squirmed in her seat and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know Ata, I just don't know. He doesn't strike me as the sort to settle down, we haven't even spoken of monogamy yet." She confessed on the tape and I felt the pain rip through my Childe at Sookie's evaluation of his personality. None of us missed the whimper from Sookie, our advanced hearing enabling us to hear her on the other side of the apartment. Within the blink of an eye Eric had left his seat, dashing to his bonded. My Childe had always been sexual insatiable, so I could understand Sookie's concerns, however I could scent that he had not been with any other woman in quite some time, and that he had not taken the blood of another in a long time either.

"Has he fed on anyone else since the two of you became official? Has he had sex with anyone else since the pair of you decided to become one?" Ata questioned Sookie in a serious tone as Toni took the last few strands of her hair, curling them around the hot irons. Pam and I watched as Sookie took a moment to think about it. "No he hasn't," She answered quietly.

"I know he respects you and loves you enough not to take from someone else. You might want to talk to him about it though, you need to hear it from his lips." Ata offered with a smile as Toni finished off her hair.

"Where's your tiara my dear?" he asked, hair-spraying her to death before fluffing her blonde locks.

"Locked away in the safe, Ari will get it for us when he rises." Ata responded, taking the handheld mirror Toni offered her.

"Ohh I love it!" she gushed, fluffing it a little herself as she admired the perfectly formed curls. He'd done such a perfect job of her hair that the fact I had ruffled it considerably during sex made me feel a little guilty. He'd fixed it up though thankfully.

"If you marry this Eric the two of you were speaking of, I am so doing your hair on your wedding day my dear, I already have so many wonderful ideas for it!" Toni exclaimed, turning to look at me with a Cheshire cat grin. We watched as Sookie offered a shy smile in response, her cheeks lighting up with a blush.

Eric retuned to the room then, carrying his bonded in his arms, her legs wrapped around his middle and her arms locked around his neck. Sitting down, he bought her down with him, her face still buried in his neck.

"There will only ever be you, my Sookie." I heard him whisper reassuringly in her ear, holding her closer to him as he scattered kisses all over her exposed skin. Slowly she unfurled from around him, looking up with wide eyes.

"I will not take blood or carnal pleasures from any other, only you." He whispered to her once again, brushing her hair out of her face so he could look into her eyes. I couldn't help but be proud of my Childe; he had grown into such a wonderful vampire now that he had the love of a good woman. I had always been proud of my Childe, he was my greatest creation after all, but I had never let him feel it, I had never told him. Now I allowed the feeling to cross our bond, noting the way the corner of his lips quirked upwards slightly.

Turning back to the TV screen I watched as Toni helped Ata down from the stool. "Now my darling, strip for me!" he ordered, moving to the trunk. Opening it he revealed three sheets of a plastic and paper looking material. One sheet was huge, the other medium sized and the final one was small. Without a second thought my Ata removed her robe, throwing it onto the vacant sofa. She stood in a small pair of cream underwear and a matching backless bra, held up by halter neck style straps. I couldn't help but be instantly turned on by her scantily clad form and I didn't even register the fact my fangs had snapped down into place as my eyes raked over the image of my beloved.

"Another reason I'm not attracted to men, they're perpetually horny." I heard Pam mutter under her breath, rolling her eyes. The bond I shared with Ata was suddenly overrun with lust and I realized then, as I looked to Ata's reflection in the car window on the laptop screen, that I had been sending her my emotions and they were only fueling her own. Realizing that any trace of her arousal was a bad idea if she were to be in the presence of Felipe, for he could mistake it as her response to seeing him, I reined in my emotions, sending her embarrassment through our bond at my sudden emotional onslaught. I caught her rolling her eyes at me through the car window.

Grabbing a spray bottle, Toni poured in a solution from another bottle that was unlabeled. He then went into the kitchen and filled the spray bottle with water until it reached the top. "If the VRA passes, would you marry Godric?" Sookie asked, grabbing another cookie from the plate to eat. Ata leant over the table, picking up a cookie of her own which she started to pick at. I was suddenly incredibly interested in the conversation on the video and found myself moving even closer to the screen. I could see Pam smirking beside me but ignored it, and Sookie's soft smile on the other side of me only confirmed that my beloved would give me an answer I would like.

"In a heartbeat." She responded quickly, a smile forming on her lips at the thought as she took a nibble of her cookie. "We were deprived of it in our human years, I want to tie myself to him in every way possible, let the world know that I love him." Ata responded honestly as she took another bite of her cookie. The amount of love I suddenly felt for my bonded overpowered me, and the hope for our future returned to the forefront of my mind. I was already planning on where to buy a ring, how to get it onto her finger, booking a hotel in Vermont should the VRA not pass, and a church too. I didn't even stop to think about it, I wanted to marry my beloved so much, make her mine and have her carry my surname. She'd carry my surname! I grinned like a fool at the thought and heard the vampires in the room chuckle, Sookie joining in seconds later when she caught sight of my smile.

I missed part of the video as I lost myself in my dream, but was called back to the real world at the mention of a ring. "I bet he'd buy you a huge diamond." Sookie teased my beloved as Toni picked up her arm, cleaning it before applying the replica of my zigzag tattoo.

"Nah I doubt it. It would mean more to me if he designed it himself, y'know? I don't need a huge diamond; just knowing he crafted it himself would be enough for me. I know it's suppose to be the mans choice, but I'd love it to be a Harry Winston, I've wanted one ever since he started up his business in 1932." My beloved was pretty much swaying on the spot as she spoke of the ring she wanted. Oh she would have a huge diamond all right, and I would design it myself for her.

"Does Harry Winston make custom rings?" I directed my question to Khai, who had been working away on paperwork while the video had been playing. Looking up, he captured my eyes and regarded me for a moment, obviously having an internal debate over my worthiness and whether to answer or not.

Coming to a conclusion, the dark haired Egyptian vampire nodded. "Yes they do." He confirmed, a knowing smile crossing his lips as he dropped his eyes back to his paperwork. I would have to start drawing up ideas ready for the passing of the VRA, the vote was going to be happening soon.

"What would your ring look like?" Ata questioned Sookie. I could see Sookie stiffen in Eric's arms, hiding her face in the crook of his neck again, groaning in embarrassment. My Childe soothingly rubbed her back, laughing lightly at her sweet human morals. Vampires as old as Eric and I had little to be embarrassed and ashamed of, we had long ago lost our sense of moral right and wrong, as Eric had so aptly pointed out on the rooftop in Dallas.

Toni took out a hairdryer, plugging it into the wall. He peeled off the paper backing to the markings, leaving the beautiful zigzags across Ata's arm. Popping the hairdryer onto a cool setting, he blasted with a diffuser for a few minutes to help it absorb into her skin and set. Picking up the smaller piece of paper and plastic, he moved to Ata's back, positioning it on the back of her shoulder. I could tell from the size and location that this was the replica of my brand. Watching as he peeled the plastic off he cleaned her skin before he stuck it to her, using the liquid in the spray bottle to help it transfer. Watching as my beloved was marked up did funny things to my insides, making me feel things I hadn't felt in over 2000 years.

I could feel Eric's anticipation and nervousness as he waited for Sookie to respond on the tape. Both Pam and I knew he would buy her whatever she wanted regardless of the cost. Sookie would get her dream ring if Eric had anything to do with it, that I was certain of. "I don't know, I think I'd like something old and traditional though." She mused, pursing her lips together. I could see Sookie burying herself further against Eric, as if she could hide inside of him until the video ended. "It doesn't even need to have a diamond in all honesty, or any rock at all." She stated. I could feel Eric almost frown through the bond, why on earth wouldn't Sookie want a diamond? Diamonds were women's best friends!

Watching as Toni started to peel the paper from Ata's back I could see her anticipation. "How does it look?" Ata begged, twisting and turning in an attempt to view it. Sookie laughed at her antics and I found myself restraining my own laughter at how adorable my Ata looked trying to see her back. Sookie got up from the sofa and grabbed the handheld mirror, holding it up behind Ata as Toni held up another mirror infront of her. Ata's squeal of delight sounded out from the television and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "It looks so real!" she gushed as Toni and Sookie popped down our hand held mirrors.

"Well dur, I made it!" Toni rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips.

As Toni picked up the large sheet, he cleaned Ata's back before peeling back the plastic. Smoothing it onto her skin, he started to spray it with the solution, rubbing it in. Waiting for a few minutes he finally peeled the paper off, leaving behind the beautiful sea serpent tattoo. Using the hair dryer once again he helped it set before declaring her markings all done. I was in awe of the process, and how realistic they all looked. To someone who wasn't privy to the secret, they would look real.

It was then the version of Sookie on the TV started to groan, just as the time display on the video playback showed sunset. Ata was at her side instantly, sitting her back up. I could feel Eric's concern through the bond as he watched his bonded in pain. "Breath through it Sook, breath." Ata instructed in a calm yet firm tone. She grabbed hold of Sookie's wrist and there was a moment of silence as Ata helped Sookie to sort through her thoughts and build up shields. A whoosh could be heard as my Childe entered the scene and then Riei stopped the tape given that all of us could remember everything that had happened from that point on.

We all sat in silence for a moment, sorting through our thoughts and emotions over everything we had witnessed and heard from the tape. Eric broke the silence first however, addressing Sookie who was still curled up against him. "You would marry me, by your customs, if the VRA passed?" He breathed, as if in awe of the situation.

Sookie uncurled herself, grimacing at his words. Slowly she placed a palm to his cheek and he lent in to her, his eyelids fluttering shut at the contact. "Maybe, I don't know." She responded weakly, obviously very conflicted over the situation. I couldn't say I could blame her, my Childe was a very complex creature, and an eternity by his side, bound to him in every possible way, feeling all of his emotions, it would be a huge deal for someone who was mostly human.

"But you'd think about it?" Eric murmured, his eyelids fluttering back to observe his bonded. Although it was a conversation no one else should have probably overheard, Eric was making no move to shift it to a more private location. Obviously the conversations we had overheard on the tape had caused my Childe to do some serious thinking.

Sookie sighed, her hand falling from Eric's cheek to his shoulder, which she stroked lovingly. "I guess I would, yeah. We have more serious issues to deal with now though Eric." Sookie pointed out, taking on a far more practical approach to our current situation. At least she would reign in my Childe a little, stop him from loosing focus of the end goal – the demise of Russell Edgington.

"Like the fact we've arrived." Ata's voice broke through the room and everyone turned to look at the laptop screen, where the sight of a huge mansion covered in thousands of decorative lights. The building was white with dark blue slate slopping roofs. Of course Felipe would have a home far too large for him to possibly fill, most monarchs had huge homes to make themselves appear far superior than everyone else, as a way to flaunt their money. What was amusing though was that most of the time the money used on their homes wasn't their own from their own businesses and investments, they were usually funded by the poor vampires in their kingdom. Riei quickly hooked up a few cables and the laptop screen moved to the TV screen, giving us a larger and clearer picture of what was going on with Ata. Khai had popped down his paperwork for a moment to observe everything Ata was seeing.

"_As everyone apart from Pam and Oscar can hear me, we'll probably communicate this way for the majority of the night." _Ata's mental voice flooded my mind, and I realised then she was transmitting to all of her boys and to Eric, Sookie and I. Sookie relayed the message to Pam and Oscar, who both agreed that would be the best way to communicate. It was discrete after all.

All of us sat watching through Ata's camera contact lenses as Ari took one of her arms in the crook of his elbow, and Isabel took the other. Together the three of them braced for the upcoming evening. "Into the lions den we go." We all heard Ata mutter as the three of them started to climb the steps up into Felipe's mansion.


	46. Vegas Girl

**A/N I am so so so sorry for the delay in this update! Real life took over for a few days and I was unable to get to my laptop! I know I told some of you that this chapter would be a Pam POV and I really did try to write it from her viewpoint however it was an epic fail...so, the question is, do you want the next chapter as a Pam POV or as an Ari POV? We haven't heard from Ata's eldest Childe yet, so I don't know what your thoughts on it would be...let me know once you've read the chapter!**

**It seems there's a bit of an issue with reviewing at the moment, I think it might be because I went back through the story and deleted a chapter during my re-edit as I combined it with the one before it...idk. I hope the review system starts working again! Has this happened to anyone else, and if so, anyone know how to make it work again? I do still appreciate reviews so if you have the time and cannot seem to review by clicking the button at the end of the chapter, then a PM with your thoughts would be much appreciated! :D **

**Now for Felipe's party! Enjoy my pretties ;)**

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_That there, let me break it off  
All the pressure that you got, let me take it off  
__I swear, we're gonna make it hot  
__Put your hands in the air, don't stop  
__I'll knock you down like you're Keri  
__Forget your name like Rihanna  
__You can run the world, Queen B  
__Be unthinkable, Alicia  
__We can go so far if she let go  
__And I ain't gonna leave without her  
__This is for the girl that can get down low  
__The whole club wanna see you go  
__Ey, shake, shake like you're famous, girl  
__Head back, lay it down like a Vegas girl  
__Bass coming down so hard  
__That little dress breaking every heart  
__Ey, shake, shake like you're famous, girl  
__Head back, lay it down like a Vegas girl  
__Like a Vegas girl  
__~ Vegas Girl, Conor Maynard_

I had been into Felipe's mansion numerous times before, he was known for the parties he so frequently threw and unfortunately, as I was the Sheriff of Vegas, I was expected to make an appearance every time. Of course usually the parties were for all vampires and their companions, not just for those of political power, so I was able to take all of my boys with me in order to keep me away from Felipe. This evening I only had Isabel and Ari to keep me sane, and whoever it was Godric had asked to take care of me from the Authority.

Although Isabel and I hadn't spoken to one another too much, I was able to pick up on her thoughts easily, especially when we'd linked arms, and I was pleasantly surprised to find her head full of positive thoughts.

The ride to Felipe's mansion had been a quiet one, the three of us lost in our own thoughts. I had been monitoring my bond with Godric closely, wanting to be as close to him as possible. The mansion came into sight in all of its white stone glory. Two large pillars symbolized the entrance to the courtyard, both topped with hand carved busts of Felipe. In my opinion it was a little tacky to have carvings of himself in his home, I had none of myself at home, just ones of my parents. The limo swung into the courtyard, pulling to a stop slowly outside of the main entrance. A white stone canopy covered the entrance, held up by white stone columns. Personally I believed Felipe's home, which had been constructed after Caesar's Palace had been built, looked very similar to mine. A red carpet had been placed down for guests, offering them a walkway.

Stepping out of the limo, the stone canopy sheltered us from the night sky, but unfortunately blocked the view of the beautiful stars. "I guess I would, yeah. We have more serious issues to deal with now though Eric." I could hear Sookie speaking in my mind, as she left her shields down so I could communicate openly with her.

"Like the fact we've arrived." I murmured in response, knowing the microphone in my brooch would pick up on it.

_"As everyone apart from Pam and Oscar can hear me, we'll probably communicate this way for the majority of the night." _I mentally informed my cousin, not wanting to talk aloud about the fact my little nest were watching and listening.

Ari took one of my arms in the crook of his elbow and Isabel did the same, effectively creating an Ata sandwich. "Into the lions den we go." I muttered under my breath as we took the few steps up to the heavy wooden doors. They were propped open for the evening, scores of hulky Were's were stationed there, sniffing each guest as they arrived in order to make sure they were carrying no silver or explosives. I couldn't help but find it ironic that they were searching for explosives, was someone planning on blowing the place up like they had my business?

"Names?" One Were gruffly asked me as I entered, his eyes downcast as he glanced at the checklist of names. It was then he inhaled, his nostrils flaring as he took in my scent, mixed with that of Godric's. Looking up, he spent a moment appraising me, a leer painted onto his lips. I could hear Godric's mental growl so I pushed a boatload of love towards him.

"Ata Caesar, Ari Seti-Nekht and Isabel Beaumont." Ari responded for us all, tightening his hold on me a little as the Were continued to look at me like I was dinner. Slowly he ticked our names off the list, gesturing for us to carry on into the building. Although I had been to Felipe's numerous times, I was always in awe of the entrance hall. The marble floors had been polished to perfection, two beautiful wrought iron sweeping staircases led the way up to the first floor, a central platform stood where the two staircases met, allowing Felipe and others of his entourage to view guests as they arrived. The space was airy and I could only imagine that in the day it would be beautifully lit. The brown marble columns holding up the first floor platform created a walkway through the entrance hall that led to the huge French doors, which opened out onto the giant back garden. Felipe's home was beautiful, but far too large for his needs. He lived alone and had no progenies that anyone was aware of, the only other people who occupied his residence were his staff, and even then they were booted to a separate wing of the manor.

"Miss Caesar?" A British accent broke through the crowd and I turned in the direction of the voice, not recognizing it. The relief and trepidation coming through the bond however as the woman with the voice came into view told me that Godric knew her, and that she was the woman he had asked to keep an eye out for me. She was pretty; there was no denying it. Her medium length brown hair had been straightened and her blue eyes were alert, taking in everything happening around her. She was of average height but wore heels for the evening, boosting her up a few inches.

"Yes that's me." I replied, reverting to my old Egyptian accent. At formal events such as this I often went back to my old tongue, to place as much distance between myself and the other guests until I knew them better. It wasn't difficult to maintain my accent these days, my boys and I often spoke to one another in Egyptian when alone and could therefore retain the language and accent.

The brunette woman stood before me and, as vampire custom dictated, didn't offer me her hand to shake. "Nora Gainesborough, I'm a member of the Authority. It's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard so much about you." She offered me a smile, but I wasn't sure if it was meant in a friendly manner or a predatory one. Being part fae meant I was constantly on my guard around other vampires. It's another reason I hated Felipe's parties so much, the guest list consisted mainly of vampires.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Gainesborough. I hope everything you've heard has been good." I offered a smile in response. Isabel gently tugged at my arm, gesturing to her left with her head. With a nod she let go of my left arm and I pulled it across my body, resting it against Ari's arm in an affectionate gesture that, to those unaware that we really were Maker and Childe, would suggest we were together. It was a cheap trick I'd used over the years to put other vampires off. Godric may have complete faith and trust in Nora, but I didn't.

"Oh it has, Roman is enamored with you and your contribution to the mainstreaming movement." Nora's eyes dropped from my face to my left hand before returning back up again, the corner of her lips twitching upwards slightly.

"I'm just glad that my contributions are helping bridge the gap betweens humans and vampires so we can all coexist peacefully." I bullshitted with a smile, knowing that no matter what vampires did, or how many laws were passed for them, they would never be treated as equals. There would always be fanatics out there like the Fellowship to try and bring them down.

Seemingly pleased with my response, Nora gave a nod. "I'll keep an eye on you this evening and only step in when you need me. I do hope we get the opportunity to talk to one another in more depth later on." She moved off to my right, approaching a vampire dressed in a black suit with a red tie. The pair fell into conversation easily.

Thankfully over the years I had been able to perfect my shields so that I wouldn't receive a headache when listening in on others, I'd created a method to sort though thoughts, filing them away and picking out only the relevant pieces of information. Unfortunately everyone's minds were filled with political thoughts this evening, and surprisingly there was a lack of human minds.

_"There are very few humans here, if any." _I mentally informed those back home, pursing my lips together to think it through. If there were few humans here then what would everyone be drinking? Tru Blood was by no means appetizing, especially for an event such as this. As there were no cameras, and practically no humans, this was pretty much a Supe gathering and therefore the vampires didn't have to hide behind synthetic blood. Had they managed to get their hands on blood earlier on in the day by going to the blood bank? Or were they going for something fancy like Royalty Blend? Royalty Blend sounded about right. The thought of it made me shudder though, it was a mixture of both synthetic blood and real blood of actual European royalty. Not only was Egypt close to Europe, but also I was royalty from two different families, both human and supernatural. Every day I was grateful Egypt was not part of Europe, the last thing I needed was some power hungry, wealthy businessman wanting me for my blood. Oh wait…

"Ata! Ari!" A chirpy voice cracked me out of my thoughts and I turned to see Edgar approaching Ari and I with his entourage behind him and his arms outstretched in my direction.

"Edgar!" I let go of Ari as the King of California approached. Taking both of my hands in his, he dropped kisses to the back of them, his eyes clocking the band around my finger for a moment before he pulled back to look at me from head to toe.

"You become even more beautiful every single day my dear. He's a very lucky vampire, I am incredibly jealous." He smiled, letting go of my hands. Giving a small respectful nod of acknowledgement towards Ari, I noted Isabel moving back to my side to flank me.

Edgar's eyes met mine and I understood immediately what he was asking of me. Focusing solely on him, I blocked out the other vampires in the room. _"If Felipe tries anything this evening my dear I will be more than happy to step in and make him stop, I will even challenge him for this state. You do not deserve to be treated like an asset, a trophy to be won, as you are so much more. My state is wealthier, and I have many more resources at my disposable. Should a takeover be conducted I can guarantee you I will leave you be to run your area, or if you wish to leave your political post then you will always have my backing. If all else fails you are more than welcome to come and live in California, tax free of course." _He grinned at me and I couldn't help but chuckle, Edgar had always been a wonderful man and an even better vampire. He was relatively young in comparison to many other vampires on the west coast, however he was a firm favourite with everyone within his state. Both vampires and humans alike enjoyed his company and found him a charismatic and charming man. I had to agree with them, Edgar had the whole package. I was touched that he would go to such an extent to stop me from having to put up with Felipe, but I suppose in a way I had saved his life by revealing his ex-lovers plan to stake him in his day rest, so he was merely saving my life in return.

I'd naturally been filtering my thoughts through to everyone back at the penthouse, so the jealousy coming through the bond was no surprise, what was a surprise was the vast amount of it pouring into me. I'd always known that vampires were possessive creatures but I never fully understood just how possessive they were until I had been reunited with my beloved.

_"First he has his hands all over you, then he offers to defend you, then he suggests a takeover of Nevada! Does he not realize you are my bonded?" _Godric's growl reverberated through my mind.

_"Edgar is merely offering to help me as I saved his life a few years back. He is returning the favor. He is well aware of our bonding, he did mention you if you remember. He's merely trying to help sweetie. Besides, I love you." _I reminded him calmly, not wanting him to blow a fuse back at the penthouse and come storming in. Security seemed to be so tight that should he try to get in he would probably end up hurt in some manner.

The ringing of a bell drew everyone's attention up to the central platform where a finally dressed, dark-haired vampire stood. "Ladies and gentlemen, King Felipe de Castro of Nevada welcomes you to his humble home this evening. Dinner will be served shortly so we ask of you to please move into the ballroom and take your seats." He addressed us all formally. Slowly everyone started to shuffle towards the ballroom.

Edgar took one of my hands once more, pressing a chaste kiss to the back of it. "I will find you later my dear, I wish to speak with you regarding your new, situation." His eyes dropped to the band around my finger for a moment as he allowed himself a smile before he disappeared off into the crowd, his entourage close behind him.

Linking arms with both Isabel and Ari, we walked through into the ballroom as a group of three. The room was utterly beautiful, the high ceiling and the walls were painted a cream colour with light beige highlights. In the centre of the room sat a polished section of flooring, the dance floor for the evening. Surrounding the dance floor were numerous tables, each with a white linen cloth over them and eight golden chairs. The tables were set with stainless steel cutlery, as silverware was of course a very bad idea. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings, the crystals glittering in the artificial light. At the very far end of the room was a raised stage, on which sat a long table and several seats. I could only assume Felipe would position himself up there so everyone would be forced to look at him all night.

_"You dislike him that much eh?" _Sookie's voice floated into my mind and I gave a mental roll of my eyes.

_'You have no idea." _I shot back with a sigh, making my way through the room with my companions.

"Miss Caesar, you look truly ravishing this evening." The oily voice behind me drew me to a stop, making me instantly stiffen at the sound. I'd been hoping to socialize some more, speak to a few other monarchs and sheriffs before being pounced upon. Obviously that wasn't going to be the case. Although I loved Vegas, having to put up with Felipe all the time was starting to grate on my nerves. I guess he was a nice guy when he wasn't interested in you, but he'd been relentless in his perusal of me ever since I had moved to the area. If it weren't for my boys and our Maker-Childe bond, which we fobbed off as a first exchange bond, Felipe would have no doubt tried to manipulate me to his side by forcing his blood into me.

Plastering on a fake smile, one that I was sure Sookie would be proud of, I turned on the spot to face the King of Nevada. He was dressed in a formal black suit and tie, a golden crown resting on the top of his full head of hair. "King de Castro, thank you very much, you look very nice yourself." I offered a fake compliment, lacing my accent with sincerity in a hope to throw him off of his game. Giving a small curtsy, which was quite a task in my close fitting dress, I remained glued between Isabel and Ari.

"I was not expecting you to have two escorts this evening, but it is still a pleasure to be in your company Miss Beaumont, Mr. Seti-Nekht." He acknowledged the vampires stood either side of me, both of whom bowed at the waist out of courtesy rather than genuine respect.

"Yes, I figured it would be a shame for my companion to miss out on this evenings get together, and Miss Beaumont was in town to visit my bonded." I lied easily, throwing in a comment regarding my beloved to remind Felipe that I was taken, that I was not at all interested in him. Wanting to know if he had taken the hint, I attempted to breach his mind, once again met with his void. I wasn't aware of the exact method the witch had used to stop me from gaining entry into his thoughts, but the void was rather frustrating.

_"Ata?" _Sookie's voice in my head interrupted my thought pattern.

_"Yes?" _I responded. Another guest distracted Felipe at the moment; they were in need of greeting and thankfully bought me some time to mentally respond to my cousin.

_"I can hear his thoughts…" _I balked, eyes widening as I processed her words. Ari had of course heard me as I had been sending the thoughts coming into my mind to him too.

_"What's he thinking right now?" _I demanded, curious as to how Sookie was able to break through his void when I couldn't.

I was greeted with mental silence for a moment before my cousin responded. _"It's nothing, you don't want to know." _She tried to brush it off. She wasn't fooling me though.

I was loosing my patience; I needed to know what he was thinking so I could plan accordingly. _"Tell me, now." _

Sookie mentally sighed and I could just picture her shaking her head at the laptop screen or, Isis forbid, the TV screen if Riei had hooked it up. _"He dislikes the fact you are bonded, happy that Godric is not there with you, curious as to the visitor upstairs and why she is there and trying to come up with a way to get you alone this evening so he can try and convince you to be his consort." _Sookie filled me in.

I groaned at the long list, figuring that he would be thinking about at least half of those things. The comment about the visitor upstairs threw me however. _"Who is the visitor?" _

_"Urmm, the Ancient Pythoness." _Sookie informed me, the confusion evident in her voice. I felt Ari straighten beside me and turned to look at my eldest Childe. The Ancient Pythoness only ever came out to play at major events, when something important needed to be said or done. Why on earth was she at Felipe's? I didn't have time to dwell on the question before I felt a huge burst of annoyance through the bond.

_"If you don't cut it out, I'll shut down the bond." _I warned my bonded, wanting him to know I wasn't going to stand for his jealousy or anger any longer. Felipe was no real threat; he was entitled to think what he wanted. I had Isabel, Ari, Edgar and Nora looking out for me.

_"Don't! I'm sorry that my emotions are getting the better of me but if you were in my position you would understand why I am feeling as I am, my sweet." _My beloveds' soft voice filtered into my mind.

Rather than answering I sent a burst of love through the bond, tinged with reassurance. There wasn't a cat in hells chance I would agree to anything Felipe would, or could, offer me. I had everything I wanted and that was that.

Having greeted his guests, Felipe turned his attention back to Ari, Isabel and myself. "I have positioned you at the top table by my side, Ata. I do hope you like your dinner this evening; I've had the chefs from the Michelin three star restaurant TWIST preparing your meal all day." He tried to wow me. I must admit it was a rather large thing to do given that, judging by the minds surrounding me, I would be the only human dining this evening. On the other hand I found it unnecessary, I would have been grateful for a Happy Meal I was that hungry.

"That is very kind of you, thank you." I responded politely, plastering on another smile.

_"Please Isis let it be seafood so that my breath will stink and he'll hopefully stay the hell away." _I mentally muttered to myself, forgetting that my mind was open to all of my boys, Eric, Godric and Sookie. I was reminded of that little fact when I heard them all laughing in my head. I had to suppress my smile at the sound of their combined laughter. They were my little family and I loved to hear them all getting along together.

"Unfortunately I was not expecting you to be here with company, so there is no room at the head table for your companions I'm afraid." He tried to look sorrowful, but I could see right through him. He was enjoying the fact he would have me to himself and that Ari and Isabel wouldn't be there to keep an eye on me. Although I was smiling on the outside, I was seething on the inside.

"Once again I apologize for not informing you of my companions, but a girl can't arrive to a party alone now can she?" I batted my eyelashes, playing up the innocent female role. I had a feeling Felipe liked his women weak, who would bend to his every whim. I hoped, by playing on that, that he would let a few things slip, preferably the block around his mind.

_"Sookie, can you get into his previous thoughts and memories and have a rummage for me please? I want to know if he knows anything about the bombing of my hotel, or about Russell?" _I asked my cousin as Felipe bid us farewell for now, disappearing off to go and speak with a few other Sheriff's.

_"I've already tried that Ata, I can't get to any of that. The only thing I have access to is his current thoughts. I'll keep trying for you though." _Sookie replied almost instantly and I was proud of her for attempting to root through his previous thoughts and memories. She needed to learn to drop her shields every time she met someone new and go digging just to make sure they were trustworthy. By keeping her shields up all the time for fear of invading others privacy she was putting her life on the line. That was something I wouldn't allow to happen.

"Miss Ata!" A familiar voice called out from across the room and I turned to see my favourite King.

"Bubba!" I couldn't help but squeal in delight, holding my arms out for a hug as the dark haired vampire vamped across the room, locking me in his embrace seconds later. Bubba and I had been friends in his human years, so the bond we had created then had only been made stronger when he had been turned into an immortal. It was then I had trusted him with my heritage and he had sworn to never tell a soul.

_"Oh my God is that Elvis Presley?" _Sookie mentally screamed at me, forcing me to try my hardest not to flinch at the volume.

_"Yes, but don't call him that. He dislikes being reminded of his human years. He goes by the name Bubba now."_ I informed her as he continued to cling to me. It had been a few years since we had last seen one another, and a lot had happened in that time. I was careful during our embrace to keep my silver jewelry off of his skin, not wanting to cause him any unintentional harm.

_"You're hugging the King of Rock and Roll. HOW?" _Sookie demanded. Dipping into Eric's head for a moment I took in the scene back at the penthouse. Riei had hooked the laptop up onto the TV screen and Sookie was practically sat on top of it, eyes wide in fascination. Clearly she was a huge fan of the vampire in my arms.

_"In 1969 he performed his first show at the International to a sold-out crowd, he went on to perform regular shows there for seven years, which, if my math's is correct, is a total of 837 consecutive sold-out performances in front of 2.5 million people. I was there on the opening night and got to meet him afterwards. We struck up a friendship and haven't lost contact with one another ever since." _I couldn't help but smile. I'd been such a huge fan back then and to get to meet him in person had been incredible, becoming friends with him had been even better and now I was often on the receiving end of his embraces and smiles.

_"So, all the sightings of him have been real?" _Sookie mentally whispered, as if anyone else could hear us outside of our little family.

_"Yes, but unfortunately he isn't all there mentally and can't be trusted in the real world. He's usually passed around between the Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee vampires. He never really comes to Vegas, after all this is where he's most famous. You only have to walk down one side of The Strip and you'll be bombarded with merchandise relating to him. When he died there was still a spark of life left in him and a vampire working at the morgue was a fan of his. The vampire turned him, but unfortunately his mental state was compromised. He's so obedient though and he follows orders to a T. He's kind of the mentally challenged, sweet little brother of the vampire world. Don't let that fool you though; he's rather strong – even for a vampire – because everyone is careful not to upset him. Oh, and he prefers cat blood to human blood." _I explained in further detail, feeling Sookie's shudder in my mind at the mention of his blood preference.

_"Wait, your subconscious is a cat…."_

_"Which is exactly why I to stay out of his head. I don't go rummaging for anything, I let him speak to me."_ I mentally laughed. I didn't want to venture down that trail. Anything that happened to my subconscious happened to me also, and I wasn't about to risk Bubba's subconscious draining mine!

Ari and Isabel had left my side to socialize while Bubba and I embraced one another. Ari was well aware of how much Bubba cared for me and that he would take care of me. Besides, we had to act like nothing was amiss. Bubba pulled back from our embrace, still holding one of my hands as he took a step back to admire my outfit. "You're looking mighty pretty this evening Miss Ata." He complimented me with a grin.

I couldn't help but blush at his compliment, it wasn't every day the King called a woman pretty. I felt a tinge of jealousy through the bond so in response I shoved back my memories of the times I had spent with Bubba, including his human years. I had nothing to hide, there was nothing between us, but it was nice to be told by someone who was seen as a sex symbol, who was adored by thousands of women the world over, that you were pretty.

"And you look absolutely handsome this evening yourself, Bubba." I responded in complete sincerity, taking in his perfectly tailored suit. Due to his real identity he was unable to work in the human world, and was therefore employed by Supes for errands and other bits and pieces that were of the uttermost importance. Bubba was incredibly loyal and would do anything asked of him. He was paid handsomely for his discrete work and could therefore afford the finer things in life. Not to mention he still had some money left over in savings from his human life.

I noted, from the corner of my eye, that Felipe was slowly making his way closer to Bubba and I. "You've got a real nice ring on your finger, Mr. Ari asked you to marry him?" Bubba innocently assumed I would be marrying Ari. We hadn't told him of our Maker-Childe bond, it wasn't that we didn't trust him, we trusted him completely, but the fewer who knew the better.

"Oh no it's a promise ring, given to me by my bonded, Godric Nervii." I stated proudly, dropping my gaze to my hand to admire the band.

"You found one another?" Bubba's excitement bubbled over as he grinned happily. After revealing my heritage and my age to him I had informed him of my tie to Godric, asking him if, on his travels through the different states, he could fill me in if he heard anything about my beloved. He never came back with any information. I never expected him to have anything for me in all honesty, as vampires were so secretive.

"Well, he found me." I replied with a warm smile, pushing the memory of that evening to my bonded's mind, wanting him to see it from my point of view. It was seconds later that I was hit with a huge wave of love, affection and adoration. All those years ago, stood in my mothers throne room at the tender age of ten with a row of slaves before me, I had chosen my companion. I'd chosen well.

"He was the old Sheriff of Dallas right? I think that's quite funny; my Priscilla spent five years playing the character Jenna Wade on the TV show Dallas. I use to watch every week for her." A sad smile crossed over his features and I rubbed the back of his hand in a soothing gesture. The media had reported so many times all of the affairs they had both had with other people, of their divorce and the causes of it. Bubba had confided in me at times and it had broken my heart to see their relationship, and marriage, come to an end. It was obvious they had still very much loved one another at the time of their separation, but they just couldn't make it work out.

Suddenly his features changed, and a bright smile replaced his sad one. "When you do get married, I hope I get an invite! I could even sing a song for you when you walk up the aisle!"

I had to reign in my emotions at that moment in time; the thought of Bubba singing for me as I walked up the aisle had me tearing up. I could feel Godric's honor at receiving such an offer through the bond, mixed with excitement and happiness. "You'll be top of the list Bubba, top of the list." I promised him quietly, giving his cold hand a gentle squeeze.

Bubba's eyes shifted to my left and I turned to find Felipe stood at my side. "What list will Bubba be at the top of?" he tried to go for innocent, including a smile with his question, but I knew he was fishing for an answer. Well, if he wanted an answer then I would give him one.

"Bubba was just offering to sing for me when I walk down the aisle to marry Godric." I responded happily, enjoying the way Felipe's smile dropped. It didn't go unnoticed to Bubba. "He gave me this promise ring you see," I held my hand up to Felipe, "and as soon as the VRA passes, well." I smiled, forcing myself to think of something highly inappropriate to cause myself to blush, as if innocently sweet. It worked.

_"Thanks for sharing that, Ata." _I heard Eric mutter in my mind and I had to try and conceal my wide eyes at the realization that Sookie was still acting as the middleman and transmitting my thoughts. Godric's amusement flooded the bond and I couldn't help but flush a shade darker. Bubba was watching me with a curious expression so I causally raised my free hand to the side of my face that was away from Felipe, flipping my hair aside, but not before I lingered on my temple for a moment. The corner of Bubba's lips twitched upwards as he realized what was going on.

"Well, I hope to get an invite too, wouldn't want to miss the wedding of my favourite, and my best, Sheriff." Felipe's voice had tightened and he stood a little straighter than usual.

_"Ata 1, Felipe 0" _I mentally congratulated myself. A mini round of applause broke out in my mind and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing at my little family's antics.

"Of course, you will be on the list." I offered Felipe a smile, hoping to appease him for now.

_"Unless we stake you first, slimy bastard." _Ari's mental musing caused me to laugh, but I was quick to cover it with a cough. Felipe quirked an eyebrow at me while Bubba played the role of caring friend, asking me if I needed a glass of water. Although he was considered naive and mentally challenged by most, he knew me well enough to understand my reactions and body language by now. Politely shaking my head at his offer, I played along.

"We're all sitting down for dinner now, I was hoping you would join me." Felipe offered me his hand, palm upwards. I cringed internally at the thought of taking his hand. I could practically hear Godric growling all the way from the penthouse. With no option but to take his hand, I reluctantly let go of Bubba, placing my warm hand in Felipe's icy one. His fingers closed over mine and it was far from pleasant.

_"I'll keep an eye on you Miss Ata, don't you worry none." _Bubba locked eyes with me, offering me a smile.

"I'll see you later Bubba." I acknowledged his mental message with a nod just as Ari slipped back to my side.

"Is dinner served?" he asked with a smile, glancing between Felipe and I.

Felipe seemed to grunt, annoyance flashing in his eyes before he schooled his features. "Yes dinner is about to be served. I was just escorting Ata to her seat beside me at the head table."

"That's wonderful, we'll have such a great view from up there." Ari started to walk alongside us, but Felipe paused mid-step.

"I apologize Ari, but I was unaware that you would be attending and therefore I do not have a place set for you at the head table." Felipe's tone of voice was anything but apologetic, and Ari's smile disappeared instantly.

"I'm Ata's second in command and her escort for the evening, it is my duty to remain by her side." Ari insisted, taking on his stern tone and expression. I had been on the receiving end of such a look a few times over the years whenever I had accidently messed up.

"Miss Caesar will be fine by my side, there are plenty of other tables for you to sit at. I am your King, there is no one she would be safer with." Felipe stated before he started to walk again, gently tugging me along. I wanted to slap him; I was not a rag doll to be pulled around!

_"Ari! Stay as close to me as possible, I don't like this!" _I mentally begged my eldest Childe, looking over my shoulder to him as Felipe started to all but drag me to the head table. Letting go of my hand, his hand moved to my lower back, dangerously close to my exposed skin. I didn't want his hands on me so I quickened my pace, putting a little distance between us. I could feel his eyes on my back.

"Why is your back all marked up Ata? Your unmarred skin is far more beautiful." Felipe's voice entered my ear as he caught up with me.

"They are the marks of my bonded, a show of whom I belong to. My bonded does not want fang marks marring my skin and therefore this was the next best thing, he states that I am no fang banger." I responded, wanting Felipe to know there was no way I was going to be hoping from one vampire to the next, that I was neither an object nor a common whore.

Felipe didn't bother to respond to my comment, but I could see the disdain on his features. If he had noticed my markings then I was sure plenty of other people in the room had too. _"I dislike that you are sat alone with him my sweet." _Godric's worried tone entered my mind.

_"I don't like it either, but there is nothing we can do. He's the King, he can get what he wants." _ I mentally sighed as Felipe pulled out my chair for me. I could feel Godric's anger at the situation and his loathing for Felipe. Daintily I sat on the chair, allowing Felipe to push me in to the table. Before I knew it Edgar was slipping into the seat beside me, causing all the tension in my body to disappear. Nora took the seat on the other side of Edgar and I found myself grateful to have at least two of my five guardians up at the head table with me. Letting my eyes drift around the room I found Ari and Isabel sat together at the table closest to me, sat in seats where their eyes would be naturally trained on me. Bubba was sat on the other side of the room, and he too had taken up a seat where he could see me without obstruction. The other Nevada Sheriff's were sat on Felipe's right; meaning Felipe was between my fellow Sheriff's and I. I didn't like that one bit, especially as I was the only female. By separating us he was making a statement to the crowd that I was different from the rest, special even, and the last thing I needed was for others to start digging into my past, or my current situation. I was trying to conceal Eric and Sookie, I didn't need someone finding out I was housing them, training Sookie up. If Russell found out my home and business would probably suffer more than two bombs in the casino and lobby.

As everyone took their seats, silence settled over the room and Felipe took that moment to rise to his feet, clearing his throat to capture everyone's attention. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I want to thank you all for joining me this evening; it is an honor to have you all in my humble abode. I have invited you all here this evening not only as a social get together, for it has been some time since we have all been in the presence of one another, but also in honor of my Sheriff's. They have all served me for a long time now and I wish to celebrate their loyalty." Felipe smiled, as he looked first to the male Sheriff's on his right, to me on his left. His eyes lingered a little longer on me for a moment before he returned his attention to the other guests.

_"If my gag reflex worked, I'd have probably thrown up by now." _Khai's mental comment made me clench my hands into fists under the table in order to stop myself from laughing. Edgar seemed to note my body language and took my hand under the table, giving it a firm squeeze of reassurance.

_"My gag reflex does work, feel sorry for me." _I responded in kind to all back in the penthouse, including Ari in the conversation.

_"You can suppress your gag reflex though, my sweet." _ Godric's smug voice infiltrated my mind, along with a bombardment of images from our time in the bedroom earlier on in the evening. Stifling my gasp, I instinctively crossed my legs, clamping them shut. Edgar's nostrils flared however and a knowing smile crossed his lips. Raising his free hand to his temple he tapped it subtly and I gave a small nod of my head.

_"GODRIC!" _Sookie's shocked voice rang out in my mind and I cringed internally. Dear baby Horus please say she didn't see that mental image! The laughter coming from my boys, Eric and Godric told me otherwise.

"My state is prosperous and I have enough surplus money each month to contribute to the charities that help the humans with their day to day lives, my Sheriff's keep the peace perfectly and Vegas is pulling in more money than it ever has done before. So, I offer my thanks to my Sheriff's, Corentin Fiacre." The Sheriff of Area 32 rose to his feet, the vampires in the audience offering claps. The area's of America were random, with Louisiana being the starting point of the numbering system as New Orleans was the first central hubbub of vampires in the new world. Texas followed afterwards due to the oil industry; vampires were known to go where there was money. "Aurel Gavril." The Sheriff of Area 33 rose to his feet, more clapping following. "Bryn Marc." The Sheriff of Area 34 rose to his feet as the clapping continued. "Colton Emory." The Sheriff of Area 35 rose to his feet also. "And of course, Ata Caesar." Felipe's eyes swiveled to me and in an elegant gesture I had practiced over and over again over the years; I rose to my feet to the sound of louder applause, giving the dazzling smile I had mastered over the years to the crowd of guests.

The other Sheriff's had remained on their feet so I did the same. "I have also called everyone here today to inform you that Miss Caesar's business, Caesar's Palace was recently bombed by members of the supernatural community. I ask that you all remain vigilant, and should you detect any suspicious activities that you share the information with your neighboring states. We are unsure as to where the threat is coming from but, with the vote on the VRA right around the corner, we need to show a united and caring front to humans and bring an end to any potential threat to the passing of the amendment." He addressed the guests, who all murmured in agreement.

"We are not in the company of the media or any outsiders, so don't worry, you won't be dining on Tru Blood this evening." Felipe laughed, causing a ripple effect across the room. I forced a laugh in order to blend in. _"That wasn't even funny." _Sookie mentally declared. I gave her mind a prod so she'd shush for now.

"So please, enjoy your meals." With a flourish of his arms around 40 members of staff, all supernatural beings, entered the room, carrying with them trays with bowls of blood on. Sinking down into my seat as the other Sheriff's did so, we all exchanged nods with one another. We would no doubt chat later. Aurel was based in Carson City and I had a small condo there that I hadn't been to in a while. If push came to shove I would send Eric and Sookie there, but I would have to tell Aurel in advance. He was a decent man, if not a little unorganized at times.

A waiter placed a plate down infront of me and I thanked him as he left, stealing a quick glance at the bowls of blood that had been given to Edgar and Nora. _"It's citrus based and has lemons in it, so don't let it get onto your skin Ata." _I could hear Isabel clearly and found it difficult to conceal my shock. Shooting a glance in her direction I offered her a nod of thanks for her warning. I had been served Atlantic lobster and sweetbread ravioli with tomato petal, asparagus, clams and coral jus.

_"Oh save Isis it's seafood!"_ I gleefully cheered mentally, thinking of how horrendous my breath would stink later and that it would most likely put Felipe off.

_"I don't think you've ever been so happy to eat fish in your whole life. I remember when you use to complain about eating fish from the Nile, you use to say it was never flaky enough." _Oeri teased me through our mental connection as I started to tuck into my meal; ignoring the fact the vampires around me were consuming blood from bowls. It was far too civilised for my liking. I was use to my boys either taking from the source or from donor bags.

The room was silent as everyone ate, and even my mental ties to my family were quiet as well. I was focusing on the thoughts of others in the room, filtering them and sorting through them, passing along anything of interest to my boys. With my plate empty, the waiter took it away from me, offering me a glass of champagne. I took a sip out of politeness, but I was well aware of the effect alcohol would have on my shields, plus any intoxication in my system could lead to me walking into a sticky situation, and that was the last thing I wanted.

Once everyone's bowls were cleaned away, Felipe patted his mouth with a napkin before rising back up onto his feet, instantly gathering the attention of everyone in the room. "I do hope dinner was to your taste this evening and that you will now all join me on the dance floor for the remainder of the evening." He formally ended dinner. Edgar took my hand once more; about to take me away from Felipe with the excuse of a dance, but Felipe beat him to it, offering his hand out to me. "Would you join me for the first dance, Ata?" he dropped his voice a few octaves, looking at me through hooded lids. Of course my contact lens cameras picked up the lusty look in his eyes and I had to stop myself from bringing up my dinner. Then of course I was hit with a tidal wave of anger and hatred from my bonded, directed at the vampire opposite me. Swallowing back the negative emotions, I purposefully placed my left hand in Felipe's outstretched one, and, just like planned, his eyes dropped to the white gold and diamond band around my finger. In a flourish I was up on my feet, moving towards the dance floor with the King of Nevada. I caught sight of Isabel and Ari as I passed their table, and both offered me sympathetic glances.

The band struck up from the corner of the room and started to play Revelry by Emilie Autumn. I frowned lightly at the choice. In my opinion some of Emilie Autumn's work had a very classical feel, but was of course far more modern. "I heard a rumor around town you were an Emilie Autumn fan, so I thought you would enjoy the first dance being one of her songs." Felipe informed me as he spun me around, pulling me flush to his body. "I had the band learn it specially for you." His fingers ghosted over my jawbone and I could feel Godric's barely contained anger. Ari was up on his feet nervously standing at the edge of the dance floor, but he was unable to swoop to my rescue, that would be a sign of disrespect to Felipe and we had too much to lose by falling out with him.

Plastering on a smile to cover my inner turmoil, we started to move in a waltz. My feet were telling me to go for a rumba, or the tango, but such dances were far more sensual and I refused to give Felipe any ideas. Insisting the waltz was the way to go, I allowed Felipe to lead as he started to twirl us around the room. "You look absolutely incredible this evening Ata, everyone here is watching us, you're breaking many hearts in that dress. Every man is jealous that I am dancing with you, and every woman is envious of the empire you have created, the people you know, the riches you adorn yourself with." His mouth was inches from my ear as he spoke, having retained his deeper voice. His tone caused me to shudder, but not out of pleasure or anticipation, but out of disgust.

"Thank you for your kind comments, your Majesty. It is very rare for me to receive such compliments these days." I remembered my manners, knowing my mother would have had my hide if I had of forgotten them.

"Does your companion not inform you of how beautiful you are?" his question seemed innocent enough, but I was well aware that it was loaded.

Continuing to twirl around the room, I laughed lightly, letting a smile settle upon my features. "My **bonded **pays me such compliments every day, what I meant is that it is rare to receive such kind comments from those outside of my nest." I corrected my earlier statement, emphasizing the fact I was bonded. If I were thrice bonded to Godric, Felipe wouldn't even be able to touch me right now without the risk of the true death, which I was sure Godric would be swift to deliver.

_"I want to stake that bastard right now." _I heard him seethe. I could also pick up on Sookie's mind as she attempted to calm down my beloved, reassuring him that she was inside Felipe's head and while his thoughts weren't exactly pure they weren't malicious either.

"Ah yes, your fiancé." The disdain was evident in his tone as he glanced to the band around my finger once more.

"We are not engaged, it is merely a promise, and after 2000 years on this earth my beloved has learnt to never break a promise." I gave a wistful sigh to add to the illusion of a naive young girl after her fairytale wedding. I wanted Felipe to feel like I was helpless, like he could help me, because maybe then he would let his guard down long enough for me to slip into his mind. I'd been keeping tabs on his brain signal all night and yet the black curtain that had been pulled around his thoughts and memories was unrelenting.

"Have you thought upon my offer some more?" He asked as we continued to twirl around the dance floor, all eyes following us as we moved.

"Which offer would that be, your Majesty?" I had to restrain my growl, knowing full well there were only two offers he had ever made me. The first was to be his consort, and the second was for financial, and emotional, aid towards the rebuild of the Palace.

"Why to be my Queen of course, you are already wearing a tiara after all." He had the audacity to smile afterwards.

Godric's anger nearly bowled me over and if it weren't for my 2000-year-old practiced poker face I would have found myself in an even worse situation, if such a thing existed. "I am wearing a tiara because I am royalty from two different families, regardless of whether I am your Queen or not. While I once again thank you for your offer, your Majesty, I am bonded to the man I love completely and do not intend to enter into any form of relationship with anyone else, human or vampire, now or ever."

Felipe's jaw tensed and the song came to a close, parting our bodies, he dropped a kiss to the back of my hand before he all but stormed off into the crowd. _"I think I just upset him." _I informed Ari and everyone at the penthouse, pursing my lips together.

_"Fuck him. Actually, please don't." _Khai's cheeky comment caused me to smile. Almost instantly I was in the arms of Edgar, who started to twirl me around the room as the next song started up. Godric's anger started to weaken now that I was with Edgar instead of Felipe, but I could still feel his dislike about the fact I was in the arms of another man.

"You look very lovely this evening Ata, your vampire must be very proud to be able to call you his." Edgar offered me a sincere smile. The mention of Godric, in such a positive manner, had me grinning. I could feel him pushing his love and pride through the bond too.

"Ah, now there is the smile of a woman in love." I blushed under Edgar's gaze, spending a moment drowning myself in my love for my vampire as I twirled around in the arms of the King of California.

For the remainder of the song I twirled about in Edgar's arms but as the song drew to a close Ari stepped forward, taking me from him with a smile. Waltzing around the room with my eldest Childe, I spent the time pushing feelings through our Maker-Childe bond. Ari and I had never been extremely verbally affectionate, all of our care for one another was usually conveyed through our bond, we felt it more sincere, and no one else would overhear us. It was special. Pushing my love for my boy through the bond, I received it back by the bucket load. I pushed pride through too, wanting him to know he was one of my greatest creations.

_"Thank you, Ata." _Ari's voice filled my mind as he twirled me on the spot before continuing our waltz.

_"What for, my son?" _I frowned lightly, unsure as to what my boy was thanking me for.

_"Everything. If it weren't for you I would have perished over 2000 years ago. I would have never travelled the world, witnessed the first man on the moon, the invention of penicillin, the signing of the declaration of independence, the world wars and getting to meet Shakespeare. I would have never found my brothers and gained a family, I would have never witnessed first hand how wonderful the human race is, how they fight back against all the odds, how they always survive. I would've missed out on an eternity of laughter and love, of adventure and surprises. That's why I'm thankful, mother." _

I couldn't stop the stray tear from escaping me as I felt all of my children pushing their love through our bonds, it was overpowering, overwhelming, and yet I welcomed it with open arms, pushing just as much back to each of them. They had all left behind their mortal lives for me; they had traded the sun for the moon and stars and had protected me from everyone and everything. Ari wiped away my tear, popping it into his mouth to savor it.

_"I love you, all of you, it should be me thanking you."_ I mentally whispered to them all, keeping the constant flow of love going to our bonds. I could practically feel all of my children smiling through our bond and, as the song hit the last note, Ari dipped me down. Righting myself in one smooth movement, I pulled my eldest into an embrace, keeping the silver from touching his skin.

The music changed once more but I found myself wanting one more dance with my Childe. _"Argentine Tango?" _I couldn't hide my smile at Ari's suggestion. With a nod we took our starting positions and the moment the music picked up we were off. Over the years my boys and I had learnt how to dance, purely because dancing was a much-loved pastime throughout history. Although I danced with all of my boys we each had our own signature dance. Khai was perfect at the rumba, Riei at the cha-cha, Oeri at the mambo, Agmund at the salsa and Egor at the foxtrot. Of course Ari's specialty was the tango.

Lifting me into the air I pointed my feet before being placed neatly back down onto the ground, together we moved across the dance floor, our feet in perfect sync with one another, our steps light and quick. Our usual routine consisted of numerous lifts, but I trusted Ari with my life and therefore had no issue with it. Over the years we had crafted our dance, changed it subtly every now and then, and this evening we threw in a touch more sensuality. Twirling me out Ari brought me back in, wrapping me in his arms before taking my hands in his own, starting to move his feet at a quicker pace. I found myself able to keep up with him thanks to the last ingestion of vampire blood earlier on in the evening.

As we moved across the dance floor I came to realize that most people had vacated it and were instead stood at the edge, watching Ari and I as we glided across the floor. I caught sight of Edgar, Isabel and Nora, who were all stood together watching on with smug smiles, their eyes flickering every so often to Felipe, who looked like he wanted to stake someone. Isabel was holding a small camera in her hand and I was unsure as to why she was holding it. Clearly the little touch of sensuality was having the desired effect as a few of the vampires in the crowd had dropped fang at our display.

Our dance wasn't that long but as the music came towards an end I twirled into Ari's arms, bending my knee which he grasped firmly, using it to haul me up. Twisting my body I flicked my legs out to straddle him, one of his arms holding me firmly in place at the small of my back while the other was outstretched behind him in a flourished movement. It was then he bent me forward, my arms outstretched to the floor just as the final note rung out around the room. It had been a long time since I had danced at a formal occasion with my Childe and the way the vampires broke into applause had me positively giddy. I could feel the appraisal from all back at the penthouse, they must have been watching through my contact lens cameras, though unfortunately would not have been able to see the whole dance.

Pulling me back up, Ari placed me down on my feet before twirling me to his side, where we both bowed our thanks to the crowd. Now I was glad I had only waltzed with Felipe, I would have never dared to encourage such a dance with him for fear he would have believed me to harbor feelings for him.

Slowly the dance floor started to fill up again and a few vampires came over to compliment our dance. I remained glued to Ari's side, thanking them copiously for their kind words.

"You dance real well Miss Ata." Bubba bounded over to my side as Ari and I left the dance floor. I couldn't help but smile at the dark haired singer.

"Thank you Bubba, but we all know you're the best at the dancing." I complimented, remembering all of the videos and movies I'd seen of him dancing in his human years. He'd had natural rhythm and therefore he'd been a great dancer.

"Aw shucks Miss Ata, we can jive together later if you'd like?" If it were possible for vampires to blush I had a feeling that Bubba would have been right about now. It was a well known fact the challenged vampire had all but given up singing and dancing after he had been turned, so to not only be offered a song by him but also a dance on the same night was a huge honor.

"I'd love that Bubba, very much indeed." I accepted.

Nora slid up to my side a moment later, a look of concern on her features. "The guest upstairs wishes to speak with you." She whispered right in my ear so no other vampires would hear.

Remembering that the Ancient Pythoness was upstairs I gave a nod of my head before turning to Ari. _"The A.P is upstairs and has requested my presence. I'll be fine though. I'll take Nora with me, you stay here with Isabel and if anyone asks where I am then say I went to take care of my human needs please." _I filled him in, including everyone back at the penthouse in on the mental message.

"Nora, I haven't a clue where the ladies room is, could you show me please?" I batted my eyelashes, knowing she would play along. Together we left the ballroom and made our way to the stairs, which we quickly ascended. Felipe's house was a ridiculous size so it took us a few minutes to locate the room the Ancient Pythoness was staying in, however the two Britlingens stood outside of a door gave away her location. Nodding their head in acknowledgement to my escort and I, they allowed us entry.

The room was modern, just like the rest of the house, and I couldn't help but feel that it didn't suit the Ancient Pythoness at all. The far side of the room was one big window and sliding door, which had been left open so that entry to the balcony was easier. The stars were twinkling and the moonlight was coming in through the window. The right hand wall consisted of wardrobes and a large flat screen TV, not that that would be any use to the Ancient Pythoness anyway. A raised platform sat in the centre of the room and a huge bed sat on it. What was more important though was the woman sat upon the bed, surrounded by her handmaidens. The Ancient Pythoness was just like her name stated – ancient. Therefore wherever she went she took a handful of women with her who would do all of her work for her and take care of her. They were a wonderfully sweet bunch. The lights had been dimmed and a few flickering candles lit up the corners of the room.

"It has been so long, Ata." Her ancient voice greeted me as she turned to face me, her blind eyes still managing to see me through the power of her mind. The Ancient Pythoness was a seer, an oracle. She could see the future of every living being, follow different strands based on different actions to get to different results. Being summoned by her usually meant something was coming your way and you would have choices to make, so being told she wished to see me didn't sit right with me.

"It has been, your Grace." I dipped my head in respect, Bubba and Nora doing the same.

"Oh dear girl, there is no need for you to bow your head to me, if anything it is I who should be bowing to you." A smile tugged at the corner of her lips and I found the same happening to me. "It has been over 1950 years since we last saw one another." She gave a wistful sigh and I couldn't help but reminisce. The Ancient Pythoness was the original oracle that Alexander the Great consulted on numerous occasions, and my family were the direct descendants of Alexander's right hand man, Ptolemy I Soter, also known as Ptolemy Lagides. He was the founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the dynasty of which my family belonged to, the last dynasty of Egypt. Of course the Ancient Pythoness had been well aware of this connection, but she had stayed away from me until I had left Egypt. Only then had she revealed herself to me. Usually she resided in the old world, back in Europe, so to have her here in America was a surprise. "I am here for the summit in a few weeks time." She answered my unspoken question and I couldn't stop myself from laughing quietly, obviously she had foreseen me asking the question. I could hear Eric telling Sookie in my mind all about the Ancient Pythoness and her ability. "Am I free to speak in front of your companions?" She asked and, glancing to Nora, I gave a nod in response. Although I didn't trust Nora yet, Godric did, so I would give her the benefit of the doubt. "I meant the companions watching and listening in on us, little princess." She gave a knowing smile. Of course the Ancient Pythoness would be aware of my contact lens cameras and microphone brooch. "My children, my bonded and his family, and my cousin are all trustworthy." I responded, grouping little Oscar into the band of my children. As soon as possible I would be making him my own, it wasn't fair for him to live in such uncertainty.

"Your nest is growing, and it will continue to do so if you carry on down this path. You already have quiet the eclectic family." She smiled across at me. I had only accessed her brain once, when we had first met, and I had retreated as soon as possible. I had witnessed things in there that weren't at all pretty, things I should have never known.

"I'll need to buy a bigger house then." I muttered under my breath, wondering where we would house everyone. Although we had a huge hotel at our disposal I wanted everyone as close together as possible.

"I wouldn't worry about a house just yet my dear, that'll be taken care of in time." The Ancient Pythoness gave me a knowing smile, causing me to frown. It was then a small tinge of worry and secrecy came through the bond from Godric. Musing over the feelings for a moment, I was snapped out of it by the Ancient Pythoness speaking once more.

"Challenges are coming your way though dear child, and they won't be easy, they'll affect not just you but your nest too – your children, your bonded, your cousin. I have seen so many different paths for you; I have kept an eye on you over the years. It is no coincidence you were reunited with your bonded, no coincidence that your cousin has fallen for his Childe."

I felt Godric's surprise through the bond and then it all clicked. "Are you saying that we're fated?" I whispered, unsure if I had taken her words the right way.

"Fated, destined, whatever you wish to call it little one. You and Godric were suppose to meet in your human years, you were suppose to be parted, so that Godric could create Eric, who in turn would meet your cousin and draw you two back together again." The Ancient Pythoness revealed.

"Only together can you beat the obstacles facing you. You and your bonded have had 2000 years each to perfect yourselves, to become the best you can be. Your children have helped you survive without your bonded by your side and have encouraged you to be a gentle woman, the antithesis of the fierceness of your vampire." Her blind eyes seemed to be looking right through me.

"Your cousin is the antithesis of Eric too, balancing one another out to create a formidable duo, and as a foursome there is little that can part you, and few who can beat you." She continued before her face dropped a little. "The path you are walking now is the only one I have seen where the chance of all four of you making it out alive is over 50%, there is still the risk that some of you may not make it if you're not properly prepared."

I felt a lump form in my throat at the thought of Godric, Eric or Sookie not making it through this. I cared little for my own safety; I would always put my family before myself. I could feel Godric's concern through the bond and I could mentally hear Sookie going berserk at the prospect of one of us, or more, dying.

Nora moved closer to my side, gently taking one of my hands in her own. "What do I do? How do we all survive this?" I asked in a hushed tone, trying not to panic over the news I was hearing.

The Ancient Pythoness gave a small sigh, licking her lips to moisten them. "You know I favor you, little princess, but if I tell you then the path will change and there is a higher chance of all of you perishing. I can however give you a riddle." She offered as a substitute.

Screwing my eyes shut I pinched the bridge of my nose with my free hand, opening my eyes slowly to look at the ancient vampire before me. "My mother and father gave me riddles to figure out, but I'm yet to do so." I complained quietly.

"The answers will come to you soon, the first when you wake tomorrow." She offered me a starting point.

"I'll take another riddle then, Pallas." I sighed, knowing there was no other way for me to get any more information. The Ancient Pythoness had shared her true name with me upon our first meeting, as she informed me we would see one another in the future, and that we could be considered family, as Alexander the Great often called the Ancient Pythoness his sister and Ptolemy I Soter his brother. I had done some digging over the years as to the meaning behind her name, that sort of thing had always fascinated me, and I had learnt that it was Greek, meaning Goddess of wisdom and knowledge. I found it incredibly fitting for the elderly lady.

"Three houses bound together, all four of immortal blood.  
Two sets of two that share a tie, combining all around together.  
One is ancient, majestic, full of joyful cheer,  
Two has much to learn,  
Three is wise beyond his years,  
And Four once tried to burn.  
Now four people, all of power, try to part the four.  
With thousands of years between them all, this riddle they will solve.  
One of them has used you, one of them has abused you, one of them wants to watch you fall.  
Deception and lies go hand in hand, but brutal truths can really hurt.  
Do not lash out at those you love, but seek revenge for those you lost.  
When the moon waxes all of this will end, new powers will be used and promised gifts will make amends.  
A sacrifice must be made, a selfless one at that.  
Time will heal the marks remaining, but only love will heal thy heart.  
In the house of royalty four will fight, yet only two will leave."

Silence settled over us as I memorized her words, pushing them to all of my children and to Godric, in a hope one of them would write it down. "Remember, little princess, that there are plenty who would willingly lay their lives on the line for you. You may need to call upon them in the future. Your father led armies across the world, and now you may have to follow his footsteps, just like a true little Caesar." She offered me a smile, holding a hand out to me. The moment she called me a little Caesar I felt my heart constrict and I had to fight back my tears. My little brother had been named Caesarion, which meant 'Little Caesar.' I missed my brother something terrible; he had been so sweet, so full of life. I had relished the moment I had ended Octavian for ordering my little brothers death, the bastard had deserved it, I was just disappointed I hadn't dragged his death out longer.

Taking Pallas's outstretched hand, she pulled me into her mind, throwing up plenty of doors to areas where she did not want me to go. Her mind was an incredible place, it was huge and so well organized, my subconscious felt lost inside of it. As I was in her mind, I blocked off my connections to Ari and the others back in the penthouse, knowing the only reason I would be in Pallas's mind would be because she had something secretive to share with me. Pallas had gained her vampire name, the Ancient Pythoness, because I had discovered that her subconscious was a python when I had first attempted to enter her thoughts. I had told her and she had then chosen her name.

My subconscious approached Pallas's and stopped before her, dipping its head in respect. Surprisingly her subconscious returned the gesture. "I have pulled you here, little one, to tell you of the location of someone important. I will have to bury this information in your subconscious however in order to stop others from finding it, but you will only be able to call upon it when the moment is right" The python informed me, her tongue flickering out to taste the air.

"His mother is in the Summerlands, there is a way to bring her to this realm for a short burst of time, but only once your bond is completed. She can only make one visit to this realm however." The python informed me, the corner of her lips quirking upwards.

"Godric's mother?" my subconscious breathed, swishing her tail happily.

"Yes little one, you must not tell your bonded about her, and her appearance must be a surprise. Your bonded has not seen her in over 2000 years; her appearance will have a profound affect on him and he must be ready for it, as she will have plenty to tell him." I was informed. The python moved towards my subconscious, slowly placing its forehead to Baast's. I felt the python slipping through my mind, burying the information in my subconscious so that I would only be able to recall it when the moment was correct.

Almost instantly I was pulled back to reality, the connection with Ari and those back in the penthouse opened up again. I frowned lightly, trying my hardest to pull the information out of my subconscious. I was aware that Pallas had told me something, but I couldn't remember what. "Try not to think of it, little princess." Pallas laughed gently, letting go of my hand. Nora was at my side instantly, taking my hand in her own. "Bubba is waiting for his dance downstairs, Ata. Thank you for coming to see me, I have a feeling we will be seeing one another more over the coming weeks." I was politely dismissed. Instinctively I bowed my head, going to leave the room with Nora. "Miss Gainsborough, a moment please?" Pallas interrupted our departure.

I was worried for a moment, and I could feel Godric's concern for me through the bond, and his curiosity as to why I was confused about the information I could not access. "This is Felipe's home, Ari, Isabel and Bubba are downstairs, I'll be fine." I reassured Nora, and myself. Slowly the brunette vampire let go of my hand and I turned to the door.

Leaving the room I was so lost in my thoughts regarding the riddle I had just received, and the information I couldn't access, that I didn't acknowledge the vampire mind to my left, nor did I acknowledge the needle in their hand until it was buried in my neck.

Then the world went black.

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**A/N if you want to see Ata and Ari's dance, go to the youtube homepage and add /watch?v=DgieOrejLhY&feature=related after the URL ^_^**


	47. Saving Grace

**A/N I think the last chapter was messed up reviews wise because I deleted chapter 33 (I think it was that one) so rather than seeing a new chapter, FF believed there to be the same amount as before when I updated which is why some of you were unable to review. I'm actually really, really sad about that because the last chapter was one of my favorites to date :( if you get the chance, could you please review the previous chapter when you review this one? It would make me super happy :D**

**Those who did review decided on Ari, so Ari it shall be! ;)**

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**ARI'S POV**

_When I try to recall the past I see your face  
__You erased all my doubts, nothing less than a miracle  
__You saved my life, you were so amazing  
__Perish surely, I thought truly  
__But you came, you rescued me  
__Here I am once again in the midst of doubt  
__Setting forth on the path you have fashioned out  
__You have shown there is none like you in this world  
__I'm undone, you have come, you're my saving grace  
__Brittleness breaks me, once again I snapped in two  
__Damaged through to my soul  
__Frail but I can feel the strength returning, so alive I can feel life burning  
__With your beauty, how you've have moved me  
__You are there, you carried me  
__Here I am once again in the midst of doubt  
__Stepping forth on the path you have fashioned out  
__~ Saving Grace, Eowyn_

For 2000 years I have walked this earth, spending every night at the side of my Maker. We've seen the world together, watched as the humans evolved and reinvented themselves, discovered new things and went to war over the smallest incidents. Surprises were far and few between for one my age. My Maker, brothers and I had witnessed it all.

Niall had called my Mistress and had informed her that we would be due three guests to protect, that she would be related to one and would have to train her up in the way of the fae. My brothers and I had been at a loss over the information, we were all aware that Ata's human family were all deceased and what little fae family she had left were always in Faery, where they were safely tucked away from vampires. Niall had also informed us that we would be due a few surprises, but there was of course little that could surprise all of us given our ages.

In my human years my family had guarded Ata's for countless generations, I had watched over the young princess as she'd grown up, followed her everywhere, allowed her space to fall in love with the boy she had picked as her companion. It was fair to say I had grown fond of the young princess, and I had doted on her at every available opportunity. As her personal guard, I had been present when Niall had informed her of her heritage and, without even having to think about it, I knew I wanted to find a way to stay around for eternity, to continue to protect her from everything bad in the world. After discussing it with my brothers, and my Mistress, I'd had myself turned into a nightwalker, and then my Maker had been staked so that Ata would be safe.

It had been the worst day of my life when I had been forced to tell Ata of the passing of her companion, and I had practically felt the pain pouring off of her as she'd wept for him. Things had gone downhill so rapidly from then on that I'd been worried for her sanity. We'd left Egypt in search of something more; to repair the damage the first thirty years of her life had caused her. So, 2000 years later, when I had been stood waiting for our guests to arrive, the last face I had expected to see had appeared, filling me with such extreme hope that I'd been forced to clamp down my bond with Ata. It was a difficult task for me to shut down our bond, usually a Maker and Childe could shut down their bonds with ease, but the tie Ata and I shared was much stronger than the usual Maker and Childe tie.

Due to the affections we had held for one another in our human years, in a platonic sense of course, the tie we had created when Ata had placed her blood in my system had been exceptionally strong. Of course my Mistress loved her other children, and I loved my brothers too, but Ata doted on me like I had doted on her during our human years. My brothers and I had formed a mental connection with Ata when she had become our Maker, and we could access one anothers thoughts and memories whenever we wanted to. My brothers and I tried not to pry in Ata's mind – we were aware she valued her privacy – but on occasion it had been a very useful tool indeed.

The moment I had clapped eyes on the eternally young face stood in our entrance hall I had known his name straight away, my vampire memory serving me well. It had been a strange sight indeed, watching my Maker be reunited with her childhood sweetheart. The way her face lit up, the happy tears rolling down her cheeks and the positive feelings through our bond had made me want to weep with happiness. She'd been so ill for the past two years, so weak and tired all the time, that we had worried death was claiming her 400 years early. I had known something was going to happen the evening our guests arrived when Ata had asked Oeri to bring her two painkillers and a glass of water. She had spent the past two years not bothering with painkillers, instead she'd chosen to grit her teeth and deal with it, so for her to ask for medication had put me on high alert.

Now that I had spent a few evenings in the company of Godric, Eric, Sookie and even Pam, I had decided they were good for my Ata. My Mistress had always been happy, chirpy even; it was her joy for living that made **me** happy. With Godric though her happiness had trebled, and I found myself craving the companionship of someone for the first time in so long. I found myself wanting more than a feed and fuck, someone I could curl up with just before sunset and die for the day with, someone I could express my feelings and thoughts too, and someone I could kiss. Dear Isis how long has it been since I've properly kissed someone?

Speaking of companionship, Eric's progeny Pamela isn't too bad. Her sass and uppity actions during her first day or so here had been a bit of a put off but she's subtly changed over the last day or so. I hadn't gone to pick her up from the airport as I'd had plenty of documents to create for Felipe's stupid taxations. He gave us a tax cut because he craved Ata; he wanted to call my Mistress his own. I would meet the true death before that would ever happen. My Maker and I despised the idiot Monarch. We played his games though so we could reap the benefits, such as the cut in tax. It had enabled us to expand a few years ago and bookings had exploded, so had the ability to charge more for our rooms. I had sent my brothers to collect Pamela, and I hadn't known what to expect when she first arrived. What I hadn't expected was for a 5'8 Goddess in designer clothing to step out of the limo.

Although a vampire, and therefore unable to walk in the sunshine, Pamela was just as radiant as the sunshine. I could faintly remember the sunshine, the feel of it against my skin, and on occasion I would find myself dipping into my Mistresses mind in order to see the sunshine from her perspective. Pamela was the sunshine, with her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Women such as her were hard to come by in Egypt; they were usually all tanned with dark hair and eyes. It was one of the reasons the people under Cleopatra's rule had loved Ata so much, she was so completely different to them all. I had restrained myself from acting upon this sudden impulse to learn more about the Victorian vampire, it hadn't taken much effort to discover her taste for women over men. The news saddened me but I still held onto the hope that I could sway her towards me.

The concern she had showed for my Maker, and for Sookie, during the ritual had warmed to her more; especially when I had caught her making sure I was okay too. I hadn't pushed my case with her, I'd just been my usual self, but I had made sure to showcase a bit more skin every now and then, to make a show of the power my age gave me. I had a feeling that Pamela not only had a thing for expensive things, but powerful things too.

The fact she had bought Sookie a dress that held sentimental value, and had then bought Ata a silver bangle for protection, showed me that there was another side to the seemingly cold woman, and that underneath her sass and fire there was a girl wanting acceptance and love. I could offer her both, if she wanted it that is.

Godric offered both of those things to my Mistress, and I couldn't be happier for either of them. In fact, the way things were going I could see her eventually having her dream life. I could see her with her beautiful home and her white picket fence, her porch swing and her vegetable patch. I could see the large diamond on her finger and the smile she would wear on her wedding day. Oh I was positively giddy! The way fate had torn them apart all those years ago had been cruel, but now fate was rewarding them for surviving their time apart by reuniting them. Watching them together, observing their body language around one another, it was easy to see how quickly they fell back into their old ways. They were completely at ease with one another, utterly accepting of each other. I had been well aware of my Mistresses innocence, it made me respect her all the more for remaining pure for so long, but unfortunately on occasion my brothers and I had been forced to place our scents all over her, at times even smearing some of our bodily fluids over her skin. It wasn't pleasant at all but it was the only way other vampires would accept our claim on her. If they were to believe we were yet to have her body they could try and take her from us. My Mistresses had grinned and bared it though. We had of course exchanged blood frequently, it was what kept our Maker-Childe bonds strong, and so the smell of one another's blood in our systems was never an issue.

The first time I had scented Godric all over her, and in her, I had felt strangely jealous and possessive. My brothers and I had had Ata all to ourselves for the past 2000 years, and though our relationship had never been anything more than platonic, it had been significant for her to lose her purity, to finally have an attachment to a man outside of our family bond and nest. It was like she was growing up. I guess, in some sense, I could relate it to how a father would feel about his daughter growing up. Although I was unable to get into his mind, as we were yet to have a strong blood bond, it was apparent from the way he held Ata, the way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her, that he was completely devoted to her, and she was completely devoted to him. It warmed my cold, dead heart.

His progeny was an interesting character, full of the fierceness of his people and yet he showed softness when in the company of those in his bloodline, and Sookie. He had even shown tenderness with Ata over the past few days. I could see the qualities in him that made him a rewarding vampire, an ideal progeny. From the information I had gathered for Ata the night of their arrival, and subsequently left on the kitchen counter for her to read in the morning, he was a fierce warrior, a man of his word and believed strongly in honor. He was loyal and trustworthy, but not above manipulation and blackmail, just like every vampire. Those who had been around before the Great Reveal were use to lying and manipulating, blackmailing even, in order to get to where we wanted without being questioned. The centuries before the Great Reveal there had been a huge power struggle within the vampire world, and many vampires had perished in some vampires bids to get to the top. It was a cruel truth. Eric struck me as a survivor though, able to not only use his brawn but his brain to get himself, and those close to him, out of any sticky situation. I had a feeling his ability to come up with strategies, and of course his brute strength, would come in useful over the next few weeks. I was yet to have a conversation alone with the Viking vampire, yet Egor and Agmund spoke highly of him when we were all alone one evening. My younger brothers had known him during their human years, and they stated that even then he had been a marvelous man, capable of achieving things most couldn't.

Sookie was a whole new can of worms, I had gathered from numerous information sources that wherever she went trouble seemed to follow, and while I wasn't overly pleased with trouble finding the empire my Maker, brothers and I had crafted over the years, I would do anything to help family. She was still so naive about the powers she could wield, still so unsure about herself. She reminded me so much of my Ata when she had first been told of her powers by Niall. Of course she had always been telepathic, and although others had treated her differently for it I had no issue with treating her like everyone else, in my opinion she was better than us all, the next step up in the human race. Niall had given Ata no assistance with her powers, she'd been forced to discover them all, and master them all, herself. I felt for Sookie, she had been given all of this power and yet she had no idea how to use it. If it weren't for my Mistress teaching her then she would probably still be unsure of what she was capable of. It was obvious, just by looking at Ata and Sookie, that they were somehow related. Their blonde hair was the exact same shade and they both had bright blue eyes. Ata's eyes were a little brighter though, full of the sparkle of a long and prosperous life. Sookie had dealt with many traumas in the short time she had been walking the earth so far, it wasn't hard to see why she had lost a little of her lust for living. Eric seemed to be doing a good job at making her happy though, smothering her in affection whenever he got the opportunity to do so. It was interesting to note how much he cared for her and compare it to the way his Maker – my new Master – cared for Ata. I could only hope that Eric would grow into a vampire similar to Godric. Not exactly the same, every vampire was different after all, but similar in nature – tender, loving, affectionate, yet with a fierce and protective edge.

Felipe de Castro, the vampire King of Nevada, had been causing us problems for a while now. It wasn't a secret that he wanted Ata as his consort. All of the other Sheriff's, and even some of the resident vampires, were aware of his attachment to my Maker. I wouldn't allow him to have her though, especially not now that she was twice bonded to Godric. It was strange to witness the once slave boy as a vampire, to see how the 2000 years had shaped him. I could remember him going for long walks with Ata in the middle of the summer sunshine, I could remember seeing her sneak him into the palace at night. I never told anyone that she was bringing him in, I found myself enjoying how happy he made her, and how happy she made him.

When I'd learnt of Felipe's party I had instantly been on high alert, throw in the fact Felipe was refusing to allow Godric to attend and I could smell something fishy. I had contacted Edgar, who had all but fallen over his feet in order to have a spot looking after Ata for the evening, and had been pleased to learn that Godric had also entrusted her care to two other vampires he trusted. Ata and I had attended many balls and parties over the years, it was one of the ways we promoted our business but it also kept Felipe sweet. This evening was no exception.

The moment my Maker had returned to the living area with a band around her finger I had initially jumped to the conclusion that Godric had gone down on one knee, I'd worried that it was too soon for them, but Ata clarified the meaning behind the band on her finger moments after Sookie had grasped her hand for a look. I watched as everyone fawned over her new ring, by my eyes were not on my Mistress, but on the vampire who was my new Master. Due to Ata's ability we had all developed the ability to read the body language of others, because body language could never lie where as one verbally, and sometimes mentally if they believed something so completely, could. The way he watched her, gazed at her, smiled at her obvious joy, it was reassuring to know that someone else would take great care of her. It saddened me though that this could signify the end of a long chapter of our lives, a chapter where my brothers and I have been the only men in her life, but at the same time I was pleased, proud even, that my brothers and I had helped her through the past 2000 years so she could be reunited with her fated. Although no one had outright told my brothers and I that Ata and Godric were fated, it was painfully obvious, even when they were both completely human. I couldn't help but chuckle internally at the thought that Eric and Sookie were fated too, how strange for two from one bloodline could fall for two of another, their species mortal enemies at that!

After placing a tiara on my Mistresses head, we took our leave. I hadn't had much of an opportunity to talk to Isabel however she seemed a kind woman, and if my new Master trusted her then so would I. That wasn't to say I wouldn't kill her if she turned out to be a traitor or if she hurt Ata in any way. If there was one thing I was certain of it was that anyone who dared to harm my Maker in any way would perish by my bare hands.

Pulling up to the gates of Felipe's ridiculous estate, a bulky Were turned to face us. Felipe had always been big on security but it seemed he was pulling out all the stops this evening. The usual guards, upon seeing our limo, usually just let us straight in. "Names?" The Were gruffly asked, his eyes downcast as he glanced at the checklist of names. I watched as he inhaled, nostrils flaring as he took in Ata's scent. I had to restrain myself from letting out a growl of warning and flashing my fangs at him as he leered at her. I could only image how Godric was responding to such a blatant display of disrespect.

"Ata Caesar, Ari Seti-Nekht and Isabel Beaumont." I replied curtly, tightening my hold on my Mistress so the Were would get the picture that she was by no means dinner, or a fuck. Slowly he ticked our names off the list, gesturing for us to carry on into the building.

I hated Felipe's mansion, though it was beautiful from the outside the use of marble on the inside reminded me of Caesar's Palace far too much, and though I had nothing against the marble I always found it strange just how similar both places looked.

After socializing for a while all of the vampires were called for dinner, and I found myself unfortunately sitting at a different table to my Mistress. This was not what I had in mind! I was the second in command of Vegas; technically I should have been up at the top table with the other Sheriffs and their seconds. This all screamed of Felipe wanting Ata to himself, and it made my blood boil. The way he sang Ata's praise, and so obviously favored her over the other Sheriff's frustrated me even further. My Mistress was on good terms with the other Sheriff's, the last thing she needed was for them to become jealous of the way Felipe treated her.

The blood had been average at best, which wasn't a surprise given that I usually sustained myself on the blood of my Maker. Felipe was also known for cutting costs and charging a lot in taxation, thus giving him plenty of 'play' money to gamble away and buy useless shit with, so it was no surprise the blood wasn't of the best quality.

"Would you join me for the first dance, Ata?" I heard him ask Ata, dropping his voice in an attempt to sway her. I could feel her own disgust at the situation and my new Master's anger and hatred was so strong that I could feel it through Ata. I watched as she purposefully gave him her left hand and had to hide my smile behind my napkin. As she passed my table I offered her a sympathetic glance, I could feel her disdain for the current situation.

The music drowned out their conversation unfortunately so I was unable to hear everything Felipe was saying, but the moment his fingers ghosted over Ata's jawbone I was up on my feet at the edge of the dance floor, trying my hardest to reign in my anger and nervousness at the situation. I didn't like the fact my Mistress was so far from me. I couldn't go to her aid during the first song and take her from Felipe, that would be a huge show of disrespect and I knew how much Vegas meant to Ata, she would hate to be forced to move away.

They waltzed around the room together and I made sure they were never out of my sight, I dipped into Ata's mind and kept a tab on their conversation, disgusted at the way Felipe was speaking to my Maker. Although his words were meant as compliments I could practically hear him begging her to sleep with him. The only reason I could see for Ata ever sharing a bed with him would be so she could stake him the moment the sun claimed him for the day. I'd pay good money, and risk the bleeds, in order to see that.

The moment the song ended I was on the dance floor, taking Isabel with me so as not to look conspicuous. Felipe had stormed off into the crowd, clearly displeased with whatever Ata had told him. _"I think I just upset him." _I heard her muse to my mind. I couldn't have agreed more.

"_Fuck him. Actually, please don't." _Khai's cheeky comment caused us all to smile. Khai had never been afraid to speak his mind; it was what made him such a loyal brother and Childe. I watched as Ata danced with Edgar before she was finally twirled into my arms.

Dancing with my Maker had always been one of my favourite things to do in the entire world, after fighting of course, and I found myself unable to contain my feelings this evening. The moment Ata pushed her love and pride for me through our Maker-Childe bond I found myself overcome with emotions and instantly sent them back, wanting her to know how much I cherished her for all she had given to my brothers and I.

"_Thank you, Ata." _I mentally thanked her gently as I twirled her on the spot before continuing our waltz.

"_What for, my son?" _She frowned lightly.

"_Everything. If it weren't for you I would have perished over 2000 years ago. I would have never travelled the world, witnessed the first man on the moon, the invention of penicillin, the signing of the declaration of independence, the world wars and getting to meet Shakespeare. I would have never found my brothers and gained a family, I would have never witnessed first hand how wonderful the human race is, how they fight back against all the odds, how they always survive. I would've missed out on an eternity of laughter and love, of adventure and surprises. That's why I'm thankful, mother." _I watched her reaction carefully, monitoring our bond closely. 2000 years was a long time to spend with someone but there had never been a boring day by my mothers' side. She was my best friend, my companion, my charge, my Queen, my Mistress, my mother and my Maker. If there were only one person in the world I would need more than anything, it would be the ancient fae in my arms.

Almost as soon as my declaration was made I felt my brothers flood our ties with overwhelming amounts of love and adoration, the feeling of which caused a tear to slip down Ata's pale cheek. I relished in the love and affection she was pushing back, cherishing it. So few could understand the Maker-Childe bond, and so few could understand such a bond after 2000 years of it. At times even I couldn't understand it. Slowly I wiped away her tear, popping it into my mouth to taste the sweet treat.

"_I love you, all of you, it should be me thanking you."_ She mentally whispered to us, keeping the constant flow of love going to our bonds. As the song hit the last note, I dipped Ata down gracefully. Righting herself in one smooth movement, she pulled me into an embrace, keeping the silver from touching my skin. It had been a while since Ata and I had simply embraced one another, we often preferred to let our affections for one another be known through our bond – it was secret that way, special.

The music changed once more and I could feel Ata's mischief through the bond. _"Argentine Tango?" _I suggested knowingly. With a nod we took our starting positions and the moment the music picked up we were off. We had all learnt to dance over the years simply because it was a much loved pastime throughout history, but it was also a way to put the grace our immortality gave us to good use. We all had our signature dances and hardly ever danced with anyone other than Ata.

Lifting her into the air she pointed her feet before I placed her neatly back down onto the ground. Together we moved across the dance floor, our feet in perfect sync with one another, our steps light and quick. Our usual routine consisted of numerous lifts, which we had perfected over the years, and knowing my Mistress trusted me so much was heartwarming – if my heart could be warmed. Twirling her out I brought her back in, wrapping her in my arms before taking her hands in my own, starting to move my feet at a quicker pace. Ata kept up easily.

As we moved across the dance floor it was apparent that most people had vacated it and were instead stood at the edge, watching us as we glided across the floor. At the same time as Ata I caught sight of Edgar, Isabel and Nora, who were all stood together watching on with smug smiles, their eyes flickering every so often to Felipe, who looked like he wanted to stake someone. Isabel was holding a small camera in her hand. I'd asked her to film the dance for later, to show everyone back at the penthouse. I was sure they would appreciate it. Who knows, maybe we could even teach my Master how to dance, if he didn't know already of course. Clearly the little touch of sensuality we had thrown in was having the desired effect as a few of the vampires in the crowd had dropped fang at our display.

Our dance wasn't that long but as the music came towards an end Ata twirled into my arms, bending her knee which I grasped firmly, using it to lift her up. Twisting her body she flicked her legs out to straddle me, one of my arms held her firmly in place at the small of her back while the other was outstretched behind me in a flourished movement. It was then I bent her forward, her arms outstretched to the floor just as the final note rung out around the room. I could feel her giddiness through the bond and also the appraisal from those at the penthouse, they must have been watching through Ata's contact lens cameras.

Pulling Ata back up, I placed her down on my feet before twirling her to my side, where we both bowed our thanks to the crowd.

Slowly the dance floor started to fill up again and a few vampires came over to compliment our dance. Ata remained glued to my side, thanking them copiously for their kind words.

"You dance real well Miss Ata." Bubba bounded over to our side as we left the dance floor. My Maker offered him a warm smile. Only in Vegas would you find a 2000-year-old fairy princess, a 2000-year-old vampire and a mentally challenged ex-superstar vampire getting along in complete harmony.

"Thank you Bubba, but we all know you're the best at the dancing." She complimented.

"Aw shucks Miss Ata, we can jive together later if you'd like?" If it were possible for vampires to blush I had a feeling that Bubba would have been right about now. It was a well known fact the challenged vampire had all but given up singing and dancing after he had been turned, so to not only be offered a song by him but also a dance on the same night was a huge honor.

"I'd love that Bubba, very much indeed." Ata accepted.

Nora slid up to us a moment later, a look of concern on her features. "The guest upstairs wishes to speak with you." She whispered right in Ata's ear so no other vampires would hear. Of course with the mental tie we had I could hear the words perfectly.

Ata turned to me then, biting on her lower lip. _"The A.P is upstairs and has requested my presence. I'll be fine though. I'll take Nora with me, you stay here with Isabel and if anyone asks where I am then say I went to take care of my human needs please." _She filled me in, including everyone back at the penthouse in on the mental message. I wasn't keen on this, not at all. I wouldn't be with her, I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her and make sure she was okay. I would keep my mental tie to her open though, and the bond, just to be on the safe side. I pushed caution through my bond with my brothers, wanting them to watch over her for me where I was unable to, wanting them to take notes on everything happening. I had a bad feeling in my gut, and usually I went with my gut.

"Nora, I haven't a clue where the ladies room is, could you show me please?" Ata batted her eyelashes, knowing Nora would play along. Together they left the ballroom.

Try as I might to socialize and blend in with everyone else, it was increasingly difficult, especially when my Maker wasn't at my side. I worried for her safety all the time, even more so when I wasn't there to protect her. I spent my time dancing with Isabel and countless other women at the party, never really giving them my full attention as I was too busy gauging the Maker-Childe bond between Ata and I, and listening on her thoughts about the conversation she was currently engaging in with Pallas.

"_Three houses bound together, all four of immortal blood._

_Two sets of two that share a tie, combining all around together._

_One is ancient, majestic, full of joyful cheer,_

_Two has much to learn,_

_Three is wise beyond his years,_

_And Four once tried to burn._

_Now four people, all of power, try to part the four._

_With thousands of years between them all, this riddle they will solve._

_One of them has used you, one of them has abused you, one of them wants to watch you fall._

_Deception and lies go hand in hand, but brutal truths can really hurt._

_Do not lash out at those you love, but seek revenge for those you lost._

_When the moon waxes all of this will end, new powers will be used and promised gifts will make amends._

_A sacrifice must be made, a selfless one at that._

_Time will heal the marks remaining, but only love will heal thy heart._

_In the house of royalty four will fight, yet only two will leave." _

Her riddle left me stumped and more than a little worried, it was the final line that had me in turmoil. Four would enter and yet two would leave, would I lose my Mistress and Master? Surely not! But then would I lose my brother and the woman I had come to think of as a sister? No! I wouldn't allow any of that to happen!

My bond with Ata was suddenly dampened and, mid-step, I froze. _"She's fine, we can see what's going on." _Khai was quick to inform me and I let out a sigh of relief, continuing on with the waltz I was engaged in with a redheaded vampire I had never met before. As the dance drew to a close I thanked her before leaving the floor, Isabel was at my side instantly.

"What's the matter?" She inquired, searching my eyes for the answer.

"Ata has dampened our bond, she can't do that when we're here." I whispered, knowing other vampires would hear me if I were to speak any louder.

"Ah Ari! Where is our dear Miss Caesar?" Felipe's voice behind me snapped me out of my daze and I turned on the spot in a fluid motion, plastering on a smile Ata would be proud of.

"Ata is currently tending to her human needs upstairs, she should be back shortly." I responded as planned, not letting my worry showing on my features. If Felipe saw any weakness, any opportunity, he would no doubt take it.

The answer I had given didn't seem to satisfy Felipe however as his smile fell, his head snapping sideways to look at two vampire guards. Giving them a small nod they ran out of the ballroom. "I have sent two of my men to go and fetch her for you, ensure he hasn't become lost or slipped down the toilet." He laughed as if it were funny. I forced my own laughter so he wouldn't suspect that this was anything **but** funny.

As Felipe swept away our bond opened up fully and I slumped against Isabel, using her for support as relief washed over me. I could feel Ata's confusion and frustration and yet I was unsure as to the cause. There was a big old blank spot in her mind, like she'd been glamoured or had forgotten something, but that wasn't possible. The fae couldn't be glamoured, and my Mistress was far from forgetful.

Knowing Ata would join me in a moment or two, and would use our blood tie to find me, I didn't bother rushing to her aid. She was a capable woman and would be able to find her way back to me with no bother.

Suddenly our bond snapped altogether and our mental tie went black. I couldn't contain the roar of pain that I felt. I couldn't feel Ata! Taking off at vamp speed I ran through the ballroom, oblivious to Edgar, Isabel and Bubba who were hot on my heels. Skidding across the marble entrance hall I raced up the stairs, flying down the corridors as I used my nose to scent out my Maker. Our mental tie came back so suddenly that I ran into a wall, but the vision that greeted me was far worse than any damage a wall could have done to me. I heard my brothers roar in anger through our mental tie and the bonds I shared with them were ignited with hatred and loathing so pure that I could feel myself starting to spiral into bloodlust. Fangs snapping down at the prospect of a fight, I growled.

"_HELP ME! ARI!" _I could hear Ata screaming into my head, her mental sobs spurring me on to find her in this godforsaken mansion. Changing my course of direction I followed our mental tie, and her scent, until I skidded into the hallway where my Ata – my Maker – lay flat on her back on the floor, Felipe's figure looming over her.

Her eyes were wide in terror and she seemed unable to move. She had however managed to get her silver bracelet to touch Felipe and he hissed out in pain, the scent of his sizzling flesh filing the air. Quickly he dropped fang, raising his wrist to his mouth before he bit down, moving his wrist back towards Ata's mouth. In a blur I grabbed the back of his neck and threw him over my shoulder, not caring if he was a King. He had just tried to get his blood into Ata, to try and forge a tie with her while she was bonded to another! I could, through my mental tie with Ata, hear Godric going berserk back at the penthouse. _"Keep him there by brute force if you have to! I don't want him running in here and slaughtering everyone!" _I warned my brothers, knowing just how fiercely protective the eternally youthful vampire was.

Felipe hit the far wall with a thud but was instantly back on his feet. Isabel, Edgar and Bubba had surrounded Ata and were currently trying to get her to move, but it seemed she was unable to do so. From the floor beside Ata, Bubba picked up two needles – one was full and one was empty. Giving the empty one a tentative sniff he made a disgusted sound before he held it out some distance. "Iron." He informed us solemnly. I wished to Isis that my bond with Ata would open up so I could take away her pain. She was unable to move, which stumped me, but her mind was screaming out for help, for someone to eradicate her pain. The other needle was capped and lay where Felipe had been kneeling. Bubba picked it up and placed it into his pocket along with the empty one.

"YOU DARE TO HARM ME?" Felipe screamed from the end of the hallway, setting off at vampire speed towards me. I had 1000 years on him though; he was no match for me. Grasping him around the neck I lifted him from the floor, holding the screaming Monarch at an arms length as he shouted obscenities at me.

"You were about to feed my Mistress your blood, to tamper with the sacred blood bond she has created with my Master! I should end you regardless of your status!" I hissed, tightening my hold around his neck.

"I will have your fangs for this! I will take away your area and your business!" He spat in response, but his threat was meaningless to me, he'd tried to break the tie between Ata and Godric. I would be the one having fangs, and they would be his. Throwing the bratty Monarch at the far wall I made sure he would hit it with such force that he would be knocked unconscious before I crumbled to my knees beside Ata, taking one of her hands in mine.

"_Ari, get me out of here, please. I can't feel my limbs; I don't think I can move. I'm trapped in my own body, Ari help me!" _Ata's anguished mental cries were incredibly painful and it took me no time to comply with her wishes. Scooping her up in my arms I threw a glance to Felipe, who was still unconscious from the blow.

"_Khai, Riei, Oeri, call Ludwig and have her come to the penthouse immediately, I don't care about the cost." _I informed my brothers as I took off down the stairs, not stopping for anyone. No one would place a hand on my Maker until we were back in the penthouse. Vamping out of the mansion I chose the quickest route home, weaving between buildings and cars in a desperate attempt to get Ata back to safety, and soon. I could feel three vampires bringing up my rear and I spared a quick glance over my shoulder. Isabel and Bubba were behind us, I had expected that, but what I hadn't expected was for Edgar to be following us without his entourage. All three wore expressions of worry and I couldn't help but feel the same way.

It took a fraction of the time it had taken to get to Felipe's mansion by car to get home on foot; vampire speed really was the way forward. Barging through the entrance hall, fangs still down and a limp Ata in my arms, I didn't care for the thoughts of the humans as they all gasped and squealed in shock and horror. For a moment I contemplated the lift, but I knew that would take too long and if there was iron in Ata's system then we wouldn't have much time to work with. Taking the stairs I was up to the penthouse in less than thirty seconds, the other vampires following behind me, a little slower due to their younger ages.

The moment I entered the room Ata was ripped from my hold, encased in the arms of her bonded who took her to the far side of the room, bearing his fangs at us all, spitting tacks at anyone who dared to approach him. I could see the 2000-year-old killer in his eyes, the frantic worry and pain over his bonded's suffering. He wasn't suffering alone though, I could feel that my brothers were in just as much agony as myself over the pain or Maker was dealing with.

A pop sounded out in the room and Ludwig appeared, taking a quick moment to assess everyone in the room before her eyes landed on Ata. "Oh dear little princess, what have you gotten yourself into?" she tutted quietly as she took in Ata's appearance. It was obvious that the iron was causing havoc in her system, her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her usually bright blue eyes were pale and dull. "Bring her to me, Nervii." Ludwig ordered as she removed everything from the coffee table, throwing a blanket over it so Ata would be exposed to the cold material. Godric let out a low warning growl, clutching Ata tighter to him. "She'll die if you don't let me treat her, vampire." I could hear Ludwig's patience running thin.

"Godric let Ludwig help her." Sookie gently encouraged the ancient vampire, though she was smart enough to keep a distance. He was angry and volatile right now. He seemed to fight internally with himself, but one look down at Ata, whose eyes were screwed shut in pain, caused him to relent. Vamping to the coffee table he made short work of her dress, removing it so it wouldn't be damaged before he placed it on the sofa, leaving my Mistress in her underwear on the table.

"I picked these up from the scene." Bubba offered, handing Ludwig the needles. My brothers and I were sat around the table, as were Pam, Eric, Sookie and Godric. My Master had a firm hold on my Mistress, not letting go of her hand. She was unable to turn her head but she could move her eyes, and they locked onto his, all of her pain flooding to them.

Taking the needles from Bubba, Ludwig sniffed them before spluttering and wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Whoever it was has it in for you Miss Caesar. This needle contained a high concentration of iron, suxamethonium chloride and a trace of Hep D."

I couldn't contain my gasp at the statement that the needle contained Hep D; Hep D would severely weaken a vampire for around a month if they were infected. Whoever had injected Ata, and I had strong reason to believe it was Felipe or one of his lankies, would have known Godric was only feeding from her. Although he required little blood, the fae in Ata was practically screaming out at her bonded to take nourishment from her. It was Godric's roar that silenced us all, and my eyes swung to the fuming vampire sat at Ata's side. "FIX HER. NOW." He shouted at Ludwig, demanding her to do something.

"I can't do anything until the suxamethonium chloride has worn off. Whoever injected her wanted her to watch whatever they were going to do to her. It relaxes the muscles, effectively causing temporary paralysis but it does not lead to unconsciousness and it doesn't act as an anesthetic either. Its effects may cause considerable psychological distress while simultaneously making it impossible for a patient to communicate." Ludwig explained as she took the other needle from Bubba. If this paralysis drug would wear off soon then we needed to start getting things ready for the iron in her system!

"How are we gonna get the iron out?" Sookie voiced my query, reminded me that she was able to venture into my mind now. She offered me a sheepish smile but I didn't call her out on the ability, it was still relatively new to her and I had a feeling my thoughts weren't doing her much good right now if they were as frantic as I thought they were.

"You all need to drain her down and replace her blood with yours, it's the only way we can get the iron out of her system."

"She's infected with Hep D, you've got to be kidding me?" Pam stated in exasperation, flicking her hand out towards Ata as if presenting her to someone.

Sniffing the other needle, Ludwig removed the cap, giving it a flick before she suddenly jabbed it into Ata's neck. Her piercing scream rang through the penthouse and I had to cover my ears. "Found our voice now Miss Caesar? The suxamethonium seems to be wearing off."

"You don't fucking say so!" Ata yelled at the dwarf doctor who smirked at her patient.

"What the fuck did you just inject her with?" I could sense Godric was about to get up on his feet to tackle the small doctor, so I grabbed his arm to keep him in place. He had a few years on me, but not many, so keeping him down would be relatively simple.

"Seems whoever it was created a cure for Hep D." She mused, sniffing the needle once again before she threw it into her little bag.

"The fae don't get sick, why is the Hep D causing such a reaction?" Oeri demanded as he held one of Ata's feet down, Riei was holding the other. Ata had started to thrash on the table, her screams making it difficult for us all to communicate. Khai was holding down one of her arms while Godric had the other, I'd placed myself at her head, holding her shoulders down. Egor and Agmund were stood by the elevator, fangs down, poised ready to attack anyone who dared to enter.

"It's not the Hep D in her system, it's the iron. The Hep D would remain in her blood system but not cause a reaction, I believe it was the intent of the injector for the Hep D to go undetected so as to weaken anyone who would feed from her." She gave Godric a pointed look before continuing. "However, they got the ratio wrong of iron, they've given her too much. The suxamethonium was obviously used to keep her in place so her injector could heal her himself and appear a hero."

"Felipe." I ground out, my jaw clenched as I remembered seeing him about to force his blood into Ata's system.

"He was leaning over Ata when I found her, trying to give her his blood." I informed the small doctor whose eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"A blood offence, you could kill him for it you know?" She offered Godric who only gave a growl in response, his eyes locked onto Ata who'd thrown her head back and was wailing with the pain. I started to feel our bond coming back to life, now the paralysis drug was wearing off. Our bond was only halfway open and the pain that tore through it was unbearable even for me. I couldn't imagine what it was like for my Maker.

"I need one of you to taste her, to see if the Hep D has been eradicated from her blood or not." Ludwig instructed, sparing a glance at my brothers and I, to Eric, to Pam, to Godric, to Isabel, Bubba and Edgar and eventually to Oscar. Unsurprisingly no one really wanted to taste her and risk coming down with Hep D.

"I'll do it." Oscar offered in a timid tone, Godric's possessive growl causing him to shrink back for a moment before he stood his ground. "It doesn't matter if I get sick, I'm too young to defend Ata and Sookie very well anyway, and they need all of you healthy and able to fight." The young vampire offered. I felt strangely proud of the young vampire, Hep D was much worse for the younger vampires whose bodies were already weak and constantly thirsty. Vamping to Ata's side, opposite Godric, the young vampire dropped his fangs before he picked up Ata's wrist. Turning to face him, my Maker pleaded with her eyes for him not to, mentally praying for him not to fall ill. "It's okay Ata, you saved me so now I can save you." He grinned at her before he eased his fangs into her wrist, causing her to whimper out in pain. Once again Godric growled lowly as the young vampire took a few pulls on her wrist. Pulling back he coughed violently, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "There's no Hep D there, but iron tastes horrible!" he blanched. If it were possible for vampires to throw up I had a feeling Oscar would be right now.

"Here's what we're gonna do fairy princess, each vampire is gonna take some of your blood, offering you theirs at the same time in order to create first level bonds. Niall came to me and told me to speak to you about the correct procedure tomorrow but it seems we don't have time for that." She lifted her head to look at Godric, whose expression had gone from anger to worry as tears flowed freely down Ata's cheeks.

All of the bonds were wide open now and I could feel him pulling her pain away, taking it all for her. Slowly I breached into the bond they shared, pulling the pain from him too. His head snapped in my direction and he regarded me for a moment before a small smile crossed his lips. "Thank you, my Childe." He murmured softly. Feeling proud that I had earnt the title of his Childe I dipped my head in thanks.

"Nervii, you'll take from her first but you'll give to her last. Niall mentioned you have a second level bond and I don't want the third to be created when Ata is in such a state." She ordered as my brothers and I all started to arrange ourselves into a line.

"We need as many of you to take and give as possible in order to eliminate the possibility of her being turned. Any other offers?" Ludwig turned her attention to the crowd as Godric knelt beside Ata, nuzzling her wrist with his nose as he pushed her bangs from her face. She whimpered in pain and raised a shaky hand to his cheek.

Moving through the crowd of people in the penthouse, Eric took a spot at the end of the line, and we all turned to silently thank him. Pam was next to stand in the line and I was honestly surprised by her choice. I had expected for her to throw out about it, but she was willing to loosely tie herself to my Mistress in order to heal her. Isabel, Bubba and Edgar were behind her instantly and even Oscar had joined in. Sookie stood nervously at the side of the room. "Come here little fae, you have the most important job. I'm going to hook an IV up to you, straight into your cousins' bloodstream. As soon as Eric has taken and given then I want you to take from him. The fae in you will bolster the fae in your cousin and help her turn the vampire blood into fae blood in order to support her system. I say we get all of the blood ties done this evening, so I want all of you to start exchanging with one another as soon as you've given, and fed from, Ata." The small doctor ordered as she hooked up Sookie and Ata, giving the tube a light squeeze to encourage the blood flow from Sookie.

Instantly Godric sunk his fangs into Ata's wrist, taking several large pulls. She squirmed on the table, gasping at the feel of his fangs in her. Their blood tie meant that whenever Godric fed from her it was a pleasant experience, even when they didn't wish for it to be so. Once he'd taken his fill he moved to Ata's other side, sitting himself between Sookie and Ata. Biting into his wrist he offered it up to Sookie who latched on, taking just a few short pulls as he took from her wrist, creating the first bond between them. With that done Godric sat and held onto Ata's free hand as we all took turns to feed from, and give to, Ata. The process took a while, and Eric found himself having to dip into donor blood in order to sustain himself and Sookie as she was contributing quite a fair amount of blood to Ata. With each new bond formed, Ata's thrashing starting to slow down, her movements slipping into lazy and the pain that had originally flooded our bond was slowly disappearing. Her heart rate slowed considerably, and her eyelids fluttered shut as her breathing fell short and shallow. The rapid extraction and replacement of blood wasn't doing her system any good. As soon as we had all finished the exchange with Ata we all started to swap with one another, creating new bonds and strengthening existing ones. The moment Oscar had finished up his bond with Ata Godric was on his feet, biting into both of his wrists. He held one over Ata's lips and she forced herself to stay alert as she took pulls from him. Oscar had latched on to his other wrist and Godric was taking pulls from the young vampire himself. As Godric's wounds started to heal over I could feel Ata slipping into unconsciousness.

"She needs to rest, her body has undergone extreme stress." Ludwig explained in a surprisingly soft tone as unconsciousness finally claimed my Maker. "She'll be out for a while, her body needs to heal itself. When she wakes she'll be incredibly thirsty and hungry, so I recommend you keeping a chef or something from downstairs on call. She needs to be kept warm too, and tomorrow she'll probably suffer as the bonds between you all start to settle within her." Ludwig explained. "I'll expect payment by the end of the week." She murmured, gathering up her things before she popped out of the room, leaving us all to stand there in silence.

"I'm taking her to bed." Godric whispered, moving slowly to scoop Ata up in his arms. Although unconscious she seemed to instinctively curl into him. "Thank you for helping these evening, I appreciate it, I owe you all." He vowed quietly as he walked at a humans pace out of the living area, carrying both Ata and her dress in his hands.

"Would that ever happen to me?" Sookie asked in a low whisper, clearly shaken by the evening's events.

"If you were exposed to an extremely high concentration of iron, more than likely. You're not as much of a fae as Ata as in terms of blood purity, so it would take more to get such a reaction from you." Oeri answered quietly, running a hand through his hair.

"We can offer you a safe space for the day if you'd like?" Khai offered Edgar and Bubba, knowing Isabel already had a room of her own.

"We'd appreciate it, Khai, thank you." Edgar was still watching the door that Godric had taken Ata through. His attachment to my Maker was an incredible thing.

"I don't want to leave Miss Ata's side until I know she's okay, do you think Mr. Godric would let me sleep on the floor of their room?" Bubba asked, blinking twice. His devotion was so pure that it was incredibly beautiful. Although we had no need for comfort during our day rest the fact he was willing to sleep on the floor when he could have the luxury of any room in the building spoke volumes of the challenged vampire.

"Go and ask him, I'm sure he won't mind." Riei encouraged tiredly. Sunrise wasn't far off and I could tell that my brothers were just as exhausted as I was. That was the downside to our bonds; if one was feeling something then usually the others did also.

"I'll go and take you to your rooms." Khai spoke to Isabel and Edgar, leading them to the lifts. Egor and Agmund went with them as more backup. We weren't expecting another attack but after I'd thrown Felipe around in his own mansion like he was a ragdoll there was no telling what he would, or could, do.

Riei and Oeri bid us goodnight before disappearing off to their room, leaving Eric, Pam, Sookie and I in the living area. "Thank you for helping her this evening." I offered quietly, feeling the weight of the evening on my shoulders.

"Anything for family." Sookie offered just as quietly, taking a step forward and surprising me by pulling me into her embrace. Cautiously I returned her hug, knowing Eric would be on edge otherwise. I took a moment to think of how we were related and came to the conclusion that, to Sookie, I would be her first cousin once removed. How strange it was to think I had an Auntie of sorts, even though I thought of her more as a sister due to her tie to Eric – whom I now thought of as a brother.

"You need to rest Sookie, you gave Ata a lot of your blood." I slowly let her go, allowing her to pop her hand to her mouth as she yawned, nodding her head in agreement. Eric lazily scooped her up in his arms, nodding his goodnights to Pam and I before he left the room.

The moment he was gone Pam was before me, her features full of concern, a look I found strange on the usually cold vampiress. "You weren't hurt were you?" She asked in a hushed tone, her eyes raking over me, inspecting me for any damage.

Unable to hold back my smile and small laugh, I shook my head. "I'm fine, honestly." I reassured her as I went to check on the newly formed tie we should have created earlier. Only, when I went to check on it, it wasn't there. Frowning lightly I probed all of my new connections. "We didn't complete an exchange." I commented quietly, not wanting to spook her.

Pam fell into her own silence as she checked her own bonds, and she too frowned when she found we didn't have one. Instantly she was biting into her wrist, holding it up to me. Offering her my own wrist I latched onto hers as she broke my skin, taking a few deep pulls. We exchanged in silence, my dark chocolate eyes locked onto her bright blue ones. Finally though the wounds healed over and we were forced to part. "Thank you." I offered as I licked my lips clean, watching as Pam did the same. Seeing my blood smeared across her lips was doing horrendous things to my libido. I so shouldn't be attracted to her; she likes women for Isis's sake!

"It's not problem." She offered with a shrug before she started to move towards the doorway leading to her bedroom. "Night Ari." She murmured softly, turning to look over her shoulder at me.

"Sweet dreams Pam." I offered in response with a warm smile. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it move, Pam was before me once again, up on her tiptoes, pulling my head down to her. Her lips met mine in a soft and tender kiss and I found myself wrapping my arms around her slender frame, holding her close as she continued to consume me with her lips. Breaking away a moment later, her blue eyes found mine, "I'd glad you weren't hurt." She told me quietly, placing one last chaste kiss to my lips before she vamped from the room, leaving me stood alone in a daze. How on earth could she plant one on me like that and then leave me? Tentatively I raised a hand to my lips, ghosting my fingers over them, imprinting her kiss into my mind.

The ding of the elevator pulled me from my thoughts as my brothers returned without our guests. "We need to go to rest Ari, the sun will be up in twenty minutes." Khai approached me, placing a large hand on my arm. Day rest. It sounded so good right now. "Hey, you did everything you could, you know how stubborn she is. At least we saved her, she'll be fine when she wakes." My brother encouraged me. Egor and Agmund said their goodnights before they went to their own room, leaving Khai and I to make our way to our own bedroom. Stripping down I clambered into bed, reminding myself that I would shower at sunset, and then deal with whatever shit Felipe would have no doubt thrown our way by then.

"Vos amo, frater." Khai whispered across the room to me, causing me to smile.

"Vos amo, frater." I repeated, slipping into downtime so my transition to my day rest would be quicker. I was still worried about my Mistress, she had looked so ill while she'd been sprawled on the table, she looked like she'd been knocking on deaths door. Felipe would pay for this, I'd have his fangs and then I would present the goo of his head to my Maker on a silver platter.

I felt the moment the sun rose, and then felt nothing but relief as it claimed me for the day.

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**A/N translations**

_Vos amo, frater (Latin) = I love you, brother_


	48. Bad Boys

**A/N I was originally gonna post this next chapter as a Sookie POV but ya'll wanted some Pammy. I vowed some Pammy for you, so you shall receive! :) I just worry that this is really repetitive, but I've tried not to focus on the party and such too much and instead tried to focus on Pam's thoughts on everything.**

**Sorry this took so long to update with, I'm cracking on with my packing for Uni and I promised myself I would sort through my filing cabinet, sweet Isis there was so much mess in there! I went from four jam packed drawers to one medium sized cardboard box! I started at midday and finished at 8pm! D= I hadn't planned for this chapter either, so I had nothing to build it with, no ideas for how Pam would be feeling, which is another reason why it took so long. The next chapter is a Sookie POV and I know exactly what's going on in that chapter so it shouldn't be too long until the next update!**

**Longest chapter to date, to make up for the delay ;) Also, I've gone over 400 reviews! THANK YOU GUYS! Honestly, I'm humbled by the response this story has recieved and it makes me so happy to know that you're all enjoying it! Thank you so so much!**

**Thank you to my Guest reviewers, I've been unable to respond to you privately but know that it's appreciated! :)**

**www . midnightopheliac . wordpress . com**

**R&R, it keeps me motivated! :D **

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**PAM'S POV**

_Some people call them players, b__ut I'm far from terrified  
__'Cos somehow I'm drawn to danger, a__nd have been all of my life  
__It feels my heart's divided, h__alf way 'tween wrong and right  
__I know I'm playing with fire b__ut I don't know why  
__Yeah the bad boys are always catching my eye  
__I said the bad boys are always spinning my mind  
__Even though I know they're no good for me  
__It's the risk I take for the chemistry  
__With the bad boys always catching my eye  
__Oooooh, bad boys  
__Some think it's complicated, b__ut they're straight up fun for me  
__I don't need no explanation, i__t's nothing more than what you see here  
__My heart still feels divided, h__alfway 'tween wrong and right  
__I know I'm playing with fire b__ut I don't know why  
__~ Bad Boys, Alexandra Burke_

I had been well aware of what was going to occur between my Grandsire and his mate, it would be another method of ensuring that every vampire in the building would know she was claimed and bonded, even if it wasn't to the vampire whose arm she would be hanging off of. Speaking of the vampire she would be with…

Ari had emerged from his bedroom dressed in a deliciously tailored pair of black pants and a tight white tailored shirt that showcased off his gloriously broad shoulders. I found myself gawking at the Egyptian vampire as he adjusted his collar in the mirror located just to the side of the elevator. It should be illegal for such a man to wear such form fitting clothing.

Shaking my head to knock myself off of my train of thought, I took a moment to think about where my mind had just drifted off to. Had I just inadvertently thought of Ari as delicious? It was a well-known fact that I preferred women. Of course after my turning Eric and I had partaken in a 'the nasty' for a short while in order to sate my needs. Only after those needs were sated did I realize that men held no interest to me, that women needed tending to less, they weren't as sex-driven. For a creature like myself though that wasn't always a good thing. Perhaps a nice male vampire companion would be a good idea…

My Grandsire and Ata sauntered back into the room together, and I was instantly assaulted with the scent of their coupling. Whatever the hell had been going on in their bedroom had clearly excited the pair of them. It was then the band on Ata's finger caught my attention and I, along with everyone else in the room, automatically assumed Godric had popped the question. I knew better than that though, he wasn't one to dive nose first into everything, but then again he seemed to be working on autopilot around Ata, falling back into his human ways with her around. It wasn't doing him much good in all honesty, while he was happy he was starting to appear weaker to the vampire community. Of course there were very few who were physically more powerful than him, but at the age of 2000 it was important to maintain a sense of power and authority, mainly so the younger generations would learn to respect their elders and have role models to be proud of. There was no point in me denying that both Eric and Godric were my role models.

As everyone fawned over the band on Ata's finger, I kept an eye on Ari as he stood observing the scene. He was watching Godric with a burning curiosity, but also with a sadness that I had never expected to see from the ancient vampire. The only thing I could think of him being sad about was the fact that Ata was now tied to another; he and his brothers were loosing exclusive rights to her. They'd mentioned that they fed from her occasionally in order to keep their bonds strong, so it wasn't the fact they would be loosing her blood that had saddened him. Was he worried he wouldn't be needed by anyone anymore? I could need him. _Woah there, Pamela! Hold your horses' girl!_

He disappeared off for a moment and returned with a box, extracting a rather expensive looking tiara from it, which he popped neatly onto Ata's head. I felt an unexpected bout of jealousy as I took in her appearance and the way Ari looked at her with such utter devotion and adoration. She'd been able to retain her heartbeat and the sunshine and would still live for eternity, with extremely strong powers to boot. Oh I enjoyed being a vampire all right, nothing could compare with it, but every now and then I missed the sunshine, missed having a heartbeat. I traded the sun for the moon and stars the night I allowed Eric to turn me.

As Ari and Ata left I turned my attention to my Maker and Grandsire, watching their reactions as they observed their respective mates out and about in the sunshine. With the sunlight on their features it was far more obvious that they were related, their hair shone the same colour and, although Sookie had her Southern tan, you could tell their complexions would be exactly the same if she weren't tanned. It was interesting to note how easily they fell into conversation with one another, how Ata tackled serious subjects with a soft approach so as to avoid Sookie's tendency to run away from situations and discussions that she disliked. She was a strong breather, a loyal one at that, but as with all humans there were a few subjects that harbored strong emotional responses from her. I couldn't relate as it had been so long since I had been in touch with my human emotions.

Hearing both women discussing the passing of the VRA had been informative, it was interesting to watch my Grandsire's reaction and I couldn't help but smirk as he leant forward, closer to the television, in complete anticipation of his mates answer. I must admit I was relieved to hear Ata answer that she would marry him, if she had of stated she wouldn't I would have been having serious words with the older fairy, fairy powers or not. It was Sookie's answer though that had me worried the most, I don't think she realized she held Eric's happiness in the palm of her hands. The moment she'd excused herself from the room it was obvious she was going to give an answer that could upset Eric, and I wasn't wrong. I could feel the immense pain coming from him as Sookie questioned his capability to stay in a monogamous relationship and I had to withstrain myself from vamping to her and throttling her. Eric hadn't fed from, nor fucked, a single human since he acknowledged his feelings for Sookie just before she disappeared off for her year in Faery. If that wasn't a show of monogamy then I sure as hell didn't know what was. As Eric disappeared from the room, my Grandsire and I shared a glance at one another, silently judging the others reaction to Eric's emotional pain. We had no time to discuss it however as my Maker and Sookie were back in the room moments later.

We settled back into our seats as the video from the day came to an end and Riei hooked the laptop up to the computer screen, projecting the image onto the larger screen. Seeing the world as Ata did, watching it through her eyes, was a very strange feeling. She was making a conscious effort to look all around her so we could watch everything happening, and that meant we didn't miss the leering expression on the Were's face as he looked over Ata. We watched as his nostrils flared and, from the corner of my eye, I noticed my Grandsire tensed in his seat, a very low growl erupting from his chest.

"Ata Caesar, Ari Seti-Nekht and Isabel Beaumont." Ari replied curtly, the tone of his voice leaving no room for mess. Hearing such a tone coming from him caused a strange feeling inside of me, I wanted to hear him use that tone again, but not on some stranger, I wanted him to talk to me in a no-nonsense voice, preferably mid-fuck.

"_PAMELA!_" I mentally scolded myself, realizing what it was I'd just thought. Ari was a handsome vampire, there was no point in me even denying that, but I didn't do feelings. I was cold and heartless; exactly the reasons Eric chose me. Then again, Eric had been cold and heartless for centuries and yet the moment Sookie Stackhouse walked through the door of Fangtasia he'd started to change, to soften a little around the edges where she was concerned. I found it curious how one such as my Maker could find happiness with someone like Sookie. I meant no ill with my thoughts now that I was aware of how deeply she felt for him, how much she loved him, but Eric was a man of wealth and prosperity, who changed with the times. Sookie had a small income, lived in a home that had been handed down through the generations and had been falling apart before Eric repaired it and she still lived in her own little Southern world. They were the complete opposites, then again Dear Abby did mention once that opposites tend to attract. So, if they were happy with one another then I would be happy for them. My Maker deserved some happiness after the hardships of 1000 years of an undead life, and especially recently, given the whole Russell and Wiccan fiascos.

I **could** see, however, why my Grandsire would choose a mate such as Ata. They were practically the same person at times. Both held a fierce edge, both ancient powerhouses and yet both had a tender side to them, a loving and giving side. Of course Ata was far freer with this side than Godric ever had been, that side of him had been reserved for Eric and I. It was odd to think of my Grandsire as 'domesticated', he was willing to settle and marry, he'd probably adopt if it meant making Ata happy, and he was probably going to be living in a quaint little house with her. If someone had of told me, even three years ago, that my Grandsire would be playing house, I would've smacked him or her silly.

Simply watching the endless throngs of people talking to Ata, Ari and Isabel was enough to give me a headache, and vampires never got headaches. How on earth they put up with this on a regular basis was beyond me.

After socializing for a while all of the vampires were called for dinner and I had to restrain myself from laughing as Ari pursued Ata up to the top table, demanding to be seated with her. The expression on his face when he was told he could sit at another table could only be summed up as murderous, and looking to my Grandsire it was apparent he was heading on down the warpath too. The way Felipe droned on and on about his Sheriff's, spending a little extra time on Ata's praise caused my patience to start wearing thin. Who on earth did this man think he was? Ata was my Grandsire's, not his. She might be his Sheriff but she is not his lover, or his bonded! Ata's eyes would drift every now and then to Ari, double-checking he was okay, and I found myself doing the same thing. Watching him speak to those around the table he was sat at, he sat tall, taking charge of the conversations easily. It was obvious he was the leader, and I'd always been a sucker, pun intended, for leaders.

As the dinner plates were cleared away, Felipe rose to his feet. "Would you join me for the first dance, Ata?" we all heard him drop his voice a few octaves and this time my Grandsire couldn't contain his growl of anger, his hands digging into the fabric of the sofa he was sat upon. Ata seemed to sway for a moment and I realised the poor fairy was feeling all of my Grandsire's emotions due to their bond.

"She can feel you, Godric. Ease up a little, please." I asked him quietly, keeping my voice flat. I didn't want them to think I was starting to like the old fairy, but at the same time it wasn't fair for her to be subjected to my Grandsire's emotions when she was clearly barely hanging on to her own. The fact she gave him her left hand, the one on which her new band sat, didn't go unnoticed by any of us in the room and I couldn't help but silently cheer as Felipe's eyes dropped to it. She knew what she was doing at least, and had the balls to follow through with it. That I could commend.

Felipe all but yanked her up onto her feet, leading her to the dance floor. She passed Ari and Isabel on her way, both of who offered her a sympathetic glance. My Grandsire's anger was slowly bubbling away under the surface, but I could feel Eric pushing his strength and calm to him. Although linked by blood, my tie to Godric wasn't as strong as Eric's was, so instead I pushed those feelings to my Maker, hoping he would get the message and pass them along. The way he turned to look at me, offering me a small nod, told me he understood perfectly.

The moment the music started to play I had to stop myself from gasping. It sounded so much like the music from my human years; the songs we would dance to at the ridiculous parties my mother insisted we attend in order to find me a suitable husband. The beautiful violin and other string instruments were lulling me back into the past, to the days where women were to be seen and not heard, where they were subservient to men. Eric had saved me from that life, he had given me my own life, albeit under the cover of the stars and not the sun, but it was still a vast improvement than the life that I would have led. I'd actually considered, on the few nights where my mother had insisted I become engaged, running away and joining a brothel. All the pleasures of a person's body without being tied down to them. But of course as a lady of upper class society that would have been seriously frowned upon, I would have been disowned and banished. Although my parents were not that attentative, I hadn't wanted to disappoint them, or mar the names they had made for themselves.

"I heard a rumor around town you were an Emilie Autumn fan, so I thought you would enjoy the first dance being one of her songs." Felipe informed Ata, spinning her around before he pulled her flush to her body. Although I had no blood tie to the older fairy I could almost feel her discomfort. "I had the band learn it specially for you." His fingers ghosted over her jawbone. That seemed to be the last straw for my Grandsire, whose strong hold on the sofa caused it to creak and crack under the brute strength he was applying to it. Although he had no need to breath he was doing so, short angry breaths, mixed with low growl and snarls of displeasure. He was slowly shifting back to the vampire I had once known, the aggressive and ferocious predator who took no prisoners.

The pair of them shifted into a waltz, and it was apparent to those of us back in the penthouse that Ata would rather be anywhere else in the world than in the arms of Felipe. "You look absolutely incredible this evening Ata, everyone here is watching us, you're breaking many hearts in that dress. Every man is jealous that I am dancing with you, and every woman is envious of the empire you have created, the people you know, the riches you adorn yourself with." He murmured into her ear. This time my Grandsire allowed himself to growl loudly. Eric's eyes shot to me, and I knew what he was silently asking me. If things started to get out of hand he would need me, along with Ata's other children, to hold him back, to stop him from rushing to her aid and potentially making himself a target.

"Thank you for your kind comments, your Majesty. It is very rare for me to receive such compliments these days." Ata graciously responded, causing me to snort loudly. The vampire was hitting on her and she was being formally polite, she reminded me of another little blonde fairy.

"Does your companion not inform you of how beautiful you are?" Felipe quirked an eyebrow, showing disrespect to my Grandsire by suggesting he wasn't taking care of Ata properly.

Ata laughed lightly at his question, clearly having understood why he had asked. "My **bonded **pays me such compliments every day, what I meant is that it is rare to receive such kind comments from those outside of my nest." She corrected her earlier thanks, placing emphasis on the fact she was bound to Godric. The girl gave just as much as she received. She was completely alone with the vampire King on the dance floor and yet she was able to easily fend him off with the uttermost politeness. If that were I, I'd have told him to fuck off and to shove it up his behind by now.

A loud crack signaled that, in his anger, Godric had indeed broken the sofa. "You need to remain calm, Ata needs you to be calm for her. If you're angry she'll get angry and then something might happen that she won't be able to get herself out of, she might end up hurt." Sookie was up off of Eric's lap, crouching before my very angry looking Grandsire. Tentatively she placed a hand on his knee, causing his eyes to snap from the TV screen down to the blonde fairy before him. "I'm inside Felipe's head, while his thoughts aren't pure they aren't malicious either. But then pretty much every man, and some of the women, in that room are thinking impure thoughts about your Ata. But that's the important part, she's **yours**." Sookie reassured him, helping him reign in his anger and he realized that, perhaps, being angry was the wisest thing on the planet.

Slowly he pulled his emotions under control. Over his 2000 years on this planet he'd perfected the art of hiding his emotions, giving off a calm exterior. The fact he was so visible loosing it when someone was simply hitting on his bonded filled me with a sense of dread. Would Eric be like this with Sookie? Would any vampire I ended up with bring out a side like this in me? Sookie retook her position on my Maker's lap, his arms winding around her to keep her in place.

"Ah yes, your fiancé." The disdain in Felipe's tone was hilarious, and I couldn't stop myself from sniggering behind my hand, which earnt me a quirked eyebrow from Eric. With a shrug I brushed him off. Although we knew one another incredibly well, as did most Maker's and their children, there were some parts of me that Eric knew nothing about. While it was common knowledge I enjoyed laughing at others expenses, it wasn't just due to anything physical. The fact Ata had managed to irritate Felipe emotionally was just priceless. The King was supposed to be fearless, strong and proud, able to charm any woman, or man, into his bed. Yet a little fairy was able to turn all of that on its head.

"We are not engaged, it is merely a promise, and after 2000 years on this earth my beloved has learnt to never break a promise." Her wistful sigh didn't go unnoticed by any of us though we were smart enough to understand that she was playing the whimsical little girl, making herself seem vulnerable so Felipe would try to protect her and potentially let his guard down long enough for us to get any information out of him.

"Great, now she's given him some hope of possibly having a chance with her. He's thinking that it won't be long until she's his." Sookie informed us all, as she was able to break into Felipe's mind even though Ata couldn't.

Godric's low growl of disapproval caused my next comment. "She's waited over 2000 years for you, Grandsire. I highly doubt she's going to go skipping off into a fields of daisies with Felipe, she'd probably stake him instead." I reassured him. While it was wonderful to see the angry and aggressive vampiric side to him, this wasn't who he was anymore. My words seemed to ease him for the time being and he settled back into his now slightly broken chair.

"Have you thought upon my offer some more?" Felipe inquired as he continued to twirl Ata around the dance floor. An offer? What offer has he made her?

"Which offer would that be, your Majesty?" Either Ata was playing dumb and she outright wanted him to say it, or she was senile.

"Why to be my Queen of course, you are already wearing a tiara after all." He had the audacity to smile afterwards.

With an audible click Godric's fangs dropped into place, rising to his feet at vampiric speed in anger. Just as quickly Khai abandoned his paperwork, standing before my Grandsire with a hand on his arm as a deterrent. The low warning growls that had come from Godric moments before was now a full blown vicious snarl, jaws snapping at the prospect of ripping Felipe's head from his body. Once again I noted that Ata seemed to sway under the intensity of his emotions, and it seemed Khai picked up on it too. "You need to pull your anger under control or Felipe is going to know something is up, that we're watching and listening to him. Your anger isn't doing Ata any good and could get her into more trouble." He tried to reason with my Grandsire but he had already slipped into anger. Breaking free of the slightly younger vampires hold, he started to stalk around the room, his eyes never leaving the TV screen as he paced off his worries, his anger levels slowly decreasing to the point where he could retract his fangs. Khai returned to his paperwork, picking up exactly where he left off.

"I am wearing a tiara because I am royalty from two different families, regardless of whether I am your Queen or not. While I once again thank you for your offer, your Majesty, I am bonded to the man I love completely and do not intend to enter into any form of relationship with anyone else, human or vampire, now or ever." Ata's polite 'fuck off' amused me. There was nothing quite like being polite about putting someone in their place. Godric stopped pacing as his bonded spoke, and a smile wove its way onto his features at her show of love, loyalty and adoration. Did he really think she was going to abandon him? I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Felipe's jaw tensed, causing Eric and I to chuckle, and the song came to a close. Felipe dropped a kiss to the back of Ata's hand, which even made Sookie shudder from her position on Eric's lap. "She thinks she just upset him." Sookie relayed the information from Ata's mind to Oscar and I. The baby vampire had been sat quietly for the duration of the video and for the live feed so far. I didn't like the little kid, but there was clearly something bugging him.

"What's up, short stuff?" I turned my attention the young vampire, whose eyes finally broke away from the TV screen to look at me.

He seemed to contemplate his answer for a moment before he spoke, his voice quiet. "I'm trying to get a read on Felipe, he's a difficult character. I haven't been in his presence so I don't know exactly what he's like, but I can get a good enough idea using my little gift from a distance. He's all snarly and possessive, to the point where it becomes an obsession. He doesn't do loosing very well and at the moment he is loosing. I don't like that Ata is with him; I have a bad feeling about it. She should be back here, with all of us, where he can't get to her and where we can protect her." The young vampire informed me, and subsequently everyone else in the penthouse. He was young and inexperienced and therefore I paid him no mind, but everyone else seemed to be taking the baby vamps words to heart.

"Do you think we should go in and get her, or call her home?" Sookie voiced quietly, nibbling on her lower lip.

"Guys, she's over 2000 years old and a fairy to boot, she'll be fine." I rolled my eyes at their worrying. If she couldn't take care of herself, especially with her little army of protectors there, then we had something to seriously worry about.

Ata was swept up into the arms of Edgar during our brief conversation, and my Grandsire seemed to relax now that she was out of Felipe's arms, but it was obvious he was still tense about the fact she was now dancing around with another man. Eric had taught me from the very beginning that although we were incredible at hiding our emotions on our features, we actually felt far more strongly than any other being on the planet. Everything was amplified, all of our senses, all of our skills, all of our emotions. Although he was over 2000 years old, my Grandsire seemed to be struggling to hold onto his emotions where his bonded was concerned. He wasn't the first vampire to act this way; Eric had been so similar when he had first acknowledged his affections for the little fairy currently sat on his lap. His emotions had been all over the place, I'd had to glamour half of the staff and fire the other half. One night it was particularly bad and he ended up kicking a patron all the way across the bar, leaving a human sized dent in the wall and a trip to the hospital on the books. I'd had to glamour the barely conscious man into believing that he'd fallen down the stairs and banged his head on the stone flooring.

"You look very lovely this evening Ata, your vampire must be very proud to be able to call you his." Edgar offered her a smile, and through the vampires eyes we were able to see Ata's reaction. A grin settled onto her features, one that matched the grin on my Grandsire's face.

"Ah, now there is the smile of a woman in love." The King of California teased her as he continued to dance her around the room.

The moment the song drew to a close, Ari appeared in Ata's line of sight, and I found myself leaning forward in my seat. The action wasn't mind by Eric, who quirked an eyebrow in my direction, causing me to quickly sit myself properly in the chair. I plastered on a blank expression, though of course for Eric it was useless, he was my Maker and could therefore feel my emotions. Great, the last thing I need is for Eric to know whatever the hell I'm feeling whenever the Egyptian vampire is in my line of sight. Heck even I don't know what on earth these feelings are, I don't do feelings!

We watched in silence as both Ari and Ata moved around the room together, but of course we could only witness it through Ata's eyes. It was obvious, from the way their eyes were locked on to one another, that they were silently communicating with one another, but Sookie never spoke aloud. Perhaps they were having a private conversation? Had they shut out all of those that could hear them too?

The picture went blurry for a moment; as if it had been dunked in water, and moments later Ari captured a tear on his finger, bringing it to his mouth to taste it. The little fairy was crying? What on earth did she have to cry about? She had a home, a business, a family and a bonded. Heck she had more than most! I certainly wouldn't be crying if I were in her situation. Sparing a glance to Ata's other children, they were all sat with their eyes closed, small smiles on their lips as they silently communicated with their Maker. Although I was not part of their bond, the love that was practically pouring off of them was overwhelming. I frowned at the thought of a little fairy taking six of America's strongest and deadliest killers, shaping them into incredible beings and yet somehow managing to retain a tender and gentle side to them. There was no denying that it was a spectacular fate. She had managed to attract and maintain the protection and love of those who had been in constant contact with her from a young age. I was reminded of Sookie.

Turning to look at the telepath sat on my Maker's lap, I thought of the people who had discovered her, who had been subjected to prolonged exposure with her, how they were with her now. There was that dweeb, Compton; he was enthralled with her almost to the point of obsession. There was Alcide, the wolf who had protected her in Mississippi and had just somehow ended up living only a stones-throw away from her. There was her boss, the dog, who obviously held her in such high regard and cared for her deeply if the amount of time she spent **not **working and yet was still able to call herself employed was anything to go by. Then of course there was Tara and Lafayette, the two who had caused my Maker to loose his memories of himself only a few weeks ago. Although I held neither in high regard, and truth be told I wanted them dead for being part of the Wiccan coven that erased Eric's past, they had stuck with Sookie through it all, even when she'd been acting like a fucking idiot due to the vast quantity of Bill's blood in her system. That was another thought, Bill's blood was still in her veins, he would be able to feel her and track her, amplify her emotions to some degree. Was there a way to get his blood out of her system? Perhaps I'd ask Ari about it later. If Sookie was going to complete the third bond with my Maker then I wanted no one else to have their blood in her, she was going to be his completely, and I guess, grudgingly, Eric was going to be hers completely too.

As the song hit the last note, Ari dipped Ata down, her vision filled with that of her eldest Childe's features and the ornately painted ceiling. In a smooth movement that the pair had clearly practiced over the years, they righted themselves. Ata pulled Ari into an embrace and the screen went black for a moment as she held onto her Childe. None of us panicked over the darkness on the screen, which was strange given my Grandsire's current mental and emotional state, or lack of if truth be told. The world came back suddenly as Ata's eyes snapped open, the music shifting once more. The pair seemed to exchange a private smile and once again I was clearly missing out on a mental conversation. This shit would be so much easier if I could hear them too! The image bobbed for a moment as Ata agreed to whatever it was Ari had suggested.

The pair had obviously decided to dance together, but it was strange to witness it from Ata's point of view. We couldn't see anything the fairy was doing, only Ari's part in the dance, and the looks on the crowd as they watched the two move across the floor like it was their natural habitat. Ari scooped her up in his strong arms, his muscles flexing as he held her in air before he placed her down onto the ground neatly. That suit wasn't concealing very much, thankfully. I had half expected, judging by the slightly sensual nature of the routine, for Godric to be up on his feet once again, spitting tacks at the screen. But he was the picture of calm as he observed the scene playing out on the other side of the city. The fact the two was Maker and Childe had obviously soothed his jealousy issues.

Ata's eyes drifted around her and I was surprised to find they were the only ones on the floor, and that they had attracted quite a crowd. Although the pair were moving relatively quickly, my vampire vision enabled me to see the whole thing as if it were in slow motion, allowing me time to notice Edgar, Isabel and Nora stood at the side of the dance floor, smug smiles on their faces as they looked to Felipe. Ata turned her attention the King of Nevada and I was pleased to find him looking less than happy with the evening's turn of events. As I managed to cop an eye of the crowd it was obvious that Ata and Ari's little display was almost enticing an orgy, if the amount of vampires with fallen fangs who were amorous groping one another subtly was anything to go by.

They weren't dancing for very long, but they had the attention of everyone in the mansion, as well as everyone back in the penthouse. Khai had put down his pen and had stopped shuffling papers so that he could watch his brother and Maker. Of course given her small stature and slender frame, it was easy for Ata to be so nimble on her feet, especially with her years of fighting. Sookie was somewhat on the clumsy side, but some time training would probably do her the world of good and soon she might even be lighter on her feet. It was one of the first things Eric had taught me when he had been teaching me how to fight – that I would need to remain light on my feet. By staying light on my feet I would be able to dodge many attacks and even attack someone myself before moving to safety. Of course being light on ones feet required balance, and for a vampire we naturally had perfect balance, for humans however it was a little different. It was why it usually took them so long to learn how to fight. They could get the technique right, but they couldn't polish it up enough for each blow to be perfect and on target.

The way they ended their little spectacle, with Ata straddling Ari, made me want to glance towards my Grandsire, to see how he was taking it. I restrained myself however. Perhaps Ari would teach me to dance, perhaps even that very routine. I wasn't much of a dancer anymore, in my human years I had danced for fun and exercise simply because there was little else to do and treadmills hadn't been invented yet, but finding the right partner these days was a drag. Most male vampires disliked dancing unless it was a formal occasion, and humans weren't quick enough on their feet to keep up with me. Of course I had danced with Eric on occasion, most Maker's and their children did so at formal occasions, as Ata and Ari had.

"Sometimes I wish I could dance, but I don't have the balance for it." Sookie muttered, knowing we would all hear her. She even managed to laugh quietly at herself, causing us all to chuckle. Sookie had been a very serious person when she had first entered Fangtasia, and the last few years hadn't really helped her either. Between her Grandmothers murder, the maenad that ruined her home, Russell coveting her and Eric's amnesia she hadn't really had any time to be silly. Serious people were good company, as I wasn't one for laughter often, but sometimes I would enjoy the company of a comedian or two. At least now I didn't have to worry about laughter wrinkles.

The pair of them bowed to the crowd as it slowly started to fill up with the guests once more. Ata remained at Ari's side and I found myself pleased that he was so old and that he would be able to defend her, it was obvious that Godric was itching to dash over there and steal her away.

"You dance real well Miss Ata." Bubba bounded over to Ata and Ari as they left the dance floor. The mentally challenged vampire was handed around from state to state rather frequently, but he usually avoided Vegas due to the huge fascination with him there. Not only did it spark 'Presley Sightings' as the humans called them but it also made him sad and angry to see people dressed up as him, to see people selling things with his name and face on. I wasn't a sympathetic person, but the addled vampire had been turned against his will by a vampire fan, and then abandoned to fend for himself when it was apparent he was a few slices short of a loaf.

Ever polite, Ata responded. "Thank you Bubba, but we all know you're the best at the dancing."

"Aw shucks Miss Ata, we can jive together later if you'd like?" The offer of a dance with The King made me switch my attention to my Grandsire, whose calm and collected exterior was most puzzling. It was clearly obvious the vampire speaking to his bonded was attached to her, and yet he didn't seem to mind at all. Then again, while Bubba may have been cute to the newly turned and those privy to the vampire world, he wasn't exactly a major threat. He wasn't going to be the one stealing your girlfriend from you, usually that was Eric's job.

"I'd love that Bubba, very much indeed." Ata accepted.

Nora moved into focus a moment later, and I took a moment to scrutinize her. She was an Elizabethan, there was no denying it, but her British accent earlier had grated on my nerves. I'd switched my accent for a Southern one, helping me to blend in before the Great Reveal, but at the drop of a hat I could turn back to my British one, though it wasn't as annoying as Nora's. I couldn't see why Eric and Godric had saved her from the mountaintop all those years ago; yes she was a member of the Authority and could therefore pull some strings every now and then, but for me that was all she had going for her. "_She's female and I'm not attracted to her…"_

The little microphone in Ata's brooch wasn't able to pick up on Nora's whisper however she seemed to mentally repeat it to Ari, and to everyone else in the penthouse.

"The Ancient Pythoness is upstairs and wants to see Ata, she's going up with Nora, leaving Ari and Isabel downstairs to pretend she's just gone to take care of her human needs." Sookie dutifully informed Oscar and I. This whole mental communication thing would need to be addressed soon. Heck I'd even take some of the ancient fairies blood if it would enable me to hear everyone! Eric and I could understand one another through our emotions, and the Maker-Childe tie, but to actually hear one another in our minds would be an incredible step up.

"Nora, I haven't a clue where the ladies room is, could you show me please?" Ata's quick blinking caused the camera to go black every split second as her eyelids slid over the contacts. The unease was evident on my Grandsire's features and yet he remained in his seat, trying his hardest to maintain his emotions. He was fidgeting though, a very human sign of nervousness. The Ancient Pythoness was never without her Britlingens, so seeing two of them guarding her door was no surprise to us, but to Sookie it was a completely different tale.

"What are they?" She turned her head up to look at my Maker, who looked down to capture her eyes.

"Britlingens. They're Supes, just like us, but they live on another plane similar to Faery. They reside in an ancient city called Spauling and prefer to stay within the walls of the city. The Britlingen Collective is the name of their race, and they choose to stay near the castle that resides at the top most hill of Spauling. There are two divisions of Britlingens - the assassins and the bodyguards. They are extremely expensive either way and the witches associated with them charge an astronomical fee as well. It's why so few people ever call upon them unless they are in dire circumstances. Of course the Ancient Pythoness has two who due her bidding for a small fee, simply because she is the eldest of our kind to still be around." Eric explained to her. I could remember the night Eric had told me of the Ancient Pythoness, how she usually stayed in the old world and was over 3000 years old.

"Britlingens grow up in the Collective. They train in a style similar to that of the military, with hardcore drills and training, and there is a military type of hierarchy within this. The men and women seem to be portrayed equal, but violence against women isn't taboo in their world. They have skills similar to that of ninjas and can disappear into thin air and become invisible should they need to guard something secretly. They have one main rule and that's one which all of them must follow: never kill another Britlingen, leave that to the rest of the world." Eric chuckled. Godric and I had to suppress our smiles, there were very few who would be stupid enough to take on a Britlingen, let alone win.

"They wear head-to-toe armor all the time. They have many suits to pick from and there are lots of different types, including some that are used for winter, and some for summer. The most precious one is the Liquid Armor, it isn't really liquid, but it resembles a wet suit. It's extremely easy to put on and there is a keypad the size of a credit card on the suit that they wear on the chest. It has a personal sequence programmed into it that allows only one wearer to use the armor. The material toughens when the sequence is pressed, allowing the wearer to be almost invulnerable. Without this procedure the armor is ineffective. Britlingens had been murdered for their armor before this protocol was issued, and this helped with that problem." Eric continued to explain as Sookie looked up in awe, her gaze flickering back to the TV in time to see Ata and Nora granted entry to the Ancient Pythoness.

"They can travel from plane to plane and there have been rumors of them travelling to Hell and back. They travel via a Witchweb; highly powerful witches live in Spauling, conducting the transfers of Britlingens from plane to plane. There are many arcane shops there to accommodate them and their needs, some of the most rare spell-crafting supplies can be found there, it's an extremely talented Wiccan's dream." We all didn't miss Eric's shudder at the mention of Wiccan's, and Sookie offered him a sympathetic look as she placed a hand against his cheek in a soothing gesture. The few or so where Eric was without his memory were the worst of my undead life. To me Eric was always strong and sure of himself, confident and not afraid of anything. During his amnesia he had been a puppy dog at times, especially when I first entered Sookie's home to find her cleaning his feet. I'd heard his giggle due him being ticklish from outside her property. Of course I was reminded that while Eric was without his memories, he still possessed 1000 years of strength. I didn't really enjoy meeting Sookie's entrance hall rug.

"Britlingens sign contracts. This is done in the Hall of Contracts. There is a wall of shame that resides there; pictures of Britlingens who have failed their clients. It is a reminder, and a motivation, to come back alive and most importantly, to not shame the race. They are extremely stubborn and prideful individuals. Like someone else I know." Eric's cheeky grin caused Sookie to pop him playfully on the arm. If anyone else had dared to take a swing at Eric, even jokingly, I would have ripped their head off and gorged myself on their innards.

"The negotiations are done mostly outside of the realm, through the witches and the Witchweb. However, in a rare case the client can travel to the Britlingens plane and do it there. Britlingens prefer to have the witches' sort everything out for them though and sign when they like what they see. They often prepare their armor with what kind of fighting they predict they will do. Their weapons tend to be swords, knives, and wrist crossbows, throwing stars that are bespelled, neotasers and guns. When leaving for a mission they take a waterproof backpack that carries micro thin clean garments, compressed cooked food, a pill or two that provides bursts of energy and some bandages and antibiotics, a bottle of water. To forestall other kinds of emergencies all Britlingens are injected with birth control drugs on a monthly basis, both male and female. Those who skipped this injection were listed in bright red chalk on a big board across the entrance hall of the Hall of Contracts. Once a contract has been signed, the rule of "The client's wish is law" goes into effect." Eric concluded his explanation, maintaining eye contact with Sookie as she processed all of the information he had just given her.

"They're basically supernatural versions of Lee Harvey Oswald." Sookie stated quietly, breaking eye contact with Eric to look back at the TV screen. Thankfully, when we had moved to America, Eric and I had learnt all about the history of the country so that it would appear like we had been living there our whole lives. I had taken a particular interest in Lee, not only because he was one of the top assassins in America, but also because his major kill had taken place in Dallas, the city my Grandsire had presided over for many, many years. I'd learnt that, on November 22, 1963 he'd murdered American president John F. Kennedy. Lee had been a former marine who had immigrated to the Soviet Union in October of 1959. He later returned to the US in 1962, finding life in the Soviet Union to be less than the idyllic existence he expected. After drifting through numerous jobs he'd ended up in Dallas, where he'd killed Kennedy.

I didn't care about the room Nora and Ata were now in, my eyes were firmly planted on the Ancient Pythoness. I had never met her before, I'd never seen pictures either, and so to see her through Ata's eyes was a very humbling experience. Of course I had heard about her from word of mouth, but seeing her and hearing about her were two completely different things. Her well-known handmaidens were dotted around her, tending to her every need. Although it was dark in the room, vampire vision enabled me to see as if all of the lights were on.

"It has been so long, Ata." Her soft voice floated through the microphone into the penthouse. She turned to face Ata and her blind eyes captivated me. She couldn't see anything and yet she was a seer. Had her vision disappeared with her age, or had she always been blind? If it went with her age then I had no intention of reaching 3000, how on earth would I be able to watch the latest Chanel fashion show without my vision?

"It has been, your Grace." Ata dipped her head in respect, giving us a few of the floor for a moment.

"Oh dear girl, there is no need for you to bow your head to me, if anything it is I who should be bowing to you." She murmured softly as Ata lifted her head, her gaze settling on the Ancient Pythoness once again. The ancient one was smiling at Ata as if they were old friends. "It has been over 1950 years since we last saw one another." She gave a wistful sigh.

"Ata knew the ancient one all those years ago?" I found myself quirking an eyebrow is disbelief.

"Oh Pamela, you need to learn your history beyond the Viking era." Godric playfully chastised me, shaking his head with a smile on his lips. Eric's proud feeling came sauntering through the bond at the fact I knew all about his people. "The Ancient Pythoness was the original oracle that Alexander the Great consulted on numerous occasions, Ata's family are direct descendents of Alexander's right hand man, Ptolemy I Soter, also known as Ptolemy Lagides. He was the founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the dynasty of which Ata's family belonged to, the last dynasty of Egypt." My Grandsire explained. I was pleasantly surprised, not only was the fairy a descendent of fae royalty and Egyptian royalty, but she had had many connections and friends in high places over the years.

"I am here for the summit in a few weeks time." The Ancient Pythoness informed Ata, causing her to laugh quietly.

"Very little is actually known of the personal life of the Ancient one, but she usually resides in the old world, in Europe. Due to her age she is an immensely powerful vampire but because of her blindness she is kept by other vampires and her handmaidens, and is only "brought out" on special events. She also acts as a vampire judge because of her ability as a seer, which is probably why she is here for the summit." I heard Eric explaining to Sookie, so that she would be able to keep up with the conversation that was about to take place.

"Am I free to speak in front of your companions?" She asked. Ata glanced to Nora and gave a nod of response; the Elizabethan vampire smiling in thanks for the trust that Ata was placing upon her.

"I meant the companions watching and listening in on us, little princess." The ancient one gave a knowing smile as Ata turned back to look at her. The technology guys had told us that no one would know that Ata was wearing camera contact lenses and that her brooch had a microphone in it, but obviously the Ancient Pythoness knew everything.

"My children, my bonded and his family, and my cousin are all trustworthy." Ata responded confidently. The fact that Ata was stating she could trust me was a pleasant surprise, I hadn't given her much reason to trust me these past few days but I'd hoped my little gift would help her this evening, it was certainly ensuring no one grabbed her wrist.

"Your nest is growing, and it will continue to do so if you carry on down this path. You already have quiet the eclectic family." She smiled across at Ata. It was no joke that she had an eclectic family, between her vampire children, her fairy cousin and her Were guards she had most of the well known Supe community covered.

"I'll need to buy a bigger house then." Ata muttered under her breath. I spared a glance to my Grandsire, who was giving the screen his full attention.

"Oh my darling bonded, you'll have the largest home you could ever wish for." He whispered quietly, as if he were unaware we were in the room and could hear him, as if Ata was there to hear him. It sounded like he was making a promise though, and as Ata had so aptly pointed out earlier, my Grandsire kept every single one of his promises.

"I wouldn't worry about a house just yet my dear, that'll be taken care of in time." The Ancient Pythoness answered with a knowing smile, though of course the smile was not intended for Ata, but for my Grandsire.

"She already knows you'll buy her a huge home?" Sookie frowned lightly, her attention flickering to Godric.

"The Ancient Pythoness knows everything, she knows everyone's decisions the moment they make them, and I have already decided to buy Ata her dream home, regardless of the cost." Godric responded in a murmur, his attention moving to Sookie, whom he offered a warm smile to. His eyes drifted to the TV screen once again to watch his bonded. Godric seemed to shift in his seat however, and if I didn't know better I would say he was worried about Ata finding out about his plans for her dream home. That would certainly ruin the surprise, and I could only guess that after 2000 years there was little that could surprise her. Heck, after around 100 years it was difficult to surprise me. Then again, I wasn't a fan of surprises.

"Challenges are coming your way though dear child, and they won't be easy, they'll affect not just you but your nest too – your children, your bonded, your cousin. I have seen so many different paths for you; I have kept an eye on you over the years. It is no coincidence you were reunited with your bonded, no coincidence that your cousin has fallen for his Childe." The ancient one informed us. Both Eric and Godric's eyes widened at that revelation, and I too was surprised. Was she saying they were both fated pairs? Fated pairs were exceptionally rare; the few fated pairs that were known of had been brought together in order to deal with major issues in the world, to defeat strong opponents and to make a mark on the lives of those in the Supernatural community.

"Are you saying that we're fated?" Ata whispered as she came to the same conclusion as all of us back in the penthouse had.

"Fated, destined, whatever you wish to call it little one. You and Godric were suppose to meet in your human years, you were suppose to be parted, so that Godric could create Eric, who in turn would meet your cousin and draw you two back together again." The Ancient Pythoness revealed to us all.

"Only together can you beat the obstacles facing you. You and your bonded have had 2000 years each to perfect yourselves, to become the best you can be. Your children have helped you survive without your bonded by your side and have encouraged you to be a gentle woman, the antithesis of the fierceness of your vampire." Her blind eyes were full of mirth, as if she enjoyed the fact they were parted for so long, forced to grow up without one another.

"Your cousin is the antithesis of Eric too, balancing one another out to create a formidable duo, and as a foursome there is little that can part you, and few who can beat you." She continued before her face dropped a little. "The path you are walking now is the only one I have seen where the chance of all four of you making it out alive is over 50%, there is still the risk that some of you may not make it if you're not properly prepared."

There was silence as her words settled in. My Grandsire or Maker might die, and if their mates died they would no doubt follow them. That didn't sit right with me; there was no way I would allow them to die! "We might not all make it." Sookie whispered in disbelief, sadness and concern lacing her tone. I had a feeling no matter what that Sookie would make it; the girl was like a fucking cockroach. She survived everything.

"None of us can die though, I won't let it happen." The determination in Sookie's voice was cute, but if the fates were against them then there was nothing they could do, though I would be damned if I didn't try to keep them all alive, even if it was by force. I would do anything for Eric and Godric, and subsequently their mates. No one else was going to die.

"I promise to take care of you Sookie, no one will get to you." Eric took her chin in his hands, raising her head so he could press a reassuring kiss to her lips. The conviction in his voice was perfect, but I knew that he was like a duck. Calm and collected on the surface yet paddling like mad underneath.

Ata's contact lenses picked up movement to her side as Nora approached her to comfort her. "What do I do? How do we all survive this?" Ata asked the ancient one the question on the tip of my tongue.

The Ancient Pythoness gave a small sigh, licking her lips to moisten them. "You know I favor you, little princess, but if I tell you then the path will change and there is a higher chance of all of you perishing. I can however give you a riddle." She offered as a substitute.

The screen went black for a moment as Ata closed her eyes, her exasperated sigh informing us she wasn't that keen on the idea of another riddle that needed solving. Slowly she opened her eyes, giving us the picture back. "My mother and father gave me riddles to figure out, but I'm yet to do so." She complained quietly.

"The answers will come to you soon, the first when you wake tomorrow." The ancient one offered her a starting point. I'd memorized the riddles for Ata and, deciding to write them down for her, vamped to Khai, borrowing a pen and a piece of paper from him. Quickly I scribbled them all down, signing the piece of paper with a 'P' before I placed it down on the kitchen counter ready for her to look over in the morning.

Returning to my seat seconds later, I settled myself in. "I'll take another riddle then, Pallas." Ata sighed. Pallas? Was that the true name of the Ancient Pythoness? So few knew of her real name that it was actually quite exciting to now know it. I could feel Eric's sense of honor at now knowing the ancient ones real name.

"Three houses bound together, all four of immortal blood.

Two sets of two that share a tie, combining all around together.

One is ancient, majestic, full of joyful cheer,

Two has much to learn,

Three is wise beyond his years,

And Four once tried to burn.

Now four people, all of power, try to part the four.

With thousands of years between them all, this riddle they will solve.

One of them has used you, one of them has abused you, one of them wants to watch you fall.

Deception and lies go hand in hand, but brutal truths can really hurt.

Do not lash out at those you love, but seek revenge for those you lost.

When the moon waxes all of this will end, new powers will be used and promised gifts will make amends.

A sacrifice must be made, a selfless one at that.

Time will heal the marks remaining, but only love will heal thy heart.

In the house of royalty four will fight, yet only two will leave."

I used my trusted vault to lock the words away for a moment before I dashed back to Khai, taking another piece of paper to scribble down the riddle before I placed it with the other sheet on the kitchen counter. I could feel Eric's confusion, and that of Godric's. All of Ata's boys had abandoned their posts to mull over the ancient ones words, and even Sookie looked to be deep in contemplation.

"Remember, little princess, that there are plenty who would willingly lay their lives on the line for you. You may need to call upon them in the future. Your father led armies across the world, and now you may have to follow his footsteps, a true little Caesar." Pallas smiled, holding her hand out to Ata. The picture went blurry for a moment, once again as if the camera was underwater, and it was apparent that tears were welling up in her eyes at the mention of her father.

Ata took Pallas's outstretched hand, and instantly the screen went black. Godric's low growl reverberated around the room seconds later and he was up on his feet, back to pacing. "What's the matter?" I sighed, not entirely sure why he was throwing a hissy fit.

"I cannot feel her! I know she is alive but she's shut down our bond to the point where I cannot fathom her other emotions!" He gritted out, moving to the large windows overlooking Vegas.

"Has she blocked her connections to you guys also?" I turned my attention to her children, who were all frowning. Nodding their heads they gave me an answer.

"Our blood bond can be closed?" Sookie's curious tone caused me to look over to her, her face angled up to my Maker, who was looking rather nervous all of a sudden. I couldn't hide my smirk, obviously he hadn't told her everything about their connection.

"Yes and no." Eric seemed to settle on the truth. "Yes it can be closed, but no it cannot be shut all the way. It's similar to leaving a door ajar; you can feel the life force of your bonded but not their emotions. It enables you to know the other is alive but allows them privacy, to feel things for themselves without sharing it with you, without having to worry about your reaction." He told her honestly, pursing his lips together.

Sookie was silent for a moment, watching as Godric continued to pace the living area. "Why didn't you tell me?" she finally asked gently, locking eyes with my Maker. I was starting to like this new side to Sookie, she wasn't jumping to conclusions or instantly becoming angry with Eric over the smallest things, now she was allowing him time to explain.

"You may think it high-handed of me, lover, but I don't wish for you to close our bond down at all. While I would still be able to feel your life force I find myself wanting to feel all of you, every emotion that courses through your body, I want to experience it with you, reacquaint myself with human emotions. I want to share emotions with you, carry and ease your pain and revel in your happiness. It's that simple." The honesty in his tone spooked me a little. Eric had always been an honest man, he might omit a few details on occasion, but he was always truthful when asked point blank about anything. It had been some time though since I had heard him include everything in his explanation, especially such a tender explanation. Sookie was most defiantly changing my Maker, and I was started to see a soft side to the usually cold and brutal vampire who had turned me all those years ago.

The connection to Ata's contact lenses suddenly snapped back, the image of what she was seeing was thrown up onto the screen. Using his vampire speed, Godric resumed his seat on the sofa, the poor thing creaking as he placed himself upon it. He'd done some serious damage to it in his anger earlier on and it would probably need replacing. I couldn't count the number of times Eric and I had broken things in anger. It was easier, and better, to destroy furniture than people when angry. People were too messy.

"Try not to think of it, little princess." Pallas laughed gently, letting go of Ata's hand. All of us in the penthouse frowned, what was it that the ancient one had just told her?

"She's confused." Godric stated, clearly checking their bond thoroughly now that it was fully open once again. We watched as Nora returned to Ata's side, taking her hand.

"Bubba is waiting for his dance downstairs, Ata. Thank you for coming to see me, I have a feeling we will be seeing one another more over the coming weeks." The Ancient Pythoness dismissed the Egyptian fairy, with a bow of her head she started to head towards the door with Nora in tow. "Miss Gainsborough, a moment please?" Pallas interrupted their departure.

My Grandsire visibly tensed at the realization that Ata would be leaving the room alone, without any form of protection. "This is Felipe's home, Ari, Isabel and Bubba are downstairs, I'll be fine." Ata reassured Nora, and all of us back in the penthouse. Slowly the Elizabethan vampire let go of her hand and she turned to the door.

We watched as she left the room, her eyes narrowed slightly as she so obviously fell into thought. A blur from the corner of her eye caught our attention before the screen went black.

The most terrifying sound I had ever heard filled the space of the penthouse as Ata's children, along with Godric, all screamed out in pain, howling as they fell to their knees. Eric, Oscar and I were instantly up on our feet, as was Sookie, but she knew better than to approach any vampire in pain, no matter how much she trusted them. She'd made that mistake the night she'd met Compton. Eric was at Godric's side instantly and I moved to Ata's children, unsure as to what the hell was going on. "Ata." My Grandsire rasped, trying his hardest to make his way to the elevator doors, as if he could swoop in and help her out of whatever mess she was in even though he wasn't in the best state at the moment.

"Our bond, it's gone, our mental connection too." Khai managed to explain between gritted teeth. If the bond was gone then surely that meant she was dead…

The TV screen suddenly flared to life once more and the collective gasps from the male vampires on the floor was enough confirmation that their connections to her were back, but that she was suffering greatly. Rather than cries of pain the room was filled with roars of anger as we all took in the sight on the screen, even I couldn't stop myself from growling. Ata was flat on her back, her vision filled with the textured ceiling and, looming over her, the figure of Felipe.

"She needs help!" Sookie choked on a sob as she held a hand up to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. "She's mentally sobbing, oh my goodness." The young telepath looked like she was about to pass out with the weight of her cousins' despair and anguish settling on her mind. Vamping to her I placed her back down on the sofa, raising a warning finger at her so that she wouldn't move.

We watched as she raised her hand, managing to clip Felipe with the silver bracelet, causing him to hiss out in pain. The moment he dropped fang however, and went to bite into his wrist, Godric seemed to loose it completely. The male vampires had found their strength again now that they were over the initial shock of Ata's pain, and my Grandsire looked murderous.

Fangs down, he took off in the direction of the elevator, only to be rugby tackled into the wall by Khai. "You can't go to her!" the Egyptian shouted at him, trying to get through to him. There was no point in him trying; my Grandsire was on the warpath.

"SHE'S MINE!" Godric snapped in Khai's face, struggling against his hold. "I'LL KILL HIM! RIP OUT HIS FANGS AND HAVE THEM TURNED INTO EARRINGS!" he spat just as backup stepped in. Riei and Oeri were helping to contain my Grandsire as he thrashed against them, trying his hardest to get to the elevator doors so he could run to her aid. Eric had Sookie shielded behind him, knowing that Godric's current mental state was unbalanced. His bonded was wounded, a devious vampire trying to get his blood into her system, his whole body was screaming out at him to kill and maim.

I continued to watch the screen as Ari raced in to the rescue, hauling the young King up by the scruff of his neck before he threw him like a ragdoll over his shoulder. I had to stop myself from fist pumping.

"Ari wants you to try and keep Godric here." Sookie offered timidly as she stepped out from around Eric, slowly approaching Godric, whose struggling was starting to slow down as he realized there was no way he was going to escape from the vice like hold of three 2000 year old vampires.

As we could only see from Ata's point of view, and she was still flat on her back staring up at the ceiling, we were unable to see what was going on with Ari, but we could see Isabel, Edgar and Bubba coming into Ata's line of sight, trying to help her up, but she was unable to move herself. I was very rarely worried, however the sight of the 2000-year-old fairy unable to shift herself had me on edge. If she could be taken down so easily then it would be fair to say the rest of us would be a piece of cake to bring down.

We were unable to witness Bubba sniffing the used needle, however we could hear his verdict as clear as day. "Iron." He stated solemnly. Godric, who had only just recently settled, was instantly angry again, flailing around, struggling against the male vampires keeping him pinned in place, jaws snapping, fangs descended. I had a feeling if they weren't holding him down he'd be massacring everyone on his way to Felipe's mansion, with Felipe being his main target.

"IT'LL KILL HER. LET ME GET TO HER!" he demanded sharply, exerting enough pressure on Khai's wrist, which he'd managed to grab hold of, to make the bone creak.

"YOU DARE TO HARM ME?" Felipe's angered scream could be heard through the TV. Ata had managed to tip her head sideways to watch the fight occurring between Ari and Felipe. Leaving Sookie on the sofa, Eric vamped to Godric's side, helping to calm his Maker as I took over soothing Sookie, who was still being subjected to Ata's anguished thoughts and mental sobs. The little fairy was a shaky, teary wreck. I never knew how to deal with humans when they leaked. Deciding to attempt our interactions the other day, I placed a cautious arm around the girls' shoulders, hoping to soothe her. Instantly she lunged at me, wrapping her arms around my middle, holding me tightly as she screwed her eyes shut, trying to block out her cousin. For a moment I was unsure what to do, but slowly I allowed myself to embrace the little fae, even going so far as to rub her back a little awkwardly in a hope to soothe her. I'd watched Eric perform such an action towards her before today.

Although I was comforting Sookie, and my Maker was restraining my Grandsire, my eyes were glued to the TV screen as Ari took on Felipe, grabbing him around the throat with little to no effort. He lifted the Monarch off the ground, his fangs down in anger and a look of pure hatred pasted onto his usually calm and collected features. Obscenities spewed from Felipe's mouth and yet Ari paid no mind to them, the stood tall and strong, his arm muscles flexing as he tightened his hold on Felipe's throat. I couldn't help but admire his strength. He was a beautiful force of nature. "You were about to feed my Mistress your blood, to tamper with the sacred blood bond she has created with my Master! I should end you regardless of your status!" He hissed. I was unsure if he was aware that he had just referred to Godric as his Master, and it seemed like the term had brought my Grandsire out of his angered state. He went deathly still, his eyes locked on the screen as he processed the fact that Ari had so readily accepted him as his new Master. Even I was shocked, the role of Master or Mistress was exceptionally important, and an honor, so for Ari to declare Godric his Master was an ultimate show of his commitment to Ata's bonded.

Oscar had ensured he was well away from Godric; he was far too young to try and restrain my Grandsire, so instead he moved himself to sit beside Sookie, offering her a tissue he'd procured from somewhere before he rubbed her arm soothingly. Looking up from the little fairy, he offered me a tiny smile. He wasn't bad for a baby vamp, at least he could still understand humans enough to know what the needed.

"I will have your fangs for this! I will take away your area and your business!" He spat in response, earning himself an eye roll from Ari. "_Hey, that's my thing." _I pouted. Throwing the bratty Monarch at the far wall Ari's impressive force rendered him unconscious. He knelt down beside Ata, taking one of her hands in his own before he raised it to his lips to kiss reassuringly.

Sookie's sobbed started all over again and she clung to me even tighter, I suppose it was a good thing I didn't need to breathe. Ari scooped her up in his arms, her head tipping sideways uncontrollably, giving us a glimpse of a still very unconscious Felipe.

As Ari took off down the stairs, Oeri managed to wiggle himself out of the vampire pile up that was keeping my Grandsire in place. Bloody tracks were evident down his cheeks from the tears he had shed at the pain his bonded had been experiencing, pain he wasn't able to take from her. Grabbing his phone, Oeri started to bark ordered into it after hitting the number 8 button as he obviously kept whomever it was he was speaking to on speed dial. "I don't care if you're busy, I will pay you hundreds of thousands if I have to, GET HERE NOW." He slammed his phone closed. Ah Ludwig, the old troll.

As Ari took off out of Felipe's mansion, the male vampires slowly withheld their hold on Godric, knowing he would soon have his bonded back with him and he could care for her. It would be foolish for him to run out of the penthouse now; she was with Ari and was therefore safe. Eric came over to Sookie, Oscar and I and quirked an eyebrow at the affectionate display currently occurring between the little blonde telepath and myself. Giving a shrug of my shoulders I continued to rub circles on her back, suddenly feeling rather protective of the relatively naive girl. Gently prying Sookie from me, Eric picked her up effortlessly, seating himself on the sofa as he soothed her while we waited for Ata, Ari, Isabel, Bubba and Edgar to arrive. Godric was back to his pacing. "I could hear her mental cries for help, they were so anguished Eric, she's in so much pain." Sookie mumbled into his chest as she buried her face there. Slowly my Maker stroked her hair, making little hushing sounds similar to those parents made to their young children.

The sound of footsteps coming up the emergency stairs dragged us all out of our little waiting game, and the moment Ari burst through the door, stepping foot into the room, my Grandsire had ripped Ata from his hands, encasing her in his arms before he vamped to the other side of the room, clutching her close to his chest, his fangs bared as he snarled at us all. I had never seen him this angry before. Yes I had watched him kill, yes I had seen him loose his temper once or twice, but I had never seen him so vicious, so maddened over the thought of someone being hurt. I prayed to the God that I had refused to acknowledge as a human that Eric would not turn out to be the same with Sookie.

A pop sounded out in the room and Ludwig appeared, taking a quick moment to assess everyone in the room before her eyes landed on Ata. "Oh dear little princess, what have you gotten yourself into?" she tutted quietly as she took in Ata's appearance. It was obvious that the iron was causing havoc in her system, her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her usually bright blue eyes were pale and dull. "Bring her to me, Nervii." Ludwig ordered as she removed everything from the coffee table, throwing a blanket over it so Ata wouldn't be exposed to the cold material. Godric let out a low warning growl, clutching Ata tighter to him. "She'll die if you don't let me treat her, vampire." I could hear Ludwig's patience running thin.

"Godric let Ludwig help her." Sookie gently encouraged him, unfurling herself from Eric's chest, though she was smart enough to keep a distance. He was angry and volatile right now. He seemed to fight internally with himself, but one look down at Ata, whose eyes were screwed shut in pain, caused him to relent. Vamping to the coffee table he made short work of her dress, removing it so it wouldn't be damaged before he placed it on the sofa, leaving Ata in her underwear on the table. Usually I would have made some sort of crude comment by now, but it was apparent just how serious Ata's current condition was.

"I picked these up from the scene." Bubba offered, handing Ludwig two needles. I moved to sit beside the coffee table, as did everyone else in the room. Godric's hold on Ata never wavered as he locked eyes with her. Moments later his gaze joined ours as we all curiously looked at the needles Bubba was holding.

Taking the needles from Bubba, Ludwig sniffed them before spluttering and wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Whoever it was has it in for you Miss Caesar. This needle contained a high concentration of iron, suxamethonium chloride and a trace of Hep D."

Ari gave a small gasp at the revelation, as did his brothers. Eric and I shared a worried glance while Sookie's eyes widened in horror. At least Compton had bothered to tell her about Hep D. Whoever had injected Ata would have known Godric was only feeding from her. I was about to open my mouth to speak when Godric's roar silenced us all. "FIX HER. NOW." He shouted at Ludwig, demanding her to do something.

"I can't do anything until the suxamethonium chloride has worn off. Whoever injected her wanted her to watch whatever they were going to do to her. It relaxes the muscles, effectively causing temporary paralysis but it does not lead to unconsciousness and it doesn't act as an anesthetic either. Its effects may cause considerable psychological distress while simultaneously making it impossible for a patient to communicate." Ludwig explained as she took the other needle from Bubba. While that would be one thing down, Ata's blood would still contain high levels of iron and Hep D. If the iron didn't kill her, the Hep D would, given that she would be unable to feed Godric and he would therefore need nourishment elsewhere. Everybody suffered from jealousy, it was a natural reaction, no matter how many times people tried to claim they were never jealous, and jealousy was just as deadly as the Hep D and iron concoction circulating through Ata's system.

"How are we gonna get the iron out?" Sookie spoke quietly, causing us all to focus on the next task at hand.

"You all need to drain her down and replace her blood with yours, it's the only way we can get the iron out of her system."

"She's infected with Hep D, you've got to be kidding me?" I stated in exasperation, flicking my hand out towards Ata. Was the troll really suggesting we all allow ourselves to be infected and therefore weakened when Russell, and now Felipe, was out to get us?

Sniffing the other needle, Ludwig removed the cap, giving it a flick before she suddenly jabbed it into Ata's neck. Her piercing scream rang through the penthouse and I had to cover my ears, she had one heck of a pair of lungs on her, and I wasn't referring to her ample breasts. "Found our voice now Miss Caesar? The suxamethonium seems to be wearing off."

"You don't fucking say so!" Ata yelled at the dwarf doctor who smirked at her patient. I had to hide my own smirk too, the usually serene fairy was cursing and screaming and shouting, like a normal person.

"What the fuck did you just inject her with?" Godric demanded as Ari grabbed his arm, effectively keeping him in place.

"Seems whoever it was created a cure for Hep D." She mused, sniffing the needle once again before she threw it into her little bag.

"The fae don't get sick, why is the Hep D causing such a reaction?" Oeri demanded as he held one of Ata's feet down, Riei was holding the other. Ata had started to thrash on the table, her screams making it difficult for us all to communicate. Khai was holding down one of her arms while Godric had the other, Ari was holding her shoulders down while Egor and Agmund were stood by the elevator, fangs down, poised ready to attack anyone who dared to enter. Eric, Sookie, Oscar and I were at a loss with what to do. While Sookie was blood related to Ata, and could therefore probably offer some help, there was little Eric, Oscar and I could do for the Egyptian fairy.

"It's not the Hep D in her system, it's the iron. The Hep D would remain in her blood system but not cause a reaction, I believe it was the intent of the injector for the Hep D to go undetected so as to weaken anyone who would feed from her." She gave my Grandsire a pointed look before continuing. "However, they got the ratio wrong of iron, they've given her too much. The suxamethonium was obviously used to keep her in place so her injector could heal her himself and appear a hero."

"Felipe." Ari ground out, his jaw clenched. I wanted to go and offer him some comfort, but was well aware it was the wrong time and place, plus I didn't quite fancy an audience.

"He was leaning over Ata when I found her, trying to give her his blood." Ari informed the small doctor whose eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"A blood offence, you could kill him for it you know?" She offered Godric who only gave a growl in response, his eyes locked onto Ata who'd thrown her head back and was wailing with the pain.

"I need one of you to taste her, to see if the Hep D has been eradicated from her blood or not." Ludwig instructed, sparing a glance at Ata's children, to Eric, to me, to Godric, to Isabel, Bubba and Edgar and eventually to Oscar. Unsurprisingly no one really wanted to taste her and risk coming down with Hep D. I'd had it once before, when I'd been a newborn. It was my first time picking my own meal and I'd been oblivious to the infection. By the time Eric became aware of it it was too late, I had already been infected. Due to my age, I'd been far too weak to move much, so Eric had tended to my every whim and need. I'd trusted him before, after all I had let him turn me, but after that I grew a deeper sense of respect for him. He could have just staked me and claimed he never had a Childe, no one had known about me then, but instead he spent the time nursing me back to health. It was the worst experience of my life, I was unable to rest well in the day, my appetite was all but gone and my mood swings reminded me of PMS. It got to the point where Eric was giving me his blood through an IV, because I simply couldn't swallow it.

"I'll do it." Oscar offered in a timid tone, Godric's possessive growl causing him to shrink back for a moment before he stood his ground. "It doesn't matter if I get sick, I'm too young to defend Ata and Sookie very well anyway, and they need all of you healthy and able to fight." The young vampire offered. Squirt had just gained my respect for his brave offer. Vamping to Ata's side, opposite Godric, the young vampire dropped his fangs before he picked up Ata's wrist. Turning her head to face him, I watched as Ata pleaded with her eyes for him not to. "It's okay Ata, you saved me so now I can save you." He grinned at her before he eased his fangs into her wrist, causing her to whimper out in pain. Once again Godric growled lowly as the young vampire took a few pulls on her wrist. Pulling back he coughed violently, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "There's no Hep D there, but iron tastes horrible!" he blanched. I couldn't help but burst into laughter at the disgust on the young ones face, I so wished I'd invested in a camera.

"Here's what we're gonna do fairy princess, each vampire is gonna take some of your blood, offering you theirs at the same time in order to create first level bonds. Niall came to me and told me to speak to you about the correct procedure tomorrow but it seems we don't have time for that." She lifted her head to look at Godric, whose expression had gone from anger to worry as tears flowed freely down Ata's cheeks. They smelt incredible and I could only guess what her blood would taste like.

I was unaware as to what was going on silently but Godric's head snapped in Ari's direction and he regarded the vampire for a moment before a small smile crossed his lips. "Thank you, my Childe." He murmured softly. Ari automatically dipped his head in respect. I was glad it wasn't frowned upon for vampires to have sexual endeavors with those related to them, because related or not, I so wanted to bang the hell out of Ari. _"Fuck sake Pamela! Get a grip on yourself!" _I once again mentally scolded myself as Sookie looked in my direction, quirking an eyebrow. FUCK. SHIT. She heard me!

"Nervii, you'll take from her first but you'll give to her last. Niall mentioned you have a second level bond and I don't want the third to be created when Ata is in such a state." She ordered as Ari and his brothers started to arrange themselves into a line.

"We need as many of you to take and give as possible in order to eliminate the possibility of her being turned. Any other offers?" Ludwig turned her attention to the crowd as Godric knelt beside Ata, nuzzling her wrist with his nose as he pushed her bangs from her face. She whimpered in pain and raised a shaky hand to his cheek.

Eric took a spot at the end of line, surprising me for a moment until I realized that, to him, Ata was keeping Godric around, she was the reason he hadn't met the sun, he at least owed it to her to save her life because she saved Godric's. Unless of course Eric was starting to care for the ancient fairy, that would be an interesting turn of events. Making up my mind I rose to my feet, joining Eric in the line. Eric's wide eyes turned to me yet I only graced him with another shrug. We would all need to complete the first ties sooner or later, why not save her life while we were at it? She'd proven herself more than loyal, capable of loving someone like my Grandsire without judgment, and simply by being around her Sookie was becoming a better person, someone I **might** even be able to like in the future. Isabel, Bubba and Edgar were behind me instantly and even little Oscar joined in.

Sookie stood nervously at the side of the room. "Come here little fae, you have the most important job. I'm going to hook an IV up to you, straight into your cousins' bloodstream. As soon as Eric has taken and given then I want you to take from him. The fae in you will bolster the fae in your cousin and help her turn the vampire blood into fae blood in order to support her system. I say we get all of the blood ties done this evening, so I want all of you to start exchanging with one another as soon as you've given, and fed from, Ata." The small doctor ordered as she hooked up Sookie and Ata, giving the tube a light squeeze to encourage the blood flow from Sookie.

Instantly Godric sunk his fangs into Ata's wrist, taking several large pulls. She squirmed on the table, gasping at the feel of his fangs in her. I had to stop myself from smirking at the sight. I was well aware of the fact that their blood bond meant that whenever Godric fed from her it was a pleasant experience, even when they didn't wish for it to be so. Eric had taught me all about blood ties and bonds, the effect of them on both the humans and the vampires involved.

Once he'd taken his fill he moved to Ata's other side, sitting himself between Sookie and Ata. Biting into his wrist he offered it up to Sookie who latched on, taking just a few short pulls as he took from her wrist, creating the first bond between them. With that done Godric sat and held onto Ata's free hand as we all took turns to feed from, and give to, Ata. Biting into my wrist I held it over her mouth as I sank my fangs into an unmarred area of her forearm. While we were all healing over the wounds it wouldn't be fair to continually bite into the same area over and over again. The moment her blood hit my palate I groaned at the taste, she was abso-fucking-lutely delicious! How on earth Godric could restrain himself was beyond me. Her blood wasn't as potent as I had expected it to be, but I still found myself craving more. Perhaps I would be able to convince her to 'donate' every now and then? "Pam." Eric's stern tone settled my hunger and reluctantly I pulled away as the wound on my wrist healed, giving my Maker a sheepish smile.

"You gotta admit, even with iron in her system she tastes fucking incredible." I rose from my position beside her, taking up a seat on the sofa as I licked my lips clean, offering my wrist out to Godric who gave me his in return. Although we were of the same bloodline our tie wasn't as strong as a Maker and Childe tie, so it needed bolstering a little. Afterwards I exchanged with Sookie and I was able to detect the little hint of fae blood in her. She was delicious too!

The process took a while, and Eric found himself having to dip into donor blood in order to sustain himself and Sookie as she was contributing quite a fair amount of blood to Ata. With each new bond formed, Ata's thrashing starting to slow down, her movements slipping into lazy and I could feel that the pain within her was slowly disappearing. Her heart rate slowed considerably, and her eyelids fluttered shut as her breathing fell short and shallow. The rapid extraction and replacement of blood clearly wasn't doing her system any good, not that it ever did anyone any good mind you. The moment Oscar had finished up his bond with Ata, Godric was on his feet, biting into both of his wrists. He held one over Ata's lips and she forced herself to stay alert as she took pulls from him. Oscar had latched on to his other wrist and Godric was taking pulls from the young vampire himself.

"She needs to rest, her body has undergone extreme stress." Ludwig explained in a surprisingly soft tone as unconsciousness finally claimed Ata. It was strange to feel everything but her life force slip out of me, the bond becoming a small hum in the background, signaling that she was still alive. "She'll be out for a while, her body needs to heal itself. When she wakes she'll be incredibly thirsty and hungry, so I recommend you keeping a chef or something from downstairs on call. She needs to be kept warm too, and tomorrow she'll probably suffer as the bonds between you all start to settle within her." Ludwig explained. "I'll expect payment by the end of the week." She murmured, gathering up her things before she popped out of the room, leaving us all to stand there in silence.

"I'm taking her to bed." Godric whispered, moving slowly to scoop Ata up in his arms. Although unconscious she seemed to instinctively curl into him. "Thank you for helping us evening, I appreciate it, I owe you all." He vowed quietly as he walked at a humans pace out of the living area, carrying both Ata and her dress in his hands.

"Would that ever happen to me?" Sookie asked in a low whisper, clearly shaken by the evening's events.

"If you were exposed to an extremely high concentration of iron, more than likely. You're not as much of a fae as Ata as in terms of blood purity, so it would take more to get such a reaction from you." Oeri answered quietly, running a hand through his hair. It was apparent that, while our focus had been on Godric and his reaction to Ata's state, it had impacted her vampire children just as badly.

"We can offer you a safe space for the day if you'd like?" Khai offered Edgar and Bubba, knowing Isabel already had a room of her own.

"We'd appreciate it, Khai, thank you." Edgar was still watching the door that Godric had taken Ata through. I found it curious how the King of California was so attached to the old telepath. Sure she had discovered the plan that had gotten his gold-digging, scheming whore of an ex-girlfriend killed, but surely that wasn't the only reason. Pausing for a moment I remembered how the fae seemed to naturally pull all of those around them towards them, they seemed to be able to make friends quickly. Snorting quietly at the idea that the two fairy women were collecting a little nest of vampires without even knowing it, I shook my head.

"I don't want to leave Miss Ata's side until I know she's okay, do you think Mr. Godric would let me sleep on the floor of their room?" Bubba asked, blinking twice. I had a feeling that, although the sentiment of his offer would be well received, my Grandsire would be doing some serious coddling of his bonded for the remainder of the evening, and probably even some serious claiming tomorrow night.

"Go and ask him, I'm sure he won't mind." Riei encouraged tiredly. Sunrise wasn't far off; I could feel the start of the warning to find shelter creeping into my blood.

"I'll go and take you to your rooms." Khai spoke to Isabel and Edgar, leading them to the lifts. Egor and Agmund went with them as more backup. I had a feeling that we were going to be receiving a few threats over the next few days as Felipe tried to extract punishment for the way he was tossed aside like an old candy wrapper.

Riei and Oeri bid us all goodnight before disappearing off to their room, leaving Eric, Ari, Sookie and I in the living area. "Thank you for helping her this evening." Ari offered is all quietly. I was at a loss with what to say, so as my mother had once told me, I kept my mouth shut so as not to embarrass myself.

"Anything for family." Sookie offered just as quietly, taking a step forward before she pulled Ari into her embrace. Cautiously he returned her hug, keeping an eye on Eric to make sure he was okay with his actions. My Maker gave a small nod, giving the Egyptian vampire the go-ahead.

"You need to rest Sookie, you gave Ata a lot of your blood." Ari slowly let her go, allowing her to pop her hand to her mouth as she yawned, nodding her head in agreement. Eric lazily scooped her up in his arms, nodding his goodnights to Ari and I before he left the room.

The moment he was gone, and out of earshot, I was up on m feet, vamping before Ari. I'd tried to keep my feelings in check all night, tried not to give any outwards signs of my concern for the Egyptian vampire, and I couldn't take it anymore. It was like all of these stupid feelings were begging to be let out, kicking and screaming at me until I confessed everything. "You weren't hurt were you?" I asked in a hushed tone, letting my eyes drift over his beautiful physique to inspect him for any damage. I would more than happily play nurse with his piece of beautiful Egyptian meat.

A smile worked its way onto Ari's lips and he laughed lightly, causing me to try and hide my own smile. His laughter was rich and deep and even a little warm. _"Feelings, Pamela. You don't do feelings." _I reminded myself mentally, giving myself a small shake to clear my thoughts, just incase Sookie was listening in.

"I'm fine, honestly." He reassured me. His beautiful features suddenly creased as a light frown etched its way onto his face. "We didn't complete an exchange." he commented quietly.

For some reason my vault had failed me and I couldn't remember if we had exchanged blood or not so I went and checked each one of my newly formed bonds, unable to find Ari's. Although calm on the surface I was, as Eric usually was, paddling like a madman under the surface. I had no tie to Ari! Without a second thought I dropped fang, biting into my wrist before offering it to the older vampire. His own wrist was presented to me as he latched onto my wound and I was careful to be gentle with my bite. Causing him pain was not the way to win him over. His blood was thick and rich, just like cocoa use to taste back when I was human, but it held a vanilla undertone to it that blended perfectly with the richer flavors. Finding his dark chocolate eyes, I kept my eye contact with him and the whole experience was ten times hotter than anything I had ever partaken in before. I had never much cared for eye contact, I fed, I fucked, I glamoured. There was no care involved. Now however, I found myself caring, wanting to show my care, so I kept hold of the Egyptian's dark eyes, refusing to blink as I embedded the beautiful colour into my mind. As his wound healed beneath my lips, I slowly extracted my fangs, giving the skin a small lick for good measure.

"Thank you." Ari offered as he licked his lips clean, watching as I did the same.

"It's not problem." I offered with a shrug, unsure how to play it off now. Should I tell him about all these emotions inside of me, or let them sit there for a while longer? I wasn't entirely sure where Ari sat at the moment, he hadn't shown any obvious signs of attraction and I'd be damned if I were going to make the first move. Finally I made my decision and started to move towards the doorway leading to my bedroom. "Night Ari." I murmured softly, turning to look over my shoulder at him.

"Sweet dreams Pam." he offered in response with a warm smile. That smile was my undoing. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it move, I was before him once again, up on my tiptoes, pulling his head down to mine. My lips met his in a soft and tender kiss, the slight moisture from the fact he had just licked his lips meant mine could slide smoothly over his. His strong arms wound themselves around my middle, pulling me closer to him. I could feel his strong and muscular physique against my slender frame and I knew, if I didn't stop this now, I would be asking him to join me in my room. For the first time in my life I didn't want to simply fuck, I wanted to enjoy it properly, have a partner who cared for my needs as much as I cared for theirs. I wanted something more.

Breaking away a moment later, I captured his eyes with my own. "I'd glad you weren't hurt." I confessed before I even realized I had said it. Pressing a quick chaste kiss to his lips I vamped from the room, feeling like young teenager after her first kiss. Shutting the door to my room quickly, I grabbed my nightie from the wardrobe before I removed my day clothes. I was still giddy but Eric's curiosity brought me back to earth as I slipped into bed. I'd kissed Ari. ARI! The 2000-year-old Ancient Egyptian vampire and I'd only known him for a few nights! Whatever was in the air in Vegas was certainly making me do completely out of character things. I hoped I wasn't too forward, would he be mad at me tomorrow? Dear God please don't let him be mad at me tomorrow!

I spent the remainder of the evening in downtime, working through every possible scenario for tomorrow night. No one else had witnessed our little kiss, and I could always lie to Eric about being giddy over new shoes or something should he ask, so if the worse case scenario played out and Ari acted like an ass, then I would be able to carry on like normal. Only, I found myself not wanting to carry on as normal, I found myself wanting him to reciprocate tomorrow night. It was with these thoughts that the sun rose, and finally claimed me for the day.


	49. In My Life

**A/N I've included some lemon goodness for ya, as its been a while!**

**No one really knows ****exactly**** what Cleopatra's Palace looked like, so I took some creative license okay? :) Also, anything can happen during meditation, stay with me on this one!**

**Ata needs to heal a little after nearly dying on the floor of Felipe's mansion, and although shopping would be good I think she needs to emotionally heal, and given that she's a family woman this was all I could think of. Sorry if it's a little bit filler-y and whimsical, but it leads to a SUPER important discussion next chapter and it does give a few bits of info out too.**

**I don't know a word of Swedish or Egyptian Arabic, if the translations are wrong then blame Google for me aye?**

**Also, I'm dying to know what your interpretations of the AP's riddle are, so if you feel like sharing them then let me know in a review or PM, I love to hear all of your thoughts on such major things!**

**www . midnightopheliac . wordpress . com**

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_There are places I'll remember  
__All my life though some have changed  
__Some forever not for better  
__Some have gone and some remain  
__All these places have their moments  
__With lovers and friends I still can recall  
__Some are dead and some are living  
__In my life I've loved them all  
__But of all these friends and lovers  
__There is no one compares with you  
__And these memories lose their meaning  
__When I think of love as something new  
__Though I know I'll never lose affection  
__For people and things that went before  
__I know I'll often stop and think about them  
__In my life I love you more  
__Though I know I'll never lose affection  
__For people and things that went before  
__I know I'll often stop and think about them  
__In my life I love you more  
__In my life I love you more  
__~ In My Life, The Beatles_

A tightening sensation in my lower stomach slowly started to rouse me from my sleep, along with a cool feeling drifting along my sides. Groaning quietly at the contrast between the cool feeling on my sides and my warm skin, I felt myself being pulled from my slumber. A light scratching sensation on the inside of my thighs, caused me to frown, my eyes still closed as I tried to remember my location. It wasn't until one long, languorous lick was placed at the apex of my legs did I remember where I was, and more importantly, who I was with. A breathy chuckle caused me to moan as Eric's cool breath hit my warm centre, his hands creeping up my sides to grasp my waist. His mouth was back on my core a moment later, his talented lips, tongue and teeth nipping, licking and sucking. Grasping at the bed sheets, my back arched, making me pant as he continued his ministrations, his stubble rubbing against my smooth skin. "Eric." I moaned, my hands shifting from the bed sheets to his golden locks, my finger tangling themselves in his unstyled bed hair.

With another chuckle he replaced his mouth, tongue and teeth with his fingers as he slid up my body, his cool frame resting against mine. "Good evening lover." His husky whisper caused my insides to coil tighter as he crooked his fingers into a come-hither motion, internally stroking me, coaxing me to my release.

"Evening, Eric." I groaned in response, unable to arch my body up due to his weight above me. Shifting beneath him, I lifted my head, capturing his lips with my own. His fingers changed angle, hitting the sensitive patch inside of me as his lips fused with my own, our eyes fluttering shut as we gave up one of our senses, letting the others overpower us. Nibbling on my lower lip with his blunt teeth, I opened my mouth a little, allowing him access. His tongue rolled into my mouth, tasting every part of me he could. Slipping my arms around his neck I pulled his alabaster body closer to my own, feeling his firm muscles against me, his heavy arousal against my stomach. Tilting my head sideways, my own tongue entered his mouth, battling for dominance, causing my vampire to growl quietly. His thumb shifted, landing on my nub, which he started to rub furiously, using the speed his immortality had given him to work me into frenzy. The tightening sensation in my lower abdomen was almost unbearable now and, breaking free from his lips to gasp for air, I came undone beneath him, crying out his name as his lips moved down my neck where he laved wet, open-mouthed kisses to the creamy skin he found there.

My eyes fluttered open as Eric slowly extracted his fingers from me, raising them to his lips before he sucked on them for a while, allowing me time to catch my breath. The shit-eating grin painted on his features gave me the courage to grab his hand, pulling his fingers into my own mouth to taste myself on him. My little display earned me a lustful growl from my Viking. Letting go of his digits with an audible 'pop' Eric wasted no time before he slipped into me with ease. It had amused me, from our very first coupling, that I was able to take all of his 'gracious plenty' without a struggle. During the few times I had visited Fangtasia before we had become an item I had heard from the minds of many ladies that few were able to completely accommodate Eric. It made me proud to know I could, as if we were designed that way. Heck if what the Ancient Pythoness had been saying last night was anything to go, by that we were indeed fated, then of course we were designed to fit together in every which way!

Although it had been a while since we had last engaged in such activities, which I found startling giving Eric's insatiable appetite for blood and sex, I didn't need much time at all to adjust to him. With a rock of my hips I encouraged him and his lips met mine in a searing kiss. Slowly he withdrew from me until just the tip of him was still inside of me, then he slammed on home as he parted my lips, thrusting his tongue into my mouth to match the movement of his hips. His tongue tasted every crevice of my mouth, tangling with my own tongue in a show of possessiveness. His hands moved over my body and it felt like he had more than two of them. One moment they were resting on my hips, the next they were trailing across my arms, dipping down the swell of my breasts, circling the curvature underneath them. Eventually they settled, one resting on my hip, a firm and steady hold on me, the other tangled in my hair. I found the weight of his hand on my hip reassuring as he used it for leverage, helping me to rise and fall with each thrust. His hold on me was comforting but not suffocating, it was the way our relationship had become now we had finally acknowledged our feelings for one another. The thought caused me to smile against my Viking's lips.

He pulled back, allow me to breathe but to also showcase his slightly quirked eyebrow, and the genuine smile painted onto his lips as his hips kept up the steady and strong rhythm, my own hips meeting his thrust for thrust. "What has you smiling, min ängel?" he asked in a whisper, leaning down to press a kiss to the tip of my nose. By stretching up a little to reach, the angle of his thrusts shifted and together we groaned at the new sensation.

"You. Us. How much everything has changed. Your hold on me, it's strong but not suffocating. I feel safe." I whispered honestly, loosing myself in his endless cerulean orbs as one of my small hands trailed down my side, resting upon the back of his large hand that clutched on to me.

"I will always keep you safe, my Sookie." He whispered in response, the hand that had been in my hair had moved to my cheek, cradling it. I always felt so small in comparison to him. "I love you." He reminded me as his thrusts took on a sharper, more urgent pace. Gasping at the sudden shift, I tipped my head back, my eyelids fluttering shut for a moment. I felt Eric lick at my neck, my clavicle, and the valley of my breasts.

"I love you too." I rasped in response, panting in a desperate attempt to draw in air as his pace quickened, unrelenting and yet loving at the same time. His hand left my hair and swiftly dived between our joined bodies to the little bundle of nerves between my legs. He rubbed it with the calloused pad of his thumb, a signal of the harsh life he had faced in his human years, as his lips met mine once again, consuming me completely. If it were at all possible for me to give up breathing and yet maintain my heartbeat, to never have to peel my lips away from his, I would do it in an instant. I belonged with Eric, joined with him this way.

The tightening sensation started in my lower stomach once again, signaling my slow climb to my release and numerous grunts and growls were tumbling from Eric's lips, informing me that he too would soon be reaching his end. Our bond was wide open and the vast amounts of love and adoration he was pouring into it caused a few stray tears to slip down my cheeks. There was nothing quite like being adored so completely, to know that you were treasured and loved, especially by a man as incredible and powerful as Eric. Peeling his lips from mine once more, he licked my tears away, his eyelids concealing his beautiful eyes from the world as his head fell forward and his forehead rested against my jugular notch.

"I love you, my bonded, my Sookie." He breathed against my sweat-dampened skin as he continued to thrust into me, my legs scrabbling to lock around his. My shields were none-existent at the moment, my mind elsewhere, so I could clearly hear Eric thinking his words in his native tongue first and then translating them to English so he could utter them to me, what was even better was that I could get the pronunciation down pact.

Deciding to try using his own language with him, I extracted my favourite part of the sentence. "Jag älskar dig." I murmured against the top of his head. The moment the words left my lips his thrusts stopped, which caused me to mewl in protest. Very slowly he lifted his head, his eyelids snapping back so his bright blue eyes could meet mine, glazed over with his lust. He grinned at me, the corners of his lips almost touching his eyes he was that happy.

"Say it again." He begged as I rocked my hips against his, reminding him that he was still buried deep inside of me. He took the hint and started with his sharp, deep thrusts once more.

"Jag älskar dig." I groaned as continued his unrelenting pace, swiping the sensitive patch inside of me on the downthrust.

"Louder." He demanded as he grasped hold of my thighs, parting them wide to allow him deeper.

"Jag älskar dig!" I cried out as Eric's fangs snapped down, suddenly flipping us so his back was on the bed as I straddled his waist. Needing some form of support I placed my hands on either side of his head, leaning forward to gain a better angle. Eric's hips were relentless in their rise and fall, the speed he had gained when he had been given his immortal life enabled him to continue pounding into me while making it look like he was having a nice relaxing day, or should I say night, at the beach. His large hands grabbed at my behind, helping me rise and fall in time with him. I could hear the bed creaking beneath us but I was too far-gone to care, I wanted my release so badly!

My new position, leaning forward, enabled Eric to raise his head, capturing my left nipple in his mouth. His fangs grazed my skin as he sucked on the dusty nub, laving his tongue across it moments later. His right hand let go of my behind to grasp at my other breast, his fingers pinching and playing with it in perfect time with his thrusts and his mouth on my left breast. I gasped, grabbing onto his shoulders as he swapped over, his mouth paying attention to my right breast as his hand let go, slipping down our joined bodies where he started to rub me furiously. I felt the tightening sensation constrict and, just as it snapped, his fangs slid effortlessly into the skin just above my nipple, allowing him to not only take my blood but to continue pleasuring me at the same time. All of the sensations coursing through my veins threw me over the edge with impressive force and, as my orgasm hit, I cried out Eric's name like a mantra, my nails digging into his shoulders in exquisite pleasure. Seconds later his mouth parted from my breast, a primal growl, mixed with a pleasured cry, rang out through the bedroom as the tightening of my inner muscles pulled his own release from him, his cool seed dousing the heat inside of me.

Slumping forward I collapsed onto his chest, gulping in air as my body continued to shudder and ripple with the aftershocks. I was aware of the two little puncture marks on my breast but I couldn't care any less at that moment in time. Eric's fingers lazily drew patterns across my clammy back as we lay together in post-coital bliss. For a few minutes I was content, relishing in the feel of his cool body against my own. That was until I realized he was awake, and that meant it was the evening.

"OH MY GOD!" I yelped, scrabbling out of bed in the direction of the bathroom to clean myself up before dressing.

"What's the matter?" Eric's calm voice floated into the bathroom, through the door, as I took care of my human needs – emptying my screaming bladder and brushing my teeth.

"You're awake, which means it's nighttime! I've slept the whole day away!" I exclaimed, turning on the shower before I stepped in, washing myself with speed that even Eric would probably have been proud of.

"And what's wrong with sleeping the whole day away? I've done that for the past 1000 years." Eric teased me as I stepped out of the bathroom in a towel. He was dressed in one of his trademark black wifebeaters and had just pulled on some underwear. While I would have liked him commando if we were back home, for impromptu romps, we were in the presence of others so it was only right for him to be properly dressed.

Of course the moment I stepped out in my towel the boxers he'd just pulled on started to look rather tight as he eyed my hungrily. "You gotta be kidding me? You want a round two already?" I sighed, moving to the wardrobe where I pulled out a fresh pair of panties and a bra, along with a pair of comfy blue Capri's and a white tank top.

"Oh I'm always ready for another round with you, lover." He purred right into my ear, causing me to jump with his sudden closeness. His firm body was pressed against my back and I could feel the evidence of his willingness for another round.

"Later." I whispered as blood flooded to my cheeks, turning them a rosy colour. Eric's fangs snapped down at the sight and, wagging my finger at him, he soon retracted them with a leer.

Dressing quickly we both left our bedroom. I felt bad about the fact I had slept the day away given how injured Ata had been last night. She'd probably needed me during the day to help her out and yet I'd be locked away with Eric instead.

We wandered into the living area just as Pam, Godric and Bubba emerged from their respective bedrooms. Felicia was in the kitchen and the moment she heard us enter she turned around, a large grin on her lips as she dashed towards me, pulling me into her embrace. "You're awake Miss Sookie! Miss Ata was worried about you all day!" She confirmed my worst fears. Ata had been awake, and alone, during the day.

"It reeks of death in here." Pam commented with a wrinkle of her nose in disgust, breaking up my moment with Felicia and snapping me out my guilt trip.

Felicia's face fell a little and she nodded sadly. "We had some unwanted werewolf visitors today, Miss Ata had to take them all out." She stated solemnly, gesturing towards a darkened patch of carpet just in front of the bar stools.

"We were attacked?" Eric growled from beside me, his gaze fixed on Felicia as he awaited confirmation. She nodded her head, moving back into the kitchen area to continue cooking whatever it was that was on the hob.

"Ata has guards, why didn't they take care of it?" Godric growled out, clearly displeased with the fact his bonded had been forced to fight off attackers only hours after suffering a major trauma

"They tried to Mr. Godric, but the unwanted visitors took them out relatively quickly. I had to call in the people from the Las Vegas City Morgue to help get rid of the pile of bodies in here. They're very boring there, they dress in black all the time and hardly ever smile." Felicia scowled, as if dressing in black and refusing to smile was the highest crime in the world. I had to stop myself from laughing.

"All of Miss Ata's guards were killed?" Bubba spoke up with a gasp, and I remembered then that this was Elvis Presley! I was in the same room as **The** King! Of course I could remember Ata's warning that I was not to call him by his human name, but it was taking everything in me not to squeal in delight and fangirl.

"Yes, and all the unwanted visitors. Miss Ata and I were having a lovely quiet breakfast when she 'heard' the scuffle downstairs." Felicia tapped her head, as if we didn't know Ata could read minds. I was surprised to know Ata had shared that information with her human housemaid. "The unwanted visitors killed off her guards and then came on up here, tried to kill us both, were demanding to know where you were all resting. Of course she used those pretty lights that come from her hands to kill them all before they could get to any of you." Felicia sounded proud of my cousin, and I had to admit that I was pretty proud of her too. Now if only I could take on a pack of werewolves myself.

"Where is she?" Godric demanded, seamlessly slipping back into his role of possessive protector once again. Tipping his head back he sniffed the air, trying to detect Ata underneath all the different scents.

"Shortly after the cleanup crew left she went upstairs to the training room, Mr. Ari and his brothers joined her up there just as the sun set." Felicia informed us as she grabbed a saltshaker from the cupboard. I had no idea what she was cooking but it smelt incredible.

The moment Ari's name slipped from Felicia's lips I was bombarded with Pam's mental musings. _"Ari's awake! I wonder what he's wearing this evening. Will he ignore me for that little kiss last night? Shush Pam, play it cool, let him come to you. You already made the first move last night!" _She mentally chastised herself as Eric, Godric and Bubba started to head for the slightly shifted bookcase that concealed the entrance to Ata's training room.

Pam had kissed Ari last night? Well I certainly hadn't seen that one coming! My eyebrow quirked itself all of its own accord as Pam turned to look at me, and her eyes widened in realization that I had heard her. _"Shit, shit, shit! Sookie heard me! Oh my god! Please don't tell Eric, or anyone else!" _She mentally begged me.

I wouldn't take pity on Pam, she would hate that, but I would respect her privacy and her wishes. _"I promise not to, don't worry." _I reassured her as we trudged up the stairs.

"_This is so weird." _My new blonde vampiress friend commented on our ability to communicate mentally. I mentally laughed, causing Pam to prod me in the back in annoyance as she felt my laughter in her mind. With a sheepish grin I withdrew from her thoughts, allowing her to once again have her privacy.

All of the lights in the training room were off; the only light illuminating the room was from the moon as it shone through the huge windows overlooking Vegas. "Oh it's beautiful up here." Pam commented quietly, taking in the sight. I couldn't help but agree. At the far end of the room the hunched over form of Ata was resting on a woven mat. Her head dipped down, her hands together as if she were praying. She was silent, unmoving. Her blonde locks were a little matted and her skin looked, even from a distance, a little dirty.

"What's she doing?" I whispered, unsure as it whether I was supposed to be silent or not. All of Ata's boys were stood near the door, Ari being the one closest to me. Ari didn't respond right away, his eyes meeting Pam's for a moment as he offered her a warm smile. It didn't seem to me like Ari regretted his little kiss with Pam last night.

"Meditating." He finally answered me as Godric slowly approached her, a look of concern etched onto her features. "She does this every time after she's been hurt, to help calm her and soothe her emotions. Usually she waits until nightfall so we can join her, but apparently she's been up here for hours now." He explained as Godric crouched next to her, brushing her hair from her face. The moment his fingers ghosted over her temple he gasped, pulling his hand back and loosing his balance, landing on his behind beside her.

"What the…?" he exclaimed, eyes wide as he turned to Ari for answers. The Egyptian vampire pushed off from the wall and sauntered over towards the slightly older vampire. Dropping my shields I attempted to breech Ata's mind, but I was met with a big ol' blank. Scowling, I took Eric's hand, pulling him closer towards the meditating form of my cousin. Ata's other boys, along with Bubba and Pam, followed close behind us.

"Incredible isn't it? The moment you touch her she can pull you into her meditation." He breathed, crouching down on the other side of my cousin.

"She's back home." I heard Godric whisper in awe, feeling Eric's concern through our bond. I took a moment to check all of my other ties with the other vampires in the room. Bubba and Pam were just as confused as Eric, Godric's emotions were all over the place and yet the emotions of Ata's boys could only be described as amused.

"She wants us all to join her, most likely. Everyone take one anothers hands." He turned to look over his shoulder, instructing us all on what to do. Pam instantly grabbed his free hand, causing the Egyptian to try and hide his smile. I noted his brothers trying to suppress their grins too.

Eric's nostrils flared then, now he was close enough to Pam, and a frown settled onto his features. "Pam, why on earth do you smell like Ari?" he questioned as everyone turned to look at the blonde vampiress. She opened her mouth to respond but Ari beat her to it.

"Pam and I forgot to forge a bond yesterday while everyone else was, so we exchanged just before going to our day rest and neither of us had time to shower, hence why my scent still lingers on Pam, and hers on me." He responded easily with a smile, but I could feel Eric's disbelief through the bond.

I knew he wouldn't push the issue right now, so he took hold of Pam's spare hand, still clutching mine in the other. Unsure as whom I wanted to offer my hand to; the choice was taken from me as Bubba took it. I had to stop myself from squealing, but of course every vampire in the room could feel my excitement and glee at getting to hold hands with Elvis! Bubba's eyes turned to me and he offered me a knowing smile. I felt myself blush; the last thing I wanted to do was to remind him of his human years and upset him. "It's okay Miss Sookie, Miss Ata reacted the exact same way." He offered me a reassuring smile.

"Sorry." I mumbled, kneeling down on the floor as Eric and Pam did, bring Bubba with me. On the other side of Ata, Godric had taken hold of Khai, who in turn had a hold on Riei, who was holding onto Oeri who was holding onto Oscar. Egor and Agmund were staying out of whatever was about to happen, so that they could defend us should there be another attack. I felt bad for the Viking vampires sometimes, they always seemed to be left out of everything, used for the brute strength their ages gave them.

"You need to take hold of her hand on my count of three." He instructed Godric before he looked down both lines of people. "Close your eyes the moment we take her hands, and no one break off physical connection in this realm or else we all lose the connections and are pulled back, alright?" Ari instructed us all. All I could do was nod, feeling nervous about what was coming. Eric was pushing calm at me through our bond and I was suddenly overwhelmed with a tidal wave of it as every other vampire in the room sent me the same emotion.

"Thanks guys." I whispered, trying to push back my gratitude though I was unsure if they all received it given the weakness of our bonds.

"One, Two, Three…" Ari counted, grabbing Ata's hand on three as Godric did. Screwing my eyes shut I gasped as I felt myself being pulled in all directions, but as soon as the sensation started it stopped, and cautiously I opened my eyes.

The sight I was greeted with caused my jaw to drop. "Cheese and rice." I whispered, looking up at the building before me. It was then I realized the sun was up. "THE SUN!" I squeaked, turning my attention the vampires that had accompanied me. I expected them to be burning, but they weren't. Those who had never done this journey before, which meant all but Ata's boys, were lifting their arms into the sky, observing them with wide eyes as they saw themselves in the sunlight for the first time in years, centuries, millennia. Even little Oscar, who had only recently been turned, was wide-eyed.

"The sun here won't burn you, but you'll feel its heat." Khai explained.

Ari was watching Pam as she drank in the sight of the sunlight bouncing off of her skin. Although it was probably wrong of me I dropped my shields to take a peak in his head. _"I knew she would look beautiful in the sunlight, even more beautiful than she does under the moon." _I slowly pulled myself from his mind, allowing him his privacy; a smile on my lips as I realized that Ari was as attracted to Pam as she was to him.

"Come, Ata is waiting for us." Khai broke into the silence the other vampires had created. Slowly, and with awe filled eyes, they allowed their arms to drop back to their sides. It was only then that Godric raised his head, and the moment his eyes clapped onto the building before us a stray red tear slipped down his cheek.

"I haven't been here for so long." He breathed, looking over the architecture. I took a moment myself to look at the building before me. It was huge, magnificent, built entirely of limestone by the looks of it. There were four huge Sphinx's leading the way to a staircase, two on either side of the path. They had of course been hand carved, as machines for such a job were a long way off being invented during the period of Ancient Egypt, and the days of work that had so obviously gone into them made them all the more beautiful. We walked along the path towards the staircase, my eyes never lingering on one thing for too long. It was utterly beautiful here, everything was sandy coloured, certain features accented by colour, such as the winged woman that sat above the huge gated arch that led into the compound we were about to enter.

"The winged Isis." Riei murmured in my ear as I continued to stare at it in awe. "Queen Cleopatra is Isis reincarnated, it is only fitting she have her symbol above the entrance to her palace, as a show to others of her status and power." He explained, causing me to gasp once again. Cleopatra's palace, we were entering Cleopatra's palace! The high limestone walls surrounding the palace would prevent any attackers from entering that way, and it seemed like this was the only entrance and exit. Walking through the gate, we entered a passageway carved into the thick limestone walls, huge carvings on either side of the walkway made the short trip incredibly informative.

"That's Horus, our God of the King and vengeance," he gestured towards a hawk headed God, "that's Bes, our household God, he protects the family," he gestured towards a small, dwarf-like God, whose name I recognized from the ceremony that opened my mind to vampire thoughts. "That's Thoth, the God that taught us how to write and gifted us with knowledge," he gestured to the other side of the passageway, to a god with the head of an ibis, "and that's Osiris, our God of the underworld, he keeps an eye on the dead, ironically enough." Riei grinned at me, obviously happy that one of his Gods paid special attention to him now that he was immortal.

Although Riei had been explaining everything to me, and I had been soaking it up like a sponge, I had also been watching Godric. His fingers had trailed over the carvings as we'd walked through the passageway, and he'd been muttering to himself in a language I had never heard of before, he was even thinking in the same language so there was no way I was able to decipher his words. It was apparent though that he was finding it difficult to process everything. I myself was finding it difficult to process it all. This was Ancient Egypt, in all its glory, the place where Ata had grown up, where she had found companionship and love with Godric.

We entered a massive courtyard with a huge open space in the middle. The sides were covered, thick limestone columns supporting the heavy rock roof that provided some shade. Numerous other passageways were dotted around, leading to areas I had no clue about. The place was huge though. Raising a hand I started to use it to fan myself. Khai was right, it was incredible warm, and I was pleased I'd donned such light clothing, but I still wasn't use to such heat. Of course it was warm in Louisiana, in the summer it was rather balmy, but the heat here was different, it was fiercer. The floor beneath my feet was sandy and as I looked down I realized I hadn't popped on any shoes earlier, so the warm sand was slipped between my toes. I felt like I was on the beach. Everything looked so real, felt so real, smelt so real. I could detect the warm scent that hot countries usually gave off and the fresh water smell from the river Nile. I could feel the heat from the sun, the light breeze from the air caressing my skin, causing my goose bumps to rise. I could hear the sound of river birds squawking at one another, and the faint sound of laughter.

Oscar scampered ahead of us, catching up to Godric who was practically a man on a mission. He obviously knew his way around the palace, as he'd clearly spent a lot of time here in his human years, but I got the feeling he was wanting to find Ata, to make sure she was okay after last nights events and the attack today. How on earth I slept through that is beyond me! I do believe the whole 'sleeping like the dead' phrase Gran use to use applied to me today. The thought caused me to laugh quietly, though I passed it off as simply amusement at watching Oscar scurry away, because I really did sleep like the dead with Eric around. I usually never woke from my sleep numerous times in the night like I use to before I met him, and I was technically sleeping with the dead – just not six feet under.

Heading to the far end of the courtyard, I could see another huge archway carved into the limestone, the walls even higher to make a grand statement. There were several more carvings this time. "That's Hathor and Re in the carvings, Hathor is the one with the head horns in which the sun disk Uraeus is set, and Ra also has the sun disk Uraeus on his head, there are also carvings of previous Pharaoh's, all wearing the traditional crown of the kingdom they ruled over, upper or lower Egypt." Ari explained to us, still not having let go of Pam's hand though we had all parted ways before we even entered the palace. Pam seemed oblivious to the fact she was still holding the Egyptian's hand, but Eric wasn't. His quirked eyebrow caused me to give him a shove, giving him a pointed look to not mention it. If Pam was happy then good for her, she should be allowed to enjoy it.

"You use to live here?" Oscar asked Godric as we closed the gap between us all.

"In my human years. I actually lived on the other side of the city in an average sized stone home with my Master, who subsequently became my Maker, but I spent the vast majority of my time here with Ata, or I was working away in the fields out front during Shomu, the harvest season." He answered, his eyes having taken on a glazed over appearance as he recalled his past.

The sound of laughter was getting louder, and as a group we walked through the archway, suddenly entering a medium sized, shady room. Sunlight was bursting in through the tall, slender window gaps on the left hand side of the room, throwing the light across the whole space, yet the low ceiling and marble flooring kept the room nice and cool. The walls were tiled, painted by hand with beautiful scenes of Ancient Egypt, its Gods and its people. On the right hand side of the room stood three golden statues, two of which were life size while the other was smaller, only reaching about halfway up the wall. They looked to be of the Gods, each holding a protective weapon. What captured my attention the most though was the raised platform on the far wall. Three steps led up onto it and three chairs sat upon it. On either side of the steps were more golden statues, more Gods that had been hand crafted. Three painted pillars sat on either side of the raised platform, supporting the roof.

Godric came to a stop, causing all of us to halt. The scene I was witnessing was a far cry from what I had expected. A woman who looked to be in her thirties, tall and slender, with pale limbs and jet-black hair, coupled with endless hazel eyes framed by black kohl, sat in the middle chair, a crown resting upon her head. To her right sat a man who looked to be in his fifties, his hair practically none existent and his bright blue eyes were the exact same shade as Ata's, even their noses were the same. I'd seen him both before; when Ata had shown me the moment she had chosen Godric for her companion, though her parents must have been younger at the time – Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.

Ata sat to her mothers left, dressed in a strapless white gown with a sweetheart neckline, gold embroidery adding detail to the bust, gathering tightly at her waist to pull her in, showcasing her hourglass figure. It fell to the floor, hiding away her feet. Her hair was in loose curls and her porcelain skin blended in so well with her dress, she looked a far cry from the state I had last seen her in, kneeling on the mat in the penthouse. On her own head sat a crown, a little smaller than her mothers, but a crown nonetheless. It was the person on her lap that was new, a young boy with jet-black hair like Cleopatra's, he even had the same eye colour. He was without his shirt, wearing a traditional gold collar around his neck, leather cuffs around his wrists and he was wearing what appeared to be a white kilt with a patterned loincloth. He could be no older than 13. There was no symbol of royalty upon his head, but it was obvious this was Caesarion, Ata's younger brother.

The laughter of the four people sat on the thrones subsided as we entered the room, and I watched as Godric instinctually dipped his head in respect. "Oh dear boy, you do not bow to us anymore." Cleopatra's voice was as smooth as silk, and she was conversing in perfect English. She rose from her seat, gliding down the steps and towards us. Julius followed behind her, as did Ata.

"Godric!" Caesarion cried out happily, leaping from his sisters' lap to run at the ancient vampire. Catapulting himself at the old vampire, he wrapped his arms around his middle, squeezing him as hard as he could. "You were not in Aaru, or the Summerlands, so that means you became a night walker too, just like Ari and Khai and Riei and Oeri. Mut, Itf and I all tried to find you, but that was silly, because you found Amisi first!" The young boy let go of Godric, grinning up at him. I saw the ancient vampires features soften as he ruffled the boys' bangs playfully.

"_Mut? Itf?" _I frowned, trying to see if I could understand what the words meant.

"_Mother and Father." _I heard Oeri supply helpfully, a little stunned that he could hear my musings. _"The blood exchange worked both ways."_ He reminded me with a small smile.

"I wanna see!" Caesarion bounced up and down on the spot, looking up at Godric with such adoration that I could only surmise that they had been good friends during Godric's human days. Carefully, as if he would startle the boy, Godric dropped fang, letting the young Caesar examine them thoroughly. A pained expression crossed Cleopatra's features as she watched Godric reveal his fangs to her son.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, that the sunshine was taken from you, but it was the way the fates planned it." She murmured her apology as Godric retracted his fangs, still maintaining his slightly dipped head. "Oh come now, you have taken our daughter as your partner, your bonded, you are family." She chastised him gently, placing a hand under his chin to tip his head up. "You do not need to show your respect to us any longer, you have already earnt it." She reassured him, grasping one of his hands to place in Ata's.

Without a second thought Godric was infront of my cousin, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of her lips. "Good evening." He whispered as he pulled back, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Good evening yourself." Ata teased in response, pulling him in for a proper, though respectful given the company, kiss.

"Are you going to introduce us to your friends, darling?" Julius spoke up for the first time. His voice was strong and unwavering, and it was apparent that it was another reason why he had been such a strong leader. The complete conviction in his tone was enough to make me do just about anything!

"Of course!" Ata turned her attention to us, offering us a smile. "This is my mother, Cleopatra VII Philopator, my father Julius Caesar and my little brother, Caesarion Caesar." She introduced her biological family first, knowing there were fewer of them.

"Of course you all know Ari, Khai, Riei and Oeri." She spoke to her family, gesturing to her four eldest boys who each grinned and waved.

"Regretfully so." Cleopatra teased, poking her tongue out at them in a very childish gesture. I was taken aback, as were Pam and Eric if our newly formed bonds were anything to go by. She was one of the most well known Queen's of Egypt, the history textbooks pegged her as the last – although I knew that was no longer true – and yet she was completely different to how I expected her to be. She still had an air of authority to her, and I had a feeling she could probably incite a war and win it should she so feel like it, but she was acting just like any other woman on the planet, any other mom.

"Who you don't know is Oscar Roberts, he was only recently turned and his Maker mistreated him, so he's living with us now and I hope to make him into my Childe at a later date." She introduced our little baby vamp, who respectfully dropped his head a little.

"It's nice to meet you Sir, Ma'am." He politely greeted Ata's parents, who instantly cooed over him. Cleopatra was swooping him into a hug, pulling him into her chest. The poor boy looked so startled, so unsure what to do. If he were to turn his head to face forward he would end up with a face of Egyptian cleavage. I had to bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from laughing at the mental picture I was conjuring up.

"Oh he's so cute! Can we keep him?" Cleopatra asked her daughter, causing Ata to roll her eyes.

"Mut, you can't keep all of my children, I need them." Ata shook her head, laughter tumbling from her lips.

"Oh but you always pick such lovely companions, always make the right choices." Her mother complimented, her gaze shifting to Godric for a moment before returning to Ata. It was clear the Egyptian Pharaoh was a fan of the ancient vampire. Letting go of little Oscar, who looked somewhat terrified – but in a good way of course – she drifted back to Julius, taking his hand in her own.

"This is Bubba." Ata introduced Elvis with his vampire name, seemingly pleased that her mother had no idea who he was in the human realm and therefore she didn't have to read the riot act about not calling him by his name, or asking him to sing and dance.

"Well you are most certainly a very handsome man!" Cleopatra was practically swaying. He could pull a 2000-year-old Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, was there anything Bubba couldn't do?! Julius simply rolled his eyes at her swooning.

"Thank you, thank you very much." Bubba responded politely, but his words caused me to have a mental fit and it took all of my willpower not to laugh and squeal. Eric obviously felt my fangirling as the corner of his lips quirked upwards, even Ata looked highly amused.

"This is Eric Northman, Godric's progeny." Ata gestured to my Viking, who gave a respectful dip of his head too. He'd been a Chieftain's son in his human years, the prince of his people, so it was no surprise to me that he seemed in instantly know how to act around other royals.

"Ah the Viking, we've watched over you from afar." Julius offered Eric a warm smile, causing my vampire to frown through our bond.

"You have been?" He asked, tipping his head sideways in curiosity as he observed the Roman leader before us.

"Of course! Our daughter was distraught over Godric's 'passing' so we made sure to keep an eye on him in his immortal life, and subsequently we kept an eye on you too." Cleopatra responded with a shrug of her slender shoulders, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to keep an eye on your daughters 'deceased' lover and his Childe.

"Wait, you knew I wasn't truly dead?" Godric broke through into the conversation, quirking an eyebrow. It was obvious where Eric had inherited the move. Ata's features darkened as she realized her mother and father had known that Godric was not truly dead all along, and yet had said nothing to her. I even noted how Ata's boys all tensed.

"Yes," Cleopatra sighed heavily, looking to her daughter, "don't hate me for it my, ya Danaaya. We have much to discuss about the past, but you're yet to introduce me to the two beautiful blondes stood with your new nest."

Ata's features were stonic, and yet I could feel her through the bonds I shared with all of the vampires. Her anger was overwhelming and the hurt seeping through was horrendous. Her mother had lied to her, kept things from her, so I could understand her pain.

"This is Pamela Swynford de Beaufort, Eric's progeny." Ata introduced Pam, her voice tight with her displeased emotions. Julius's eyes drifted to Pam's hand, which was still locked in Ari's. Realizing this, Pam went to pull her hand free, but the Egyptian vampire simply tightened his hold on her.

"I see you have settled in well with the nest." Julius teased her lightly, and if vampires could blush I had a feeling Pam would have been. I could feel Eric's surprise through the bond, but also his happiness that his usually cold-hearted Childe had potentially found a companion.

"And of course my cousin, Sookie Stackhouse." Ata introduced me. Remembering the manners Gran had instilled in me, I dipped my head in respect.

"Fintan's granddaughter yes?" Cleopatra eyed me for a moment before she smiled, obviously finding some resemblance to Fintan in me.

"Yes Ma'am." I responded with a nod of my head. I wondered if she'd known Fintan at all.

Seemingly pleased, Cleopatra turned on her heels, making her way back to the throne she had recently vacated. Julius followed behind her, as did Caesarion. Ata took the lead, leading our little group over to them. Ata gestured to the seat, offering it to Godric first, as custom had dictated over the years. He took the seat, pulling Ata onto his lap, who in turn pulled her younger brother onto her own lap.

"Miss Ata, don't ya have any guards here?" Bubba questioned with a light frown, glancing around the palace.

"No Bubba, this is my memory, we're safe here." Ata gave him an indulgent smile.

"How does that work, exactly?" Pam's brow furrowed as she sat upon the steps with Ari. Eric and I did the same, as did Ata's other boys, Oscar and Bubba.

"This is my meditative state. The room we're in now, the areas you walked through to get here, they're all from my memory. You smell things, feeling things, as I did. I called my mother, father and brother here from the Summerlands, Aaru even, to speak with them, it's the only way. Then I called Ari to bring all of you here. No one can get here unless I ask them in, think of it as an invitation only party, and you all have invitations." Ata explained with a shrug of her shoulders, holding her brother tightly.

"Now, will you tell me why you kept my bonded's immortal state from me?" Ata's eyes rounded on her mother, narrowing in accusation. Cleopatra sighed, offering her hand out to Julius who took it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"An old woman came to your father and I one night when we started to see one another, she told us we would have a little girl one day, and she would go on to do great things for the world with a young boy. It would come at a cost though, your father would have to find the young boy first, and he would have to give up the sun for the moon and stars at a young age. We were told he would have to live with another, and that one day he would come here no longer. We were told to tell you of his passing, to discourage you from searching for him. You were meant to be parted; you both had separate lives to lead. He had to find another, create another, who in turn would find your cousin and bring you all back together. You had to create your children, see the world and master your powers, so you could help your cousin master hers. You had to be parted so you could become the best you could both be when you were without one another, so that together, with his Childe and your cousin, the four of you would be a formidable team, to bring down those who wish to destroy the world in which you live in." Cleopatra sighed as Julius squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Godric's hold on Ata tightened as we all pieced together the information we were receiving. "This was supposed to happen all along? Over 2000 years ago this was foreseen?" Eric questioned, a light frown on his features as he rubbed my back gently.

With a small nod, Julius answered. "The old woman saw all of this happening, she saw this as the only way for the chaos to end, and for you all to have any shot at a long life. She did say though that the rewards, should you all succeed would be great."

"We were supposed to ensure your turning, Godric, but we did not realize your Maker in the process would hurt you. For that we are deeply sorry." Cleopatra apologized to the ancient vampire solemnly, obviously referring to the physical, mental and sexual abuse that his Maker had subjected him to.

I could feel a twinge of Godric's pain through our weak bond, and although she had Caesarion on her lap, Ata turned and pressed a tender kiss to Godric's lips, slowly stroking the side of his face with the back of her hand. I felt his pain subside a little as he sought solace from Ata's touch.

"All four of you strayed from the path a little bit though." Julius scolded us all lightly, his eyes flickering from Ata to Godric, from Eric to I.

"Ata, you created a blood oath that was not supposed to happen. Godric, you watched Ata from the trees every night, which was not supposed to happen. Eric, you used the bombing of Godric's nest to get your blood into Sookie early on in your relationship, which was not supposed to happen. And Sookie, you gave yourself to William Compton when it should have been Eric who should have claimed you first." He explained to each of us in turn. Although he was not my father, and I didn't really know him at all, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed about the fact he knew I'd given myself intimately to Bill. I could feel Eric's sadness that he was not the first to claim my body. Although I had loved Bill at the time, I hadn't been ready for such a step in our relationship; his blood had been making me feel things that should have taken months to develop. Knowing now that Eric should have been my first made me feel not only sad, but guilty too. I shouldn't have ran into Bill's arms and so willingly given myself to him, I should have waited longer, then maybe Eric would have been my first. Now I had nothing special to give him, to show him just how special he was to me.

"So they fucked up, but they're all back together now aren't they?" Pam spoke her mind, but her choice of words made me cringe. We were in polite company and yet Pam's filthy mouth had made itself known, not even remembering the fact that Caesarion was just a youngster and shouldn't have been subjected to such language.

"Yes I suppose so." Cleopatra gave us an indulgent smile.

"Atzi was always supposed to grow up in the human world, she wasn't meant to join us in Aaru. She was always meant to stay eternally pretty and marry you." Caesarion spoke up, looking to Godric with a grin. "You were always meant to be my brother." He looked so proud, holding Ata's hand up to look at the promise band around her finger. I wondered if he knew it was a promise ring, not a marriage band.

"Caesarion!" Ata scolded her brother for getting ahead of them, her head turning sharply to look at her younger brother, but he gave a shrug of his shoulders. He reminded me so much of Jason at that moment, opening his mouth before thinking about what he was going to say.

"You were always suppose to find our cousin too, and she was meant to stay eternally pretty and marry you also." He addressed Eric, grinning happily. Julius raised his free hand to his face, closing his eyes as he groaned at his sons' lack of tact. I was a little stunned with the young Egyptian's declaration. I'd only recently admitted that I would **think **about marrying Eric, not that I definitely would.

"The old woman, who was she?" Oscar asked, leaning forward in curiosity. He was keeping a respectful distance from the Egyptian Monarch and her Roman lover.

"The ancient one, I believe her name was Pallas." Cleo responded, giving her daughter a pointed look.

"Ah Pallas, I met her last night." A pained expression crossed my cousins' features as she recalled the events of the night before and I offered up my spare hand, placing it against her leg, which I rubbed soothingly. Smiling at my gesture, Ata let go of her brother with one hand, giving my shoulder a light squeeze in thanks. Godric's grip on her tightened a little.

"Yes, I'm sorry that happened to you sweetie, but it was necessary in order to form the first bonds within your nest." Cleo apologized to her daughter with a sigh. "Now, why don't you go and show our guests around our home. Your father and I need to have a chat with both Godric and Eric." She effectively dismissed us, shooing us away with a flick of her hand. Ata was up off of Godric's lap, placing Caesarion down on the floor. As she went to move away though Godric grabbed her, pulling her back to him to plant a kiss on her lips.

"I'll join you soon." He whispered his promise.

"Take your brother with you, my daughter." Julius ordered lightly as Ata grabbed Caesarion's hand.

"Come." Ata smiled, leading the way out of the room. Eric rose from the steps, bringing me with him. Leaning down he planted his own kiss upon my lips before letting me go. I didn't want to be parted from him and my longing must have been strong in our bond as I was overcome with a wash of love. Returning it happily, I took Ata's other hand, walking with her out of the room and back into the courtyard.

"I can't believe you grew up here, fairy princess." Pam stopped in her tracks, drinking in the sight of the limestone monument. She even spared a moment to look at her arms in the sunlight once more. "Does this place still stand in our realm?" She asked, dropping her arm back to her side.

"It's beneath the waves now, in the modern day port of Alexandria. Maybe one day, when I come back in our world, I'll go sea diving and enter this courtyard properly for the first time in 2000 years." Ata gave a small sigh, heading towards the far corner of the courtyard. She led us up a staircase, up onto the top of the wall that surrounded the royal compound.

I gasped at the sight the height gave me, as did Pam. All around us were mud and stone huts, the houses of the ancient people. There were no people, of course, as Ata had pointed out this was a 'by invitation only' gathering but it was still beautiful. "Look out to the horizon." She instructed us in a whisper.

"Pyramids! The Sphinx!" Oscar's eyes widened as we all took in the sight in the distance. Four huge monuments that were so well known to all of those in the world, they were wonders of the world even.

"The Giza Necropolis. My Priscilla woulda loved to see this!" Bubba exclaimed happily, his vampire vision enabling him to see further than I could. I couldn't have cared any less though; it was still a beautiful sight.

"Everything in the world is afraid of time, and time is afraid of the pyramids." Caesarion murmured his own eyes locked onto the empire he should have taken over after his sisters passing. He'd been so young when he'd been murdered; it wasn't fair on the poor boy.

"Can we come here properly, when we've finally killed Russell?" I turned to my cousin, who was looking over Egypt with longing, it was the empire she should have ruled over for many more years, with Godric at her side. It was utterly beautiful, and I realised then just how little of the world I had seen, how little I knew of the world. I had Eric now though, and the family stood around me. There were so many doors opening for me and for the first time in my life I wasn't afraid to open every damn one and step through them, to take whatever they all had to offer. I'd spent my life bending to the wills of others, keeping myself out of their thoughts, plastering on my 'Crazy Sookie' smile in a hope they would all like me. Fuck them. The people locked away in this little world with me, witnessing the blazing sunshine beating down on one of the greatest creations in the world, were all who mattered, of course with the exception of Jason. Ata was able to give all of the vampires in our little family the sunshine, even if it was in a dream. Would I be able to give Eric the sunshine? Pam even?

"This place is underwater in our world, but we can certainly visit the pyramids, even the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Maybe we'll even go and see my mother." She mused quietly. "On one condition though." Curious as to her condition, I motioned for her to go on. "I want to see Bon Temp, your little country house, the bar you use to work in. I want to see this ridiculous club Eric and Pam run and I want to laugh at the patrons. I want to meet your brother and our other cousin, Hadley. I'd like to visit your Gran too, and place flowers down from Fintan." She stated her stipulations. It took everything in me not to cry at the mention of Gran, of how ordinary her request was too. She could have asked for anything in the world, but she wanted to see my once ordinary life in my podunk little town, she wanted to visit Eric and Pam's establishment with its interesting clientele, the complete opposite to the luxurious and upper class hotel and casino she owned in Vegas. With a nod I agreed, giving Ata's hand a gentle squeeze. Although Ari had mentioned that Ata came here to heal, but I felt healed myself. Ata had had the world at her feet and fate took it from her, but I wouldn't let fate take anything from me. She'd already taken my parents, and Gran. No more. I felt stronger, more determined. I would survive whatever was coming, we all would, and then we would take our reward for it.

"Oh Baast, Baast, let down your hair!" The sound of a deep male voice jolted us out of our thoughts and we all turned on the spot to look down over the wall into the courtyard. I caught sight of Godric and Eric emerging from the throne room, their expressions blank and their bonds the same. Either they were both hiding something, or their little chat hadn't been too informative or earth shattering.

Ata's melodic laughter returned me to the man stood just in front of the wall. Without a second thought Ata let go of my hand, quickly descending the staircase before she embraced the strange man. It took no time at all for Godric to vamp over, fangs down as he snarled at the man, his arms around Ata's waist as he pulled them apart, placing himself between them.

"My, my, someone is very protective!" The man laughed, appraising Godric for a moment. Deciding he was missing out, Eric vamped over too, up the stairs to stand beside me, as if this strange man would harm us.

"I thought you said this was an invitation only event?" Pam questioned Ata from her position next to me.

"It is, but Anu always had a way of getting past that. Plus he protects the dead, and, well, you are all technically dead." Ata pointed out aptly, causing this Anu to laugh.

It clicked all of a sudden. "Anubis!" I declared, remembering the time Bill had informed me we would be flying Anu Airlines, the nickname the vampires used for Anubis Air.

"Yes, howdy Miss Stackhouse!" He grinned up at me, offering me a wave, which I returned with a laugh, feeling rather stupid. I didn't even pause to consider how he was aware of my surname.

"As in, the Anubis the vampire airline is named after?" Pam started down the steps, letting go of Ari's hand for a moment as she reached the bottom in order to straighten out her clothes. Eric, Bubba, Oscar and I followed behind her. Ata's other children had been waiting at the bottom of the staircase for us.

"You named your airline business after me? Wow that's original." Anubis turned his attention to Ata, who gave him a cheeky grin. Now I was closer I was able to properly appraise the man before us. He was tall, of slender build and yet his muscles were strongly defined. His hair was jet black and his eyes a deep brown. Wasn't he supposed to have a jackal head?

"So sue me, do you have any idea how difficult it was to come up with a name?" Ata rolled her eyes, smiling while she did so. Godric's grip on her was still pretty tight and it didn't go unnoticed by the Egyptian God.

"I'm not going to take my sister from you, you can relax your hold on her." He chuckled.

"Sister?" Bubba's head tipped sideways as he looked to Ata. "Miss Ata, you never mentioned you had more than one brother. I always thought little Caesarion was it."

"Oh my daughter has many brothers." Cleopatra and Julius had joined us once more with smiles on their lips.

"I have but one biological brother, Caesarion. That is all, mother." Ata's voice became tight as she spoke.

"But what about Ptolemy Philadelphus and Alexander Helios? They are your brothers too my dear." Her mother tried to reason with her.

"They are not my brothers, they are Antony's spawn and I refuse to acknowledge their presence in the world." Ata responded stubbornly before she turned to respond to Bubba's earlier question. "My mother had other children with another man, and I refuse to acknowledge their existence." She gave her father a huge grin, obviously very much a daddy's girl. "Mother is Isis reincarnated, and for her the sun rises and sets with my father, so he is Ra. I am Baast, as my subconscious is a cat, which is why Anu called me such, and why I seem to attract cats everywhere I go. Caesarion is Horus, for my mother held him on her lap as a child and fed him from her own body. Anubis is the half-brother of Horus, therefore I am his sister, or half-sister is one wants to be pedantic." Ata explained in simple terms for us all.

"So, technically, all the Gods are in some way related to one another?" Oscar guessed, causing Caesarion to nod in confirmation.

"And here I was thinking that Louisiana was bad for inbreeding." Pam muttered under her breath, but Ata was quick to fire back her response.

"During my human years it was not frowned upon for the royal family to marry one another, royal women carried the bloodlines and the crowns so it was advantageous for a Pharaoh to marry his sister or half-sister. Normally the old ruler's eldest son and daughter, who could be either siblings or half-siblings, became the new rulers. All rulers of the dynasty my family come from were married to their brothers and sisters, so as to keep the Ptolemaic blood "pure" and to strengthen the line of succession. Unfortunately, as I was the last of our line, I was being forced to marry outside of our family, to a man I didn't love." She argued.

"And if it weren't for your Oeri, you would have ended up joining me in the weighing of the hearts, dear sister." Anubis pointed out as Oeri primped at the praise. It seemed to be a thing today, for the males of our group to bask in the glory they were receiving.

"Speaking of the weighing of the hearts, Pallas told us last night that 'In the house of royalty four will fight together, yet only two will leave.' What on earth does that mean?" Ata begged the God.

In some sense I didn't wish to know, I wanted to bury my head in the sand and forget about it. The thought of any of us dying caused a lump to form in my throat. I didn't so much care about myself, but the world needed Ata, Godric and Eric in it. I was a little barmaid from the back of beyond, nothing special. Eric was a Viking prince, a vampire Sheriff. Ata was an Egyptian princess, a human/fairy Sheriff with several vampire children to take care of. Godric was the oldest vampire in America, after Russell of course.

"Oh dear child, you are just as special as the rest!" Cleopatra broke away from Julius, pulling me into her embrace, as if she had known I'd started my own little pity party. "The fates have such special things in store for you. You'll have to face many demons from your past over the next few weeks, but you'll be rewarded for it, I promise you that." She murmured into my ear, holding me close. It felt strange to be comforted by someone else's mother, especially when said mother happened to be the last historically recorded Queen of Egypt. My own mother had been frightened of me, worried there was something wrong with me. She had taken me to many therapy sessions, drugged me up on numerous occasions, but none of it had worked. Of course it wouldn't have worked, I was different whether I wanted to believe it or not. At least now I had Ata to help me with my shields, to help me perfect my new skills.

"I cannot tell you exactly what it means, little sister." Anubis answered Ata's question with a sigh as Cleopatra let go of me. "But I can tell you that, maybe, nothing will come of it."

"The Ancient Pythoness predicted it, she's never wrong." Eric pointed out to the ancient God, who simply chuckled.

"She may never be wrong, but she isn't always completely right either. Let's face it, she stated the four of you were fated to come together at some point and that certain things would happen to draw you together. She didn't see your blood oath, your watchful gaze, your trickery or the loss of your innocence to another." He reeled off the list, looking to Ata, Godric, Eric and I in turn. "The end game was the same, but how you got there was something she didn't suspect at all." He summarized.

"That is so not helpful." Pam stated with her trademark roll of her eyes.

"What brother means is that you're all clever and creative, the end game might not be exactly what you're thinking it might be, you need to think outside of the box. The end game won't change however, but you might be looking at it the wrong way, and there are things you must and mustn't do in order to make the end game happen the way the old woman predicted it to." Caesarion clarified for us.

"I'm not one for games, can't we just have the answer?" Pam scowled; clearly disgruntled with the lack of information we were receiving if my faint bond with her was anything to go by.

"No, if you know the answers right now, if we were to tell them to you, the path would change and you might not all walk out of it alive. My daughter has already started on the riddles today while you were all sleeping, you should all return and continue working on them. The quicker you solve them, the quicker you can act." Cleopatra informed us with a forced smile. Obviously being powerless to help her daughter was upsetting her. I had no children of my own, and never would, but I always felt the same whenever Jason got himself into a pickle and I was unable to help him out.

"Anu, if for whatever reason either Godric or I don't make it," Ata started, just as Godric's grip around her tightened.

"_Please, don't." _He mentally begged her, but my cousin was stubborn, and continued with her question anyway.

"Will you let us both into Aaru? I don't want us to be parted." My cousin's eyes were hopeful. I was reminded then that it had been a while since I'd been to church, or prayed to God. I was such a bad Christian. God probably wouldn't want me if I died. So many people had died because of me – Long Shadow, Gran, Rene, Lorena and Debbie to name a few. Okay half of them deserved it for their crimes, but that still didn't make it right.

"Sister, I will save you both a place in Aaru, I promise." Anubis vowed.

"Can you do me one more favor? Can you promise that, should either Eric or Sookie perish, that they would both have places in their own afterlives?" Ata pressed on. I could feel Eric's surprise, and he could most likely feel mine too.

"I will have words with their Gods, and if their own Gods won't have them, then they are more than welcome to join us in Aaru." Anubis offered Eric and I kind smiles.

Julius suddenly turned his head to look through the gates we had initially entered through. "You're guests are about to enter the lift up to your penthouse, my child, so you all need to go back now." He turned to Ata with a sad smile, holding his arms out to her.

Breaking away from Godric, she stepped into her fathers embrace, burying her face in his chest as he held her close. Their hug only lasted a moment before Ata embraced her mother. Finally it was her little brothers turn, and she knelt on the ground to be the same height as him. "You be good for Mut and Itf, okay?" She whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she pulled her little brother into a hug. Wrapping his small arms around her, he held her tightly. Even I was getting emotional at the scene. I missed Jason. Although he was a horn dog, and he was a few crayons short of a coloring set, he was still my brother and I loved him dearly. We had to stick together these days; we were it for the Stackhouse's.

"I'm always good. Just be safe and come see us again soon, okay?" Caesarion struck a deal with Ata as they separated from their embrace, my cousin nodding her head.

"You take care of my sister okay? Protect her for me in your world." Caesarion demanded of Godric, who of course nodded in response to the young boy. I couldn't help but smile; I could see the similarities between himself and his sister. Both were use to getting their way, fiercely protective of their loved ones and both were naturally good hearted.

"And you," he rounded on Eric, not at all intimidated by my Viking's 6'4 height or his well formed, adult muscles, "you take care of my cousin or I'll make your life a nightmare when you do eventually come to Aaru, okay?" He demanded of Eric, making me bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"Oh of course little prince! I wouldn't dream of letting any harm come to my bonded!" Eric dipped his head as he too agreed with Caesarion's terms.

"Good." Caesarion declared with a nod as his mother and father chuckled at their sons' dominant streak.

"It was indeed wonderful to meet you all." Cleopatra spoke to Bubba, Oscar, Pam, Eric and I with a smile.

"And you." I replied with a matching smile, already feeling fond of the Egyptian ruler.

"Keep an eye on my girl will you, you know how much trouble she gets into." She sighed dramatically as she addressed Ata's boys, who all laughed and ruffled Ata's bangs, causing her to pout playfully. Even Pam couldn't resist ruffling Ata's hair, and I was pleased to see that Ata didn't throw her over her shoulder and pin her to the ground for touching her.

"You know we will, we always will." Khai reassured Cleopatra with a smile. As a group we turned back to the gate, starting our walk over there.

"Oh! Godric, one more thing!" Julius called out, as we were only a few yards away from the point at which we'd started this little meditation trip earlier on. Turning to look over his shoulder at the Roman, Godric's head fell sideways. "In answer to your earlier question? Yes." Julius responded vaguely, but it seemed Godric knew exactly what he'd been answering, as his face lit up into a broad grin. Curiosity burnt through all of the bonds I shared with all of the vampires in the group bar Eric and Godric, who shared a look that seemed to convey whatever it was they couldn't verbally say.

Eric's hand met my lower back as he guided me through the gate first, everyone else following after. Ata stopped just before she stepped through, looking over her shoulder at her family who were all waving their goodbyes. Raising a hand, Ata said her own goodbye before she followed us.

It was like being sucked through a wormhole, one minute I was lost in the world inside of Ata's head and the next I was flat on my behind on the wooden flooring of Ata's training room. All eyes were on Ata as she slowly lifted her head, a small smile on her pale lips. Her mistreatment last night, and subsequently the cure for it, had done some serious damage to her body. It looked like she'd lost 15lbs overnight, which given her already slender frame couldn't have done her any good. Her face looked a little gaunt too, her skin so pale it could probably rival that of vampires, but her eyes still held their usual glean, the bright blue colour completely captivating.

"If one tries to navigate unknown waters, one runs the risk of shipwreck." She quietly quoted one of the riddles her parents had given her a few nights back.

Her eyes drifted along the lines of people either side of her for a moment before she looked out of the window over Vegas. "We need to send someone into Felipe's mansion, to spy for us. We need to be prepared for the storm."

* * *

_**A/N translations**_

_Jag älskar dig (Swedish) = I love you_

_ya Danaaya (Egyptian Arabic) = loosely translates as 'My dear'_


	50. Defending Our Lives

**A/N I'm glad you all liked the whimsical features of the last chapter, but reality has to return this chapter I'm afraid! Things are starting to pick up some more now!**

**To my guest reviewer, who I can't thank privately, thank you so much for your kind words last chapter! :)**

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_You act like you wonder  
If I know, if I know right from wrong  
Believe me, I understand  
We all want the same things  
From this crowded room  
But I am who I am  
And I'm haunted by the things that you're saying to me  
As we smile into the faces of our enemies  
And I'll try to defend our lives, so you'll understand  
That I won't let you down  
I get so defensive  
Because I try so hard  
Believe me I understand  
I only ever got this far  
Because I am who I am  
And I'm haunted by the things that you're saying to me  
As we smile into the faces of our enemies  
And I'll try to defend our lives  
I will try to defend our lives  
So you'll understand  
That I won't let you down  
~ Defending Our Lives, Jon Heintz_

It had been a while since I'd last claimed Sookie, and yet my little spitfire was still able to take all of me, still able to give as good as she got. I hadn't planned on making love to her upon rising for the evening, but the fact she had been laying in bed beside me, completely naked, had swayed it for me. She'd been as responsive as ever, and I couldn't help but feel smug about the fact I clearly wasn't loosing my touch. I could remember the first time I had pried her legs open to pay attention to her core, she'd been so embarrassed and shy about it, and Compton had clearly deprived her of such pleasures. I was glad I was the one to enlighten her however, especially considering the fact that I hadn't been the one to claim her body for the first time ever, as I should have.

During my 1000 years I had witnessed an awful lot, from the normal to the extreme supernatural, but I had never been pulled into someone's meditative state, never witnessed everything as they had, nor felt and smelt it as they had. It was like living in someone's memories, and I was just glad that it had been Ata's memories and not those of a stranger. In all honesty I hadn't even noticed the fact the sun was blazing in the little dream world we were in, I'd been too busy observing my Childe in the sunshine, my bonded too. Of course I'd seen Sookie in the sunshine on the video we'd watched the night before, and when she'd come to rescue me from playing in the lake, but the sight of the sun in her hair, the way her tan glowed in the golden light, I would never tire of it.

Having been a Chieftain's son, and having walked the earth for over 1000 years, I was well accustomed to greeting royalty, so I'd naturally fallen back on that information when we'd been presented to Cleopatra and Julius. It wasn't their appearance that had shocked me, I was well aware of Ata's family line, but it was their mannerisms. They acted like every other couple on the planet, every other mother and father, they even acted a little childish at times. It was a far cry from the stories told of how he had battled on in Gaul, subjugating 300 tribes and destroying 800 cities, and how Cleopatra had seduced every man she had ever come into contact with, using her appearance to get her exactly what she wanted. It was easy to see where Ata had gained all of her qualities from, she was strong and fierce like her father, but tender like her mother, she knew how to wrap people around her little finger and wasn't afraid to use it. She'd wrapped my Maker firmly around her finger for 2000 years; if that wasn't an achievement then I had no idea what was.

I'd rather enjoyed witnessing Ancient Egypt, not just because I was a fan of history but because it was where my Maker had started out his life in some sense. He'd been a child when he'd been brought to Egypt, and he had grown up there, submerged in their culture and religion, integrating himself within their system and with the people. I felt, in some sense, like I had a deeper understanding of my Maker and Ata now, why they did certain things. My little conversation with Cleopatra and Julius, with Godric by my side, had certainly been surprising, and rather interesting too, but I had sworn to keep everything I had heard a secret, and I would never break a promise to my Maker, let alone a promise to two 2000 year old rulers.

Meeting Anubis, or Ata's idea of Anubis – I wasn't sure which – had made me remember my own Gods, how I'd prayed to them every night for the next day to be prosperous, thanked them for all they had given me. It had been some time since I had last actually sat and prayed to them, after 1000 years religion had eluded me, but the thought of getting to see them should I meet the true death, to be allowed into Valhalla, well it was reassuring to say the least. The thought that Ata had begged one of her own Gods to ask Sookie's and mine to let us rest peacefully in the afterlife and be together warmed me. It seemed to be a Brigant trait, for the women to be so kind of heart. I had initially worried over the strange man's presence, given how Ata had informed us it was an 'invitation only' gathering, but it seemed that the Gods were so deeply engrained in Ata, and in my Maker if his mutterings while trailing his fingers over the carvings of the Egyptian Gods on the way in were anything to go by, that they would always find a way to be in contact with them, to help them and give them hope. My mother had once told me, after we'd prayed together one evening, that if we don't have faith, or trust, or hope, then we have nothing. It's faith, trust and hope that keep us going, that pushes us to be the best we can be. At the time I had simply absorbed her words, not really understanding why it was important, but I could see now that she was right. I hoped we would be able to defeat Russell, and therefore I was willing to give it my all, and even meet the true death, in order to see him fall. I had faith that we would succeed, we had a strong team around us who each brought something special to our group, and I trusted each and every individual within the new nest I had found myself a part of. There was a saying, which Mark Shields once used; there is always strength in numbers, the more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better.

Little Caesarion had been an entertaining boy, and he reminded me of myself so much when I had been that age. The way he threatened me, a vampire who, although 1000 years younger, had the advantages of immortality and all the powers that came with it, had made me smile. The protectiveness he showed for his sister and Sookie was a quality that made me proud of the young boy. He'd lost his father when he'd been so young, he'd relied heavily on his mother and sister, and he'd been forced to be the man of the house. It was apparent that, even back then, the men had been fiercly protective of the women in their family. The way he had thrown himself at my Maker and embraced him so readily, not at all phased by the fangs he now sported, it gave me hope that perhaps teacup humans in our world would start to accept vampires and other supernatural creatures. Our existances would be so much easier if we were accepted by the world, and the only way to gain acceptance would be to educate the young ones, who would in turn educate their own in the same way. Of course you would always get a few nut jobs like Steve Newlin, but they were few and far between.

When Godric had sat on the throne, taking Ata and Caesarion with him, I'd felt a pang of longing. They looked like a family, perfectly comfortable on a throne, and the way they all clung to one another, showing the deep bonds they had with one another, had me craving for such a thing myself. I would never be able to give Sookie my own child by birth, but if she wanted to adopt then I would happily oblige, heck if she wanted to sport a bump I would even go as far as helping her select a donor, so long as he and I physically matched. I would want the world to know the small one was mine. He would have a full head of blonde hair and bright blue eyes, hopefully the same shade as my Sookie's. He'd grow up to be tall and strong, like me, but he'd have the tenderness of his mother, her glass half full outlook on life.

It was a strange sensation, suddenly going from the warm, sunny Egypt in Ata's meditative state to the cool, dark training room in Nevada. Thankfully the balance I had gained from my immortality stopped me from falling flat onto my behind as Sookie had. Helping her back up onto her knees, into a kneeling position, I turned my attention to Ata, who lifted her head to reveal a small smile. I took a moment to take in her physical appearance, as did everyone else in the line of vampires and fairies, and found myself concerned by her gaunt frame and lacklustre skin. The events of last night, and the events of the day, had taken its toll on her. Godric's concern was practically flooding our bond and

"If one tries to navigate unknown waters, one runs the risk of shipwreck." She quoted one of the riddles her parents had given her a few nights back. I could remember them all clearly, though why she was repeating them was beyond me.

Her eyes drifted along the lines either side of her for a moment before she looked out of the window over Vegas. "We need to send someone into Felipe's mansion to spy for us. We need to be prepared for the storm." She murmured before she rose to her feet, slowly collecting the mat from the floor, which she returned to the store cupboard, closing it behind her.

"Whom do we send in?" Pam questioned in a soft voice, the concern she felt for Ata's fragile state didn't go unnoticed by either Godric or myself.

"I'm not sure yet, lets go and see to our guests before we discuss this further." The Egyptian responded softly, heading towards the door that led downstairs. Godric vamped to her side, taking her hand in his own before they descended the staircase.

"It's peior quam nos sententia." Riei murmured as he stood up on his feet, his brothers following afterwards, nodding in agreement with whatever the hell their brother had just muttered. Ari kept a hold of Pam's hand as he stood, and my Childe allowed him to help her up.

"Does she go there a lot?" Sookie asked Khai as he wandered past us towards the door.

"Only when she needs answers, or time to heal from something." The old vampire responded to my love with a small smile, disappearing down the staircase with his brothers.

"I kind of felt healed there too, you know. I realized just how much we all have to lose and that I want to fight for it all, perfect my fae powers so I can defend you and protect myself." Sookie looked up to me as we headed towards the door also.

"Lover, I can protect us both, don't worry about that." I dropped a kiss to the top of her head, feeling her annoyance through the bond.

"No, Eric." She tugged my hand sharply, making me stop. "Just look at Ata, she had the whole world at her feet but she had no clue about her powers, she had no idea how to control them, she was unable to fight for her family and they all died. She lost everything because she had no idea about what she could do, I refuse to loose anyone else, or anything else." The conviction in her voice caused me to pause for thought for a moment. While I wanted her to know how to defend herself, so that she could fend off attacks until I could help, the thought of her battling it out against Russell, or anyone else for that matter, made my heart lurch. I wanted to lock her away and protect her from the world, if my Sookie was hurt then so was I. But, I realized, Compton had locked her away from the world, refused to tell her anything, and look where it got them – shouting at one another on her porch, with him being exiled from her life. I wouldn't be able to bare it if she kicked me out of her life.

It was becoming harder for me to say no to her, to argue with her and try to get my own way. I decided a compromise was best. "Okay, continue training because I think that's important, and if you feel you must then fight alongside us, but if I tell you to run, or to get the hell out of there or whatever else then you listen to me. Don't question my judgment, don't stall and wait for me, just run. We're bonded, I'll be able to find you no matter where you go, but I just don't want you hurt, Sookie. You mean too much to me. Deal?" I offered. My Sookie wasn't one to run and hide, but Russell was a psycho, a 3000-year-old psycho at that, who had a new found craving for fae blood.

Sookie watched me for a moment, seemingly mulling over my proposition. "Fine." She sighed, relenting.

"You say you can't lose anyone else, well I can't lose you. Thank you." I murmured as I pressed another kiss to the top of her head. Together we padded down the stairs, just in time to see Isabel and Edgar emerge from the elevator. Ata was sat on the middle barstool and Felicia was placing a plate of food down in front of her.

"Good evening, did you sleep well?" Ari slipped into the role of gracious host almost as perfectly as my Sookie did. He and Pam had parted for the time being, and my Childe was sat on one of the barstools next to Ata, both of them looking over the pieces of paper with the riddles on that Pam had written up the previous night.

"Very well thank you Ari, your establishment is incredible, I can't believe I haven't stayed here before!" Edgar grinned at the Egyptian vampire as Isabel nodded in agreement. Sookie let go of my hand, moving towards her cousin where she took the other vacant barstool.

"What on earth is that?" She asked, wrinkling her nose as she took in the meal placed before Ata, who was tucking in without the use of a knife and fork.

"It's pigeon with ful medames," she pointed to some bean shaped objects, "and nut grass." She gestured to some tube shaped objects on the plate. "It's a dish we use to serve a lot back home." She shrugged her shoulders, picking up a piece of nut grass to chew on. "We don't use knives and forks either, we use to eat with our hands a lot." She explained, nibbling on the nut grass. Sookie was watching her eat curiously, so Ata offered her the un-nibbled end of the tube she was eating. Sookie took a small and cautious bite, but her moan of appreciation, plus the pleasure flooding our bond, had me thinking for a moment that I was between her legs once again!

"It's slightly sweet and has a nutty flavour!" She exclaimed, snapping off another piece of the tube to eat.

"You can have your own plate Miss Sookie." Felicia laughed, popping a plate down in front of my beloved who tucked in without a knife and fork too. "Miss Ata has probably eaten her entire body weights worth of this today, and drank at least half of the sea!" She shook her head, returning to the washing up.

"How are you feeling today, Ata?" Isabel approached her with Edgar, a look of concern on their features.

"Much better than last night. Ludwig came by this morning, told me I would eat and drink a lot today, she also told me it'll take a while for all our bonds to settle." Ata stated once she'd swallowed her mouthful, turning on the chair to face us all. I took a moment to assess the bond I now shared with her and found her perfectly content, if not a little hungry. Godric seemed to have the same idea, and I could see him tap into their bond, but the frown that settled on his features worried me.

"My sweet, check our bond." He instructed her, moving to stand before her.

A light frown settled on her features as she concentrated on it before she gasped. "It's weak! It's, like," she stammered, eyes-wide.

"A first level bond." My Maker finished her sentence for her, immediately biting into his wrist and offering it to her. Without a second thought she took it, latching on and taking deep pulls. Sweeping her hair from her neck, he eased his fangs in, taking pulls from her too. They seemed to be able to control themselves, given the number of vampires in the room, and soon they were both pulling away from one another, licking their lips clean. "Why did that happen?" Godric mused, pursing his lips together.

"It might be, because she was drained down so far, your blood was taken with it?" Oeri suggested, stepping closer to observe Ata for a moment. "It might also be why she looked so ill, because her body was use to having a second level bond with you and it was suddenly taken from her." He continued on. Even I had to admit that her skin was starting to gain a little more colour now, and she didn't look as gaunt.

"It doesn't matter, we have our second level bond back now." She said with a smile to my Maker, who dropped a kiss to her forehead.

"Urmm Ata, Felipe is down in the lobby asking for you and Ari." Egor shuffled nervously on his feet. Although our bond was only weak, I could feel Ata's apprehension and annoyance clearly.

"Everyone wait here." She instructed, slipping off of her barstool.

"I'll be fine." I heard Ari whisper, turning in time to see him reassuring Pam who was stood before him, holding his hand tightly. I smiled at the sight of my cold-hearted Childe caring for another vampire other than Godric and I. Was my Pamela thawing out?

"I'll come with you." I offered, not liking the idea of Ari and Ata going to deal with Felipe alone.

"I am too." Godric spoke up, taking a stand next to me. For a moment Ata looked us both up and down before sighing, nodding her head. Turning to the elevator, she stepped inside, Godric, Ari and I followed after her.

"Sookie, eat what's on my plate, it'll probably be cold by the time we return." Ata ordered, taking my beloved's health into consideration. I was constantly forgetting to feed her, for 1000 years I had gone without food, it would take some getting use to, but I would make a conscious effort for Sookie's sake. The trip down to the ground floor was silent and tension filled, but Ari had removed a small hairbrush from his jacket and had untangled all the tangles from Ata's hair in order to make it smooth and glossy, to give the illusion she was okay.

Stepping out of the elevator, we all allowed Ata to go first, and she led the way to the lobby where Felipe stood with four human guards. It took all of my inner strength not to charge the bastard and stake him for his actions against Ata, and thus Godric, last night. I could feel that Godric was barely holding onto his anger too. "Miss Caesar." I noted how he went back to formal address. "Ari Seti-Nekht is under arrest for treason. Silver him." He ordered his guards who started to approach with silver chains.

Ata was before Ari instantly, arms out to shield him behind her. "You are not placing one hand on my boy." She snarled at the monarch, who quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I want him so I will take him." Felipe spouted like a spoilt child.

"You are not taking my brother." I growled, moving to stand defensively before Ari. Godric was quick to join me. Ari had welcomed Godric with open arms and had referred to him as his Master last night; although he only had a hint of Godric's blood in him he was still 100% my brother. All of Ata's boys were.

"I am a king and he hurled me across my own house last night. He is to be arrested and put on trial." He stated.

With speed I was sure human/fae hybrids didn't have, Ata had Felipe pinned to the nearest wall by the throat, causing some guests staying in the hotel to squeal loudly and run out of the lobby. Her face was inches from the monarch's and I swore her teeth were ever so slightly pointed, like Claudine's had been when I had drained her. "And I am a queen. If you dare to take my Childe from me I will rain holy hell down on you and all those you care about. I will bring my people into this and start a goddamn fucking war with Nevada. I will rip out your fangs and wear them as earrings, I will stake you in your day rest and then fuck my bonded on your goo." She hissed as Egor, Agmund, Riei and Oeri emerged from the lift, grabbing all of Felipe's human guards, holding them still in their vice-like grips.

"This is treason!" Felipe shouted, as if it would help anything. "And that waste of a vampire is not your Childe!"

Ata laughed at his comment, and it was similar to the laughter I had heard when I had gone over the Fangtasia security system, when Sookie had been pouring Talbot's remains down the drain. "Ancient, dark blood magic made him my Childe, and you will not have him. He is ten times the vampire you could ever hope to be.

"Guards! Take the slave boy instead!" He demanded of his security, not quite realizing they weren't going anywhere. The anger that consumed my Maker at the title he had held in his human years was almost indescribable, and he vamped towards the young monarch, taking him by the throat instead of Ata whose arms dropped to her side.

"You were going to give my bonded your blood last night and that's a blood offence, I could kill you for it now and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it." Godric's fangs were down, as were my own, and I took the opportunity to vamp to Ata, placing myself between her and Felipe to keep her safe. Ari had the same idea and joined me moments later.

"The Authority would have something to say about it!" Felipe was grasping at straws struggling under my Maker's hold.

"The Authority are eating out of my hands, Roman adores me you idiot" Ata sighed in frustration.

"You just so happened to have the exact cure to Ata's illness in your jacket pocket last night, pray tell why you had it on you? You clearly knew what was going to happen, you obviously had it planned, and the Authority, upon hearing that, will order your execution." I spat, taking an angry step forward, ensuring I was covering Ata enough so that should Felipe attack she wouldn't be hurt. Power really went to vampire's heads these days; Compton was getting far too big for his boots too. The year Sookie had been away, although an emotional nightmare for me, had been a political one too. He'd always wanted reports on his desk by a certain night at a certain time, he was always snooping around either my bar or Sookie's house and he even went as far as to try and overtax me a few times. I'd had to graciously point out he was charging me more than the other Sheriff's, and he'd growled about it for a few months. I was old, but I wasn't stupid.

"A pure coincidence." Felipe stated, as if that would be enough.

"Ari, as your Maker I command you to never go with Felipe, or any of his guards, anywhere near his palace or any other of his establishments." Ata dropped the Maker's command, which of course Ari would be forced to obey. Felipe growled lowly, thrashing against the wall.

"I'm going to let you go now, and you're going to leave here without causing a scene, you're not going to bother us and you won't do something incredibly ridiculous like send in Were's during the day again, okay?" A low smirk crossed over my Maker's features as he dropped the baby vampire, letting him land with a thud on the floor.

"What happened to my Were's?" he demanded, rising back up onto his feet.

"I killed them, they're in the city morgue right now." Ata responded from beside me with a shrug.

"I will take everything you have from you, Caesar. You will regret this!" Felipe spat as Egor, Agmund, Riei and Oeri threw his human guards out of the front door.

"Yeah yeah, I've heard that before. If you've got a problem take it up with the Ancient Pythoness. Have a nice night." Ata dismissed him. Riei, Oeri, Egor and Agmund were growling after him, fangs down, practically chasing him out of the hotel.

"You should have let him take me, mother. Now we have to worry about him." Ari approached Ata slowly. I could feel her pulling her emotions under control, calming herself.

"I would never let him take you, my son. Come here." She ordered gently, pulling him into her embrace, which he readily returned. Parting a moment later, Ata's fingers caressed his cheek and he purred happily, closing his eyes to relish in his touch.

"Go back up with your brothers, I will join you in a moment." She told him, gently nudging him towards Riei, Oeri, Egor and Agmund, who all pulled him into the elevator.

"Thank you for defending him." Ata thanked both my Maker and I the moment the lift doors were closed.

"He's family." Godric stated.

"And we'll do anything for family." I added looking down to the Egyptian woman sandwiched between Godric and I.

"You picked well." Ata's eyes shifted to me, though it was clear she was talking to Godric. I primped a little under the praise, enjoying the compliment.

"Miss Caesar?" A scrawny redhead, who gave wary looks to both Godric and I before returning her attention to her employer, interrupted us. "You received a delivery today, a box came for you." She stated, leading the three of us over to the check in desks where she produced a medium sized postal box. "We also received a delivery for a Miss Sookie Stackhouse, but I checked the booking details and we don't have a Miss Stackhouse staying here, there wasn't a return address either, what do you want me to do with it?" She asked, producing a large postal box with my bonded's name on it and the hotels address.

The three of us frowned, taking in both boxes. "I didn't order anything, unless Riei has been shopping again." Ata justified her box, but it was Sookie's that had me worried the most. No one knew she was here, we hadn't even told her brother of her location. Collecting the box anyway, Godric took Ata's as she thanked her employee. Together we entered the elevator, each of us lost in thought on the way up. Pam hadn't been surprise shopping for Sookie had she?

Entering the penthouse, all eyes turned to our parcels and us. "Post?" Oscar frowned.

"A box for me and one for Sookie." Ata responded as Godric and I placed the boxes down on the kitchen counter, which had been cleared now that Sookie had consumed the food that Ata had left behind. Sookie rose from her spot on the sofa, and I felt her confusion.

"I didn't order anything." She murmured as Ata handed her a Stanley knife to cut into the box. Both fae women cut through the tape on the top of the box, and Ata extracted a fruit basket wrapped in cellophane from hers.

"Fruit?" She muttered with a quirked eyebrow. Pulling at the ribbon that held the cellophane together at the top, the cellophane fell away from the wicker basket. There was quite the arrangement of fruit in it, including lemons. "What a tasteless joke." Ata muttered under her breath, picking up the fig next to it. My vampire vision enabled me to see everything in slow motion, so the moment an asp launched itself out of the fruit arrangement I was able to grasp it just behind its head, it's mouth open, fang gleaming, aiming for Ata's neck. She shrieked loudly as Godric pushed her behind him, he'd been willing to take the bite for her. Ata's hand went to her mouth as she sobbed at both the surprise, and the meaning behind it. I wasn't an expert in Egyptian history, but everyone was well aware of Cleopatra's suicide by asp. There was a note on the basket, which managed to catch my eye. _"Your mothers death was a beautiful thing to witness, I only hope yours is the same."_

"Sookie, don't!" I ordered as my bonded opened her box, but I was too late. The cardboard fell away to reveal a crystal jar, exactly like the one Talbot's remains had been in. Inside the jar were two photographs. Quickly crushing the asp's head in my hand, I threw it into the sink, just as Ari and Godric managed to calm the weeping Ata.

I could feel Sookie's terror in our bond, and slowly she removed the lid, extracting the two photographs. I was by her side in an instant, looking over her shoulder at the images. One was of her brother out in Bon Temp and had clearly been taken outside his home; the other was of a small, brown haired boy with dark chocolate eyes, out playing in the park in the middle of the day. Sookie's fear made my blood run cold, which was quite a feat given that it was already cold, and slowly she turned the images over.

_"They're next." _The beautiful italic handwriting read.

Sookie dropped the photos onto the counter as if they were on fire, stumbling backwards. Pam caught her, supporting her small weight as she too clamped her hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I need to get to Hunter and Jason!" She dashed from Pam, running towards the bedroom. I could tell what she was doing; she was going to get her coat and shoes. As if she could get to Bon Temp and back by herself. Ata was still stood by the sink, looking down at the dead asp, a blank expression on her features. "Russell killed my mother." She murmured.

Deciding that Godric would take care of Ata, I took off in the direction of the bedroom after Sookie, catching up with her as she was pulling on her shoes.

"You can't go." I stated, taking her jacket from her.

"Eric! They're all I have!" She shouted at me, the tears still violently streaming down her cheeks.

"I can't let you do this! This is what Russell wants, he wants us all to be separated." I tried to reason with her, but reason wasn't winning out. Sookie was working on autopilot, trying to save everyone and once again risking herself.

"I can't just leave them, Eric! What if Russell takes them? He'll hurt Jason and drain Hunter!" She was screaming at me, and the high-pitched tone of her voice was starting to hurt my eardrums. Pushing past me, she snatched her jacket from me, exiting our room. Heading in the direction of the living area, I kept up with her, following closely behind her.

"I won't allow you to do this! Stop there and come back here, now." I ordered her, using the tone Pam liked to refer to as my 'Sheriff' tone. Sookie stopped dead in her tracks all right, but the moment she turned to look at me I knew I'd said the wrong thing.

"I am not your pet, Eric Northman. I am your bonded and therefore we are equals. You do not get to tell me what to do." I was sure she was about to stomp her foot like those spoilt children on the TV do when they don't get their way. Opening my mouth, I was about to try and convince her to listen to me, to try and tell her that I didn't think of her as a pet, when Ata spoke instead.

"Sookie, we have a few trusted vampire friends in New Orleans, we can send them to get Jason and Hunter right now if you want?" Ata offered. I could feel the conflict Sookie was experiencing, on the one hand she wanted to go and get her brother and Hunter herself, but on the other hand she was well aware of how dangerous it would be. I could feel her worry, her sadness, and her guilt that they had been drawn into this. "They would be brought here right away, next flight out. They'll be safe here, I can even place the jinn in Hunter's mind so he'll be protected from vampire thoughts." Ata reasoned, placing a cautious hand on Sookie's arm. I could feel Ata's own pain through her weak bond, her mother had been murdered by Russell Edgington, the asp was no accident, just like the asp in her fruit basket this evening was no accident.

Standing in the middle of the living area, the conflict on my Sookie's features was so apparent. "They're all I have, Ata." Sookie's voice was meek, feeble. It was a tone I disliked hearing coming from her, my bonded was a little spitfire, she wasn't weak.

"You have all of us now, but I know and I understand how you feel. Let me get Henry, Jade and Oswald on it." Ata nodded to Khai, who pulled out his phone, starting to make calls to the vampires needed. Removing Sookie's jacket, Ata placed it over the back of one of the sofas, helping her remove her jacket too.

"I think we need to start solving all of these riddles we were left. You've already started on some of them during the day Ata." Pam spoke up, picking up the pieces of paper she had been looking over earlier while Ata had been eating.

"Riei could you…?" Ata started, and her Childe seemed to know instantly what she wanted as he moved to the sink, taking out the dead asp. He grabbed the fruit basket too as the items could have been tampered with. He left the penthouse with them, taking the crystal jar with him. I assumed he would find a room downstairs to place it in, just so long as it was away from Sookie.

"Oeri, can you ring Amelia for me please? I want her to come over and ward the house. Tell her I want her here this evening and will pay her whatever it takes. I also want a protection charm created for Sookie." She instructed another of her children.

"You need a protection charm too," Godric looked to Ata before turning his attention to Oeri, "can you ask this Amelia to make another for her?" he inquired, to which the vampire nodded, pulling his phone out to start making his own calls.

"Miss Ata, I don't want to leave your side, but I'm real hungry." Bubba spoke up. Amongst all the drama and chaos most of us had forgotten that he was around, that Isabel and Edgar were around too.

"Of course Bubba, I'm sorry. Go on, go feed." She offered the mentally challenged vampire a kind smile, which he returned before he embraced her, thanking her profusely before he entered the lift with Riei.

"I suppose my entourage will be wondering where on earth I am." Edgar sighed, rising from his spot on the sofa with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you for helping me last night." Ata murmured as the king of California pulled her into his embrace.

"Hey, you scratch my back and I scratch yours eh? Besides, being able to locate you and feel your emotions is like a breath of fresh air! Who knew human emotions was so strong?" He gave a cheeky grin to Ata before taking her hand, placing a kiss onto the back of it. "If you require help in bringing down either Felipe or Russell, you know where I am. I own the third largest state in America, I have plenty of resources at my disposal little princess." He offered, giving both Godric and I polite nods as farewells. I was surprised my Maker hadn't lost it with how touchy feely Edgar was with Ata, but I could only guess that he was more than happy for it given how much of a strong ally he would be. Nevada was the seventh largest state in America, so Edgar had quite a bit of power over Felipe.

"It was an absolute delight to meet you Miss Stackhouse, though the circumstances in which we met were rather unfortunate. I do hope to hear from you soon and, should you and your bonded ever find yourselves in California, please don't hesitate to come and visit me." He looked between Sookie and I before departing from the penthouse.

"I told my second in command to take over for a few weeks, you're not getting rid of me that easily." Isabel grinned from her spot on the couch, causing Sookie to laugh quietly. We all started to arrange ourselves on the sofas and the chairs that Ari, Egor and Agmund had arranged in the centre of the room, though some of us would be forced to sit on the floor. That wasn't of concern to a vampire though; we didn't get numb behinds from sitting on solid floors for hours on end.

"Okay, we all know that we need to send someone into Felipe's mansion, but the question is, who do we send in?" Pam started off; having crossed off that riddle on the piece of paper as Ata had solved it earlier in the day, her scribble of _"Need a spy in Felipe's mansion" _had been jotted down in red ink beside it.

"Well I can't go, obviously. Ari, Riei, Khai, Oeri, Egor and Agmund can't go as Felipe will suspect something otherwise." Ata started to mentally tick people off the list as I settled on one end of the sofa opposite her. Sookie wandered past me, as if going to sit somewhere else, but I wouldn't allow it. Pulling her onto my lap, I wrapped my arms around her tightly as Ata continued with the list, ticking off Godric, Sookie and I.

_"I know you're not a pet, min kärlek, and I would never wish for you to be so. I just don't want you to get hurt, and you keep throwing yourself into dangerous situations without thinking about it." _I thought towards Sookie, not wanting the others to hear our private conversation.

_"I once told Pam I would never be your puppet, she told me you 'pull good strings.'" _She told me, and I couldn't help but smile at my Childe's response. It was so typically Pam._ "They're my family, Eric, all that's left of the Stackhouse line, that's why I want to help them so much. Jason use to take all the beatings at school from all the bullies 'cause he use to stick up for me, he use to fend off those who called me 'Crazy Sookie' and told me I belonged in a mental home. Hunter is just a kid too, he doesn't know anything about the supernatural world, he's alone and scared." _She tried to make me see her point of view, and I could see it from her perspective, but she needed to see it from mine too. _"I know you don't want me to be hurt, heck I don't want to be hurt. Do you know I have spent more time in a hospital ever since you guys 'came of the coffin' than I ever had in my entire life before? I wasn't even born in a hospital." _She explained to me. The thought of Sookie being in hospital because of vampires, because of Compton and his stupidity, made me tighten my hold on her. She would never enter a hospital ever again, unless it was for a joyous occasion such as the birth of our child – should they be adopted or created by sperm donation.

_"I love you, Sookie. Please start to trust me with these things, you need to start thinking things through rather than running off guns' a blazin', I've survived for over 1000 years, I know what I'm doing, what is and isn't a good idea." _I tried to reason with her, reassure her.

I received mental silence for a moment before I finally got the response I wanted. _"I trust you, Eric, and I love you too." _I smiled, pleased with her answer.

"That leaves only Bubba and Isabel really." Ata sighed, having ticked off most of the people on the list.

"And me." Oscar offered quietly, nervously biting his lower lip. All of us turned to look at the baby vampire who was sat by Ata's feet. My Maker had taken a seat on the sofa, pulling Ata onto his lap much like he had when we had been in her meditative state earlier.

"Oscar, sweetheart, you're a little young to be playing politics and risking your life don't you think?" Ata addressed the newborn with a tender tone, a motherly and affectionate smile on her lips.

"Which is why I'd be perfect for it. Felipe doesn't know I'm staying here, he'll probably only remember me from the dispute. I could tell him that I tried to find another Maker but was unsuccessful and that I would like to join his royal court, or work in the palace for him, in order to learn more about the vampire world and to become a better vampire. I can feed him lies about how I look up to him and stuff, play on the fact I'm so young. He'll think little of me because of my age, so he won't see me as a threat. I'll be able to get information and then get out. If you were able to give me those contact lens things I would even be able to let you see what was going on." Oscar suggested. I had to admit, it was rather clever. No one would suspect the baby vampire of betraying Felipe, they would assume he would be too afraid to do such a thing. He would be the perfect choice for the little mission, but the cost should he be found out would be great.

"You would meet the true death though should he find out, Oscar." Ari pointed out. The little vampire nodded his head in understand, shrugging his shoulders.

"I know, but I'm young, I don't have many attachments on this earth. The only people I'm attached to are you guys, but your bonds with one another are much deeper than the bonds I have with you." He looked up at Ata, smiling reassuringly. "If you were to lose one of your boys, or your bonded, or those from his bloodline, it would hurt you far more than it would if you were to lose me."

"Oh sweetie," I watched as Ata's face fell, as she scooped down to pick up the baby vampire. Clearly the amount of blood in my Maker's veins was making her stronger. "I would miss you, we all would. You're a part of this nest too." She reassured the youngster.

"I'm going in and that's that. I've watched lots of spy movies, played all the games on my Xbox 360, I know what I've got to do." He stated with conviction, giving a nod of his head.

Sighing and chewing her bottom lip, Ata threw in some stipulations. "First sign of danger, you get the hell out of there and come here. Also, you cannot smell like any of us in any way possible, so starting tomorrow night I want as little physical contact as possible. You need to smell like yourself, or else he might suspect something. Felipe's nose is incredibly sharp." Ata lay down the ground rules, to which Oscar nodded happily. I was still trying to figure out what the fuck an Xbox 360 was. Was it sex related in any way? Usually that's what x's stood for, but then that would be wrong for a young boy to be playing spy games on something sex related.

_"It's a video gaming console, brother." _I heard Ari respond to my mental musings, and looking over to the Egyptian vampire, who was once again holding Pam's hand, I could see him trying to suppress his laughter.

_"So it's not sex related?" _I wanted confirmation. I was up to date with some modern technology. I had the latest iPhone and used Mac computers and such at the bar and at my homes, I also had the best TV's and DVD players out there, but everything else technology wise eluded me.

_"Well, it has been known to make the nerds who play on them orgasm spontaneously." _A huge wave of mental laughter bombarded my brain, and I realized that all of Ata's boys had been listening in on the conversation. Shaking my head, I returned my mind to the actual conversation at hand.

"Okay next proverb is, exuberance is a good stimulus towards action, but the inner light grows in silence and concentration. Any ideas?" Ata spoke up, having stolen a quick glance at the piece of paper Pam was holding. I was enjoying seeing the two getting along, especially given the way they had first acted around one another, throwing each other to the ground and making sassy comments.

"Exuberance means joyful enthusiasm." Sookie was quick to point out, though why she felt the need to was beyond me. "It was on my word-a-day calendar the day you all tried to blow up Moon Goddess." She shrugged.

"You have a word-a-day calendar?" Khai questioned as he returned to the room from making his phone calls, taking a seat on one of the barstools that had been left out or him.

"Yeah, I didn't do too well in school so every year for Christmas Arlene, this woman I work with whose red hair is so out of a bottle, buys me a word-a-day calendar to help me." Sookie explained. I shot a small glare to all of the vampires in the room, daring them to take the piss out of Sookie. Even though she only held a high school diploma I was exceptionally proud of her. I had never been academically smart, I had tried a few night classes over the years but none had ever appealed to me. The fact Sookie even held a high school diploma after being so mistreated by my peers made me proud of her. She didn't need a fancy degree or anything in my eyes, so what if she wasn't educated by the system, the system all but forgot about her.

No one so much as scoffed or rolled their eyes at Sookie's answer, not even Pam, who would have leapt at the opportunity only a few weeks ago. "That's very kind of her." Isabel commented, offering Sookie a smile before we all returned to the task at hand.

"So, enthusiasm will help us get to where we want, will help us with the action part, the fighting. We have to want to fight." Riei suggested, having returned from disposing of the asp, fruit basket and crystal jar. The photos of Hunter and Jason were still on the counter, but I didn't want to go and get them yet in case they upset Sookie once more.

"The inner light grows in silence and concentration. Inner light. You don't think that's your spark is it? That you need to focus on your powers?" Oeri built on his brothers' thoughts, having returned from his own phone call to this Amelia.

"Perhaps, or it could be the bonds? Our bonds strengthen when we're all together and concentrating on something. I mean, Eric has said before how I'm his light." Sookie suggested from my lap.

"So," Pam grabbed a red pen, starting to scribble down our ideas next to the proverb on the piece of paper. It meant letting go of Ari's hand, and I could see this bothered her. Her sudden attachment to the ancient vampire bothered me given her feed, fuck and glamour MO for the past 100 years, but she was old enough to make her own choices now so I wouldn't get in the way if it were what she wanted. At least her choice of partner was someone I knew, and was starting to seriously trust. "We're saying that we all have to want to fight, but that we need to work on our bonds and the girls need to work on their powers? We don't know which is right so perhaps it's best to work with both?" She suggested, scribbling down our ideas. Pam had always been smart, she wrote down everything she could. Although she had her vault she still liked to put pen to paper every now and then. She often compiled lists of things, notes and thoughts, most of them usually containing the words 'Eric', 'credit card' and 'Chanel.' But that was my fault, as I loved to indulge my little girl.

"Amelia will be here in half an hour or so to start crafting charms for you and Sookie, and to ward the penthouse." Oeri took the break in conversation to relay his message.

"Amelia is originally from New Orleans, her father is a very wealthy and well known building contractor in the lumber business. She started learning the craft a few years back and has becoming exceptionally good at it, I'd say she's up there with some of the most powerful this side of the Atlantic. I met her during Mardi Gras and told her she'd find far more work over here, especially out in California too. She decided to settle in my area and, suffice to say, business is booming for her." Ata explained to all of us who had no idea who Amelia was, allowing Oscar to wiggle off of her lap and place himself on the floor once again. Spotting an opportunity, my Maker pulled Ata flush to his chest, holding her tightly.

"I have Henry and Oswald going to look for Hunter, and I sent Jade to Jason. I figured, and I'm sorry if this sounds rude, that Jason would more than likely listen to a woman if she told him to come with her." Khai explained to the group. I had to stop myself from laughing at his method of delegation. If there was one thing I knew for certain about Jason Stackhouse it was that he would follow anything with breasts. Sookie seemed to know that too.

"You're right, good thinking." She laughed, clearly not offended by the fact Khai had basically just told her he thought of her brother as a man whore. Then again, I suppose all of the male vampires present, bar little Oscar and Godric, could be classed as man whores. Odin knows how many women I've fucked over the years. But that was all they were – fucks. I never made love to any women before my Sookie, not even to my wife in my human years.

"Do you think we should look into Pallas's riddle now? I mean, I'm not negating from the importance of the proverbs your parents gave us, but we've cracked two of them already. The information from Pallas's riddle is a little more detailed." Egor suggested, having taken a seat in front of the elevator with Agmund. The chairs in the living area were positioned in such a manner however that we could all still see them.

We all nodded in agreement as Pam picked up the paper with the riddle on, clearing her throat before speaking.

"Three houses bound together, all four of immortal blood.  
Two sets of two that share a tie, combining all around together.  
One is ancient, majestic, full of joyful cheer,  
Two has much to learn,  
Three is wise beyond his years,  
And Four once tried to burn.  
Now four people, all of power, try to part the four.  
With thousands of years between them all, this riddle they will solve.  
One of them has used you, one of them has abused you, one of them wants to watch you fall.  
Deception and lies go hand in hand, but brutal truths can really hurt.  
Do not lash out at those you love, but seek revenge for those you lost.  
When the moon waxes all of this will end, new powers will be used and promised gifts will make amends.  
A sacrifice must be made, a selfless one at that.  
Time will heal the marks remaining, but only love will heal thy heart.  
In the house of royalty four will fight, yet only two will leave."

"Let's start with the first line. Three houses bound together, all four of immortal blood. Okay, houses can be somewhere you live, or it can be a family or family lineage, especially a noble or royal one, a dynasty." Isabel started off for us.

"We have the house of Brigant, that fits all of us. Without Niall, Mab would have never been queen at all, and her sons were your fathers." Ata offered, gesturing to Godric and I.

"We have Ata's family, they come from the Ptolemaic dynasty." Oscar added.

"But we have a final one…" Godric mused. Everyone fell into silence for a moment. Using the silence to my advantage I traced back through what I knew of Sookie's human heritage, trying to locate any royalty. The moment Compton had become defensive with his whole 'mine' spiel at Fangtasia I'd instructed a few of the best private investigators to go back through Sookie's family tree, to find out whatever they could. It was no better than the secret file Bill had kept on her, but I needed to know why he was so defense of her, so adamant to keep her. It was only when Hadley had broken down and told me of their heritage that everything had fallen into place. I knew little of my Maker's human years, he had never openly spoken about them before his sudden quest for redemption, so I was unsure if he was part of the final 'house.' I turned my attention to myself and then it hit me, the whole reason why all of this shit had started, what the final house was.

"It's me." I stated quietly, everyone's eyes turning to me as I worked through it in my mind. "My family is the final house, my father was the Chieftain of our people. Russell stole my family's crown and murdered my family, and I've been on a personal vendetta ever since. It's my fault he's still alive because I didn't end him when I had the chance to, I was too consumed with my need to make him suffer as I had. This all started, his mad rage on the TV and his taste for Sookie's blood, because I didn't end him." It all fell into place, and I heard Pam scribbling down my conclusion onto the piece of paper, but my mind was elsewhere. I should have ended him when I'd had the chance, but I'd been so consumed by my rage and the satisfaction of seeing him burnt to a crisp and under silver that I hadn't stopped to think about the consequences. Russell had told me, when I'd been about to bury him, that I would regret it.

I so regretted it.

"All four of immortal blood. Well, that's self-explanatory. Two vampires and two fae women who have their soul mates – said vampires." Riei commented as Pam scribbled more notes down on the paper, marking it up for future reference.

"Two sets of two that share a tie, combining all around together" Pam quoted the riddle once more.

"Sookie and I, Godric and Ata. We're bonded pairs, two sets of two." I answered the first half.

"Combining all together." Oeri stated the second half of the line. "Ata brought my brothers and I into this, and you brought Pam into this. Not to mention that you knew both Egor and Agmund in your human years." He addressed me before turning to Godric. "You brought Isabel into this." Finally he turned to Sookie, "and you're bringing Jason and Hunter into this. Everyone is linkable back to one, or more, of you." Oeri solved it logically, Pam's scribbling continuing on.

"One is ancient, majestic, full of joyful cheer. Two has much to learn. Three is wise beyond his years, and Four once tried to burn. " Ari read aloud.

"Well, I'm clearly number four." Godric muttered under his breath with a sigh. Ata turned on his lap, snuggling into him, holding him close as she dropped kisses to his exposed throat and chest in a reassuring manner. The morning he had gone up onto that roof, wanting to meet the sun, had been terrifying, horrifying even, for me. I wanted to burn with him, I refused to allow him to be alone, and yet he had commanded me to leave him. The fact Sookie stayed with him, even after I had tricked her into taking my blood, still puzzled me to this day, but I was so incredibly glad that she had. It still pained me to think of how adamant he was about burning, how much he had seemed to want it. How had he become so lost in despair? After Russell, Godric was the oldest vampire in America; he could have had the whole country if he'd wanted it.

"Three is Eric, it's the only other one referencing a 'he' so it can't be Ata or I." Sookie suggested, causing us all to nod in agreement.

"One is Ata, because it mentions the word ancient." Egor took a dig from his spot near the elevator, causing Ata to pout and scowl at her Childe. I was unable to stop myself from laughing.

"ändå exakt samma." I muttered under my breath, but of course my fellow Vikings heard me and laughed loudly. It felt good to be in the company of those my own age, who had been around during my years, heck they'd lived not too far away either, we'd grown up together! It was strange, but it was a comfort too. It was like a security net. I still needed to tell my story to Ata, Oscar and Sookie one night. Ata had told one of her stories and I'd said that I would tell one of my own.

"I love how you forget about the majestic and joyful cheer part." Pam gave a toothy grin to Egor, flashing Ata the same smile moments later.

"Careful Pammy, you need to go to your day rest some time, and I'm sure luminous green nail polish would look great on you." Ata teased, watching as Pam's face fell into a look of pure horror.

"You wouldn't!" She gasped.

"I don't fight fair." Ata stated, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

A smile graced Pam's lips and I had to stop myself from gawking at her, it was very rare for my Pamela to smile. "No, you don't, but that's what makes you a tolerable breather." She returned to her scribbles. It was the closest thing Pam would probably ever give to a compliment, and I could feel a tinge of Ata's honor at receiving it. I liked it when all of my girls played nice. In some sense we did have a little family going on. I had my father, and the woman who was fast becoming my mother; I had my brothers, my daughter, my girlfriend and one of my close friends. Our little nest was an incredible thing, and I found myself wishing for us all to never part. Even Bubba was becoming a vital member, like some little trained pet. Not that I would ever call the challenged vampire a pet out loud, the poor guy was doing the best he could given the circumstances.

"Now four people, all of power, try to part the four. With thousands of years between them all, this riddle they will solve." Riei recited the next lines from memory.

"Well combined together we have well over 15,630 years between us all. Godric, Riei, Oeri, Ata, Khai and myself have 12,000 years in total. Eric, Egor and Agmund have 3000 years in total, Pam has 100, Isabel has 500, Sookie has 27 and Oscar has 3." Ari did the quick mental math's. "So the second part of that section is obvious." Pam scribbled down the mental math's on the piece of paper, her handwriting as beautiful and neat as it had been during her human years. As a lady of upper class she had been expected to write numerous thank you letters, and invitations, throughout her life, so her penmanship was incredible. I usually asked her to write out any handwritten letters to people of importance, as my penmanship was rubbish in comparison to hers. Oh there was no denying my handwriting was attractive, I'd had years to perfect it, but English hadn't been my first language, so every now and then I would stumble over words or spell things incorrectly. Little things like that made it kind of scruffy.

"Four people, all of power, try to part the four. So we're looking for four people with either political or physical power who have grudges against any of you."

"Well, Felipe and Russell are two of the four, I have no doubt about that." Agmund chipped in, causing us all to nod. Felipe had political power on his side, and Russell had brute strength and a pack of wolves.

"Who the heck are the other two though?" Sookie frowned, rearranging herself on my lap into a more comfortable position. Her shuffling was doing nothing to clam my 'gracious plenty', who had been clawing for a round two ever since round one had ended earlier on.

"I don't think we've pissed off that many people over the years." Ata mused aloud, glancing to all of her boys who nodded in agreement. It didn't surprise me that Ata had very few enemies, she was the sort of person everyone liked, and if you didn't like her you pretend to, simply because it was easier than hating her.

"I certainly haven't angered that many people over the years, unless you take Steve Newlin into account, but the Fellowship isn't really that powerful anymore. Ever since he went missing six months ago they've all but dispersed." Godric offered his contribution.

"I don't think I have many enemies, I mean, I know there are people out there who think of me as some fangbanging whore, and there was Rene who tried to kill me because of it, but other than that most people just ignore me." Sookie added. The mention of people assuming she was a fangbanger, mentally calling her such, caused me to growl lowly, tightening my hold on her, crushing her against my chest. My Sookie was no whore; she'd been untainted until the age of 24 and that was something to be exceptionally proud of. The redneck trash that frequented the Shifter's bar was scum.

"You're not a _fangbanger, _Sookie." My Maker kindly pointed out, the word fangbanger rolling off of his tongue like bad blood.

"I know I'm not, heck I was a nun until I was 24, but that was their thoughts, not mine." She shrugged, taking all of their hatred on the chin. I was honestly so proud of her for putting up with everything they thought about her, all of the whispers and gossip. I was proud of her for everything in all honesty, and there were very few I was proud of these days. Deciding she needed to know, I pushed my pride through to her, along with a sprinkling of love. The love I received in return was enough to drown me, and she snuggled on in against me, mimicking her cousins' actions. It seemed, the more time they spent with one another, the more they were taking on one anothers habits. Ata had become a lot more touchy feely with others, having placed a hand on Sookie's arm earlier to soothe her, and Sookie was becoming a lot more dependant on me for things such as comfort and reassurance, like Ata was with Godric.

We all lapsed into silence as we contemplated the possibilities, and then an idea of a third person struck me, and if I were human the idea would have made me sick. "I know who the third person is." I stated in a murmur as everyone turned to me, even Sookie was looking up at me from her position nestled against my chest. Sparing a glance down to her, I brushed my hand through her hair reassuringly. "The one vampire who doesn't want Sookie and I together, who has tried to kill me numerous times in order to get me out of the way, to take Sookie as his own."

I felt, and heard, Sookie's heart lurch as she whispered his name. "Bill."

* * *

**A/N translations**

_It's peior quam nos sententia (Latin) = It's worse than we thought_

_min kärlek (Swedish) = My love_

_andå exakt samma (Swedish) = Still exactly the same_


	51. I Believe

**A/N I am so sorry about the delay for this chapter, had distant family over so I was going mental with the cleaning, then it was the last day of the local folk festival where I live and it'll be the last time I'll probably ever go, so I went out for it, and then I came down with a bug that left me unbelievably tired and lethargic for a day or two, which was kinda weird :/**

**For those who have seen this evenings True Blood, GODRIC! NO! *literally sobbing* (I actually was, no joke, my devotion to him far supersedes Eric's! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIS CHILDE, DAMN IT!) this Lilith bullshit needs to fucking end now! I'm so pissed off! **

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_Every now and then, soft as breath upon my skin  
I feel you come back again and it's like  
You haven't been gone a moment from my side  
Like the tears were never cried  
Like the hands of time are holding you and me  
And with all my heart I'm sure, we're closer than we ever were  
I don't have to hear or see, I've got all the proof I need  
There are more than angels watching over me  
I believe, oh, I believe  
Now when you die, your life goes on  
It doesn't end here when you're gone  
Every soul is filled with light, it never ends if I'm right  
Our love can even reach across eternity  
I believe, oh, I believe  
Forever, you're a part of me  
Forever, in the heart of me  
I will hold you even longer if I can  
~ I Believe, Diamond Rio_

The room lapsed into silence as everyone tried to figure out the possibility of who the third person, and the fourth, in the riddle could be. I was tired from all the fighting the past 24 hours had brought me, hungry from the cure for my iron poisoning, and I was angry. Actually, pissed beyond fucking belief was more like it.

He killed my mother. Russell Edgington killed my mother. The thought alone still rendered me speechless. Why on earth would he kill her? Sure she had Egypt under her rule, and with her ties to my father and Anthony she had quite the hold over Rome, but surely that wasn't enough to kill someone over? Then again, men have murdered for much less, and he was a vampire after all. One thing was for certain though and that was that I would avenge her death. I had avenged my father and brothers deaths, murdering the **boys** who had killed them. I would draw out Russell's death though for all the suffering he's caused my cousin, for the suffering he's caused Eric too. I would make it painful for him, emotionally and physically. I would tie him to the table down in the basement and weaken him with silver, taunt him over the death of Talbot, remind him of how Sookie poured his remains down the drain.

"_Dark path you're wandering down, mother."_ Egor's chaste broke me out of my thoughts and I turned to smile at my boy, silently thanking him for bringing me back to reality.

"I know who the third person is." Eric spoke up as everyone turned to look at him expectantly. He glanced down to my cousin, stroking her hair in a reassuring manner. "The one vampire who doesn't want Sookie and I together, who has tried to kill me numerous times in order to get me out of the way, to take Sookie as his own."

I had already worked out the answer, the moment Eric stated the vampire who didn't want them together, and Sookie confirmed my thoughts seconds later. "Bill."

Everyone fell into silence once again as we processed this information. I had already come to the conclusion that Bill would try and break them apart, try and break Godric and I apart too in the hope it would cause friction between Sookie and Eric. Vampires like Compton were a nightmare. They were weak, more concerned with political power than honor and loyalty. It was one of the reasons I was growing fond of Eric, he played the political game to give him a slight upper hand, but he knew being Sheriff was enough, and it still meant he got to retain his honor and his loyalty. They were key Viking traits after all, traits my two blonde haired, Scandinavian children lived by.

"That dweeb is really starting to piss me off." Pam supplied with a sigh and her signature eye roll, breaking the tension in the room.

"There's nothing we can do about him yet though, he hasn't made a move to part either of you that we know of, so we can't lash out at him." Agmund pointed out, pursing his lips together.

"Hi Miss Ata! Miss Sookie!" Bubba's cheerful voice rang out through the penthouse as he returned to the room, scampering over to take a seat on a vacant piece of floor. I couldn't help but smile at the sweet vampire.

"Hey Bubba, did you feed well?" I asked politely, knowing his tastes in blood were a little different than that of usual vampires. I had always guessed it had something to do with the lateness of his turning, that he was only just hanging on to life when he was turned and that was why he had some strange ideas, some odd tastes so to speak.

"I did, thank you Miss Ata, there are lots of feral cats around the streets of Las Vegas." He licked his lips, smacking them together. I had to stop myself from cringing, though I could see Sookie doing so from the corner of my eye. "What have you been doing in my absence?" He observed the room, taking note of everyone's positions and the piece of paper infront of Pam that was covered in her scribbles.

"We were just working through the riddle the Ancient Pythoness gave us. We're going to send Oscar into Felipe's mansion to do some spying for us over the next few days." Riei answered for me, saving me from having to explain to the challenged vampire.

"I could go with him Miss Ata? Felipe won't think nothing of me, he thinks I'm crazy and stupid, a lot of people think I'm crazy and stupid." Bubba shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care, but I knew full well that he did. Rising from my spot on the sofa, I crouched down before him, pulling him into my embrace.

"Don't be silly Bubba, you're not crazy and you're not stupid either. You might not understand some things but everyone has something they don't understand." I reassured him as he wrapped his arms around me. Bubba had been very independent in his human years; he'd only ever relied on himself. He'd been a sex symbol, someone everyone either wanted to be or wanted to be with, but after his turning he had felt sick with himself and the fact he was, on occasion, a little challenged. Sookie too was up off the sofa, crossing over to join us in an embrace, and Bubba hold onto her just as tightly as he held onto me. Looking over the top of Bubba's head, I smiled at my cousin who was looking down at the relatively young vampire with a combination of sympathy, adoration and awe. It was indeed heartwarming.

I couldn't feel any negative emotions coming from Godric, and I couldn't feel any coming from Eric too via our weak bond, so I kept my hold on Bubba, as did Sookie, until he eventually pulled away from us. "Thank you Miss Sookie, Miss Ata. You both make me feel real better." He thanked us both as we pulled away from him, offering him warm smiles before we returned to the sofas, to our respective mates.

"I want to go and keep an eye on Oscar, Felipe won't think anything of me being there and I could act as another pair of eyes and ears for ya." Bubba decided with a firm nod, having already made the choice for us. Casting my eyes around the room I caught the gaze of everyone else, and they all nodded in agreement that it would be a good idea. Relenting, I too nodded, giving in to Bubba's wish. Even when he had been human I'd given in to his every wish. It was hard to say no to him, when he was known as Elvis and now that he was known as Bubba.

"Thank you Bubba." Oscar spoke up, grinning to the other vampire happily. I should have known Oscar would need someone to keep an eye on him. He was so naive in the vampire world, but hopefully that would work to our advantage.

"I'm sorry to move the subject on, but can we just think for a moment about the final part of the riddle, the whole 'In the house of royalty four will fight, yet only two will leave' shit? Apparently we need to think outside of the box." Pam interrupted, vamping to the other side of the room where she grabbed another piece of paper from the desk, vamping back to her previous spot. Pen poised, she waited for us all to throw ideas at her. None of us seemed to have any ideas though, and we all fell into silence, trying to come up with anything plausible.

"Four will fight, yet only two will leave. Leave to go where? Leave the building? Leave the room? Leave this world? Two of you might have to stay in the room for some reason." Oeri started off the ideas as Pam scribbled down his thoughts. It seemed we would be writing down everything no matter how obscure or absurd.

"Maybe you're looking at it wrong. This sounds horrible but maybe the four of you will enter; yet none of you will leave. Who's saying that the two who leave are any of you? It might be Russell and someone else?" Khai suggested with a grim expression. I mulled over his words for a moment in the silence as Pam scribbled his thoughts down. Although an idea that didn't sit right with, it did match the old woman's words.

"But then if the Ancient Pythoness knew we were about to die, why would she send us in in the first place?" Eric questioned, striking up a discussion.

"Maybe that's the way it's suppose to be, you're all suppose to go, much to our dismay." Egor murmured under his breath, knowing none of us would like that idea. We all fell silent as we thought about that. The thought of all of us dying didn't sit right with me, and through the weak bonds I had with all the vampires in the room I could tell it didn't sit right with any of them either.

"But then why would Niall say one of us would rule in this world and the other in Faery? If we were suppose to die then that wouldn't happen." Godric offered as an explanation. All of this talk of two of us potentially dying, of all of us even dying, was making me uncomfortable. I had lived my life surrounded by death, literally and figuratively. My whole family had been murdered, the friends I had made over the years were all dead and buried, I'd killed hundreds, maybe even thousands, over the years and I lived with six vampires who were, or all intents and purposes, dead too. I couldn't cope with any more deaths, especially not the ones of those I held closest to me.

Rising from my spot on Godric's lap, I crossed to the kitchen, in need of a glass of water. "Where are you going?" Pam enquired as I padded away from the group.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm going to get a glass of water and then we're going to change the topic. Sook, you want anything?" I mumbled back in response, reaching the kitchen. Up on my tiptoes I grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards.

"No thank you." I heard Sookie respond softly as I filled my glass up halfway, consuming the cold liquid in a few mouthfuls.

"Ata, you can't run from the conversation. We all have to discuss this as some point, it might as well be now." Ari tried to make me see it his way, but just the thought of loosing my cousin, loosing her mate – who was becoming more and more like a Childe of mine every night – of loosing Godric too after I'd only just gotten him back, it was enough to make me shake. Twice in the past 24 hours I'd been attacked, drugged even, my home had been bombed and now I was told I would face even more disaster, that we all would.

"I'm not running Ari. I just don't want to talk about this now." I placed my glass in the sink for Felicia to wash in the morning, taking a moment to calm my thoughts, my worries. I could feel a small flow of calm and reassurance through my bond with Godric, and surprisingly through my bond with Eric too.

"Ata," Ari started.

"ENOUGH." I snapped, turning to face my eldest Childe with a serious expression. "I do not wish to talk about this any longer, so the conversation is being moved on." I ordered. I hadn't snapped at any of my children in over 200 years, I loved them all so much that I felt guilty whenever I opened my mouth to tell them off, or when I raised my voice at them. Of course now I felt guilty for snapping at Ari, but he'd been pushing me.

Silence filled the room, and I was grateful that my shields were holding up. The last thing I wanted was to know what everyone was thinking about my little outburst. All of my children were looking down to the floor, Pam had her eyebrow quirked in my direction, and Eric was looking to Sookie who was in turn looking to me with a mixture of understanding and sorrow. Bubba, Isabel and Oscar were looking elsewhere, not that I could blame them, and my Godric was looking at me with a mixture of sympathy and care. I could feel him slowly pushing calm through our bond, though I raised a finger at him, "Stop." I ordered, not wanting to be made to feel anything other than my own emotions at that very moment. I wanted to be at the mercy of my emotions, I wanted to feel the pain that the thought of being parted from any of my nest would bring me. I wanted the reminder of how much I had to lose. I didn't want to be wrapped up in a cocoon, thinking nothing bad would happen to any of us, that would only get us all killed. Godric's shock at my order was clear as day, but I ignored it.

The ding of the elevator broke the awkward silence, and Amelia entered with her usual grin on her lips, though it soon faded when she entered the room and took in the scene. "Oh dear, someone die? Haha." She laughed at her own joke, but when she realized none of us were laughing too she stopped, pursing her lips together. Weaving her way through the vampires, and fairies, in the room, she placed her small suitcase onto the coffee table. "Okay, so I brought enough goodies with me to create a handful of charms, and to ward this place from nasties." She informed us as she unzipped the bag. Feeling a little more in control of my emotions, I left the safety of the kitchen, making my way back to the sitting area.

"Ego sum paenitet, mea Childe" I brushed my fingers across Ari's cheekbone as I stopped before him. His arms came out as he wrapped them around my middle, pulling me close. His head rested against my stomach and his eyelids fluttered shut as he listened to my heartbeat.

"Ego sum paenitet impulit in materia, mater" he murmured softly, nuzzling into me for a moment before he pulled away, looking up to me with such a warm and tender smile that I could almost feel my heart breaking. This was what I was fighting for, the happiness of my children, for their love, for the love and life of my bonded.

"Je suis désolé j'ai craqué à vous, et pousser vos sentiments loin" I turned to Godric, asking for his forgiveness. I felt his love pouring into our bond and I swayed under the intensity of it as he held his hand out to me. Taking it, I was pulled down onto his lap, his lips meeting mine in a soft kiss that was far too short for my liking.

"Ne vous excusez pas, mon ange. Ce n'est pas grave" He whispered in my ear, dropping a kiss to the sensitive spot just below my ear. Biting my lower lip to stop myself from jumping him, I turned my attention to Amelia.

"Sorry Amelia, a slight misunderstanding occurred just before you arrived. Thanks for coming out here at such short notice." I remembered that the young witch was in the room, and my apology seemed to snap everyone else out of their little funk, enough for them to lift their gazes and move them to the petite brunette woman. I had always thought of Amelia as pretty, with her pale skin, green eyes, sharp cheekbones and brunette pixie cut. Just looking at her you wouldn't have expected her to be a witch.

"This is my newest Childe, Oscar." I introduced them, not bothering with Bubba, as they already knew one another. "This is my cousin, Sookie, and her bonded, Eric." I knew Amelia would need names for some of her incantations, not to mention that we would probably be seeing a lot more of her, and having her know their names would be a bonus. "This is Pam, Eric's Childe." I gestured to the blonde vampiress who was sat on the sofa next to Ari. "Isabel has come over from Dallas to assist us." I introduced the brunette vampiress sat opposite us. "And this," I gave Godric's hand a light squeeze, "is my bonded, Godric. Who also happens to be Eric's Maker." I added in their family connection for protection purposes, to let Amelia know they were of the same bloodline in case that was needed for any spells.

Amelia gave a collective wave to the group, before turning her attention back to me. "Who am I creating protection charms for today?" She asked with her usual bright smile, observing us all.

"Sookie and I are in need of something, but if you have the resources then I'd like for everyone present to have something." I answered on behalf of the group, sitting up a little taller in order to see what was in her trunk of goodies.

"Okay, well in that case I'm going to need something deeply personal from all of you. It has to hold value to you, and it must be worn at all times. " Amelia ordered, glancing around the room.

"You can use my Chanel earrings, I never go anywhere without them, they were a present from Eric on my first birthday." Pam purred, removing the diamonds from her earlobes before she passed them to Amelia, who placed them down on the coffee table after she moved her trunk out of the way. Ari handed her the small handmade doll on a keychain that I had crafted for him at a hippy festival twenty years ago. He'd always been loosing his keys so I'd made the happy little chap so he would always be able to find them in his pockets or in the bottom of his bags. Oeri offered up his blackberry, which caused my boys and I to roll our eyes. Trying to separate him from that piece of technology was like trying to take a credit card off of Paris Hilton. I'd met her once, she was pretty, but a few slices short of a loaf. Riei offered up his lucky dime that he kept in his wallet at all times. Khai handed over the hair tie he used to keep his hair in place on occasion, because whenever it wasn't holding his hair up it was around his wrist, just in case. I'd made it for when we'd been travelling through Dubai, the heat had made it unbearable for him, which was ironic given that he was Egyptian, so I suggested tying his hair up to try and get cold air to the nape of his neck. Egor offered up the small blade he kept strapped to his thigh all the time, at which point Eric made a comment about forever being a Viking, to which my two Scandinavian children had merely grinned at. Agmund offered up the Mjölnir pendant that always hung around his neck, once again receiving a comment about his heritage from the group. Isabel handed over her gold bracelet, Bubba offered up the gold rams head pendant he'd always worn in his human years and instead kept his pocket now. Sookie handed over her grandmothers pearl bracelet, causing Pam to raise her eyebrows and comment on how pearls should only be worn to church. I was amused to see Sookie sass her, asking her how she would know when she was as far from Christian as they could get. Oscar handed over the gold bangle that had been his human mothers. Eric gave Amelia the eagle's claw pendant that hung around his neck, telling us in the process that it was the claw from his first ever kill when he'd been a human boy of around eight. His father had taken him out hunting for the first time and he'd managed to kill a golden eagle. His father had been so proud of him that he'd plucked one of the claws from the critter and turned it into a good luck charm for his only son. I handed over my promise ring, knowing it would never leave my finger again for the rest of eternity, but when it came to Godric's turn he seemed to stall for a moment.

"_I don't have anything." _He told me with a mental sigh. I could feel his slight embarrassment that everyone had something near and dear to them that they wore all the time.

"_I have an idea."_ I wiggled off of his lap. "Be right back guys!" I chirped, dashing from the living area to my bedroom, down to my little wooden box. Opening it I inhaled the ancient scent of my people before I started to rummage through all the scrolls and trinkets, moving my old doll aside to get to the bottom of the box. Finding what I was after, I closed the box back up again before returning to the living area, where I presented Amelia with the leather bracelet that Godric had worn in his human years, but had accidently left on my bedside table one night. I hadn't given it back to him purely for selfish reasons; I'd wanted a little part of him with me all the time. When I'd been out and about during the day I'd worn it around my ankle under my long gowns, so no one would see it and question where it had come from. The fact it wasn't coated in gold or silver, dripping with diamonds and other precious stones, would have sent my parents into a fit. After he had 'died' I'd kept hold of it, slept with it under my pillow in a hope he would come back to me. When we'd left Egypt I'd tied it to my wrist, and it had stayed there until we'd built Caesar's Palace, at which point I'd placed it into my little box for safekeeping.

"I'm still so surprised you kept that, my darling." He murmured in my ear as I sat back down on the sofa beside him, instantly pulled against his side, tucked in safely.

"That thing hadn't left her wrist for the best part of 2000 years, when we eventually bult this place we finally convinced her to take it off." Riei rolled his eyes, causing us all to laugh quietly. I could remember how frustrated he had always been when dressing me, having to find things that would either cover it up or work well with it. I could feel Godric's happiness pouring into our bond.

"Okay, what deities are we working with? We need both a God and Goddess." Amelia looked around the room, having sat on her knees in front of the coffee table so she could work easily as she placed a few red candles on the table, lighting them slowly in a clockwork motion.

"Ari, Khai, Riei, Oeri and I would like to work with our Egyptian Gods. Egor and Agmund will most likely wish to work with their Norse ones." I shot my two Viking children an amused smile as they nodded. Even after all this time, surrounded by those who believed in completely different Gods and Goddesses, they still stuck to their old religion. It was a true testament to their devotion.

"I too would like to work with my Norse Gods." Eric chipped in. His choice was no surprise to any of us in the group.

"My religion has long since been wiped out, I don't think any of my Gods actually remain, so I will go with my beloved and ask to work with the Egyptian Gods too." Godric spoke up from beside me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I had, on occasion during our human years, heard Godric muttering prayers under his breath to his Gods, but they were all in his ancient language, and although I had learnt many languages, Gaulish was not one of them.

"We don't have a Goddess in Christianity, do you think your Gods would look out for me too?" Sookie turned her head to look up at Eric, who chuckled lightly, running his fingers through her hair.

"I think they would love to." He answered her softly, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

"I've never followed a religion, but I think I'll go with Eric's choice on this one." Pam threw in her choice, giving Eric a large grin.

"Spain is a little bit closer to Scandinavia than Egypt, so I'll go with Eric too." Isabel crossed her legs, offering Eric a smile similar to Pam's.

"I'm gonna go with Miss Ata, I find her religion mighty interesting." Bubba turned to me, as if seeking approval. I gave him a nod to show that it was fine by me, the more the merrier!

"If it's not too much trouble, I'm going to go with Ata too." Oscar glanced around the room, but received nothing but smiles from everyone, and I could feel him relax. The poor boy had no need to be worried or nervous, or scared. Everyone here would protect him, I would make sure of it.

"Okay, which God and Goddess are you going to use?" Amelia turned to me, and my response was immediate.

"Isis, as she is the patron of nature and magic, and we are all children of nature and magic. I also wish for us to use Anubis, as he is the protector of the dead." I replied, stealing quick glances to my four eldest children, who all silently agreed that I'd made the right choices.

"And you'll be using?" Amelia turned to Eric, who seemed to mull it over for a moment.

"Thor, for he is the protector, and Skadi, as she is the Goddess of the hunt, justice and vengeance" Eric made his choice.

Amelia separated the two piles of personal belongings, on the left she placed the items belonging to those who wished to use the Egyptian Gods, and on the right she placed the items belonging to those who wished to use the Norse Gods. Gathering together the pile on the left, she placed all of the items in a small, velvet bag, lifting it up into the sky a moment later, extending her index finger and thumb with the tips pointing upward. Her other fingers were holding onto the little bag. "By the grace of the Goddess Isis." She moved the little bag to her right hand, again raising it skyward with her index and middle fingers pointing upwards, her other fingers holding onto the bag. "By the grace of the God Anubis."

"And by their own will, I now don this sacred symbol to protect them from all types of harm – and to illuminate the Path of Power before them. So mote it be!" She traced a pentagram over the front of the velvet bag, using her index finger on her other hand to create an unbroken line covering all of the points of the pentagram. I could see, in her mind, that she was visualizing blue-white fire illuminating the path she had just traced, and I could hear from her head that blue-white was a protective colour, and that fire was the element that ruled protective magick.

As she finished her drawing, she placed the bag back down on the table, slowly opening it to remove each item one by one, handing them back to their respective owners. "They must be kept on you at all times for them to work, if they are taken off, or taken away from you, then you won't be protected." She explained as I slipped my promise ring back on. I could practically feel the magick radiating off of it, and it was reassuring to know that Anu, and my mother, were now watching over us a lot more closely than before. I took Godric's leather bracelet from Amelia, tying it to his wrist myself, remembering the last time he had worn it. He'd taken it off as he'd had deep cuts on his arms that needed bathing in poppy water, and we hadn't wanted to risk damaging the leather. It had survived for 2000 years on my wrist though, so I felt there was little that could do it any damage.

Amelia gathered together the pile on the right as those of us who had just asked the Egyptian Gods for protection put our personal items back on. She placed all of the remaining items in the same velvet bag and repeated the procedure. Lifting the bag up into the sky a moment later, she extended her index finger and thumb with the tips pointing upwards. Her other fingers were holding onto the little bag. "By the grace of the Goddess Skadi." She moved the little bag to her right hand, again raising it skyward with her index and middle fingers pointing upwards, her other fingers holding onto the bag. "By the grace of the God Thor."

"And by their own will, I now don this sacred symbol to protect them from all types of harm – and to illuminate the Path of Power before them. So mote it be!" She traced a pentagram again over the front of the velvet bag, using her index finger on her other hand to create an unbroken line covering all of the points of the pentagram. I could see, one more, that in her mind she was visualizing blue-white fire illuminating the path she had just traced.

As she finished her drawing, she placed the bag back down on the table, retrieving the items inside which she returned to their owners. "The protection each item offers will last for eternity unless you get someone to break them, but I have a feeling that will be difficult, especially for those whose have sought protection from the Egyptian's." Amelia grinned at me, not bothering to hide the fact that she was well aware of my connections. When she had first tried to use her magick on me she had been stunned by the deities she had found protecting me, so over the years I had slowly filled her in on everything, making sure Ari glamoured her to not outright tell anyone. I could trust her, of that I was sure, but it didn't hurt to have a safety net in place. Especially when Amelia worked for Felipe from time to time.

Felipe, that reminded me. "Can we not mention this to the King?" I batted my eyelashes at her, hoping she would understand. For a moment she frowned before she seemed to catch on.

"Your secret is safe with me." She declared, making a zipping motion across her lips. Over the years I had picked up on the odd little things humans did, and I'd even taken some of them on myself, but that little action had always been my favourite, for its entertainment value.

"I can feel a warmth from these, is that right?" Sookie asked as she placed the pearls back around her wrist, her fingers moving over them.

"Yes, it is there as a comfort reminder, that you're being protected. When you stop feeling the warmth on your wrist you'll be reminded that you aren't wearing your protection charm and that you need to go and get it. It's also the magick seeping into your body too, settling itself inside of you to watch over you." Amelia explained as she packed away her little velvet bag, though she kept the candles burning. "You want this penthouse warded now, yes?" Amelia rose to her feet, grumbling as her hips and knees clicked. Nodding my head, I removed myself from Godric's lap to join her, and together we moved to the elevator. It was of course a fact that vampires had to be invited into private homes, and that their invitation could be removed at any given moment and they would be forced out. But, however, as my building was a public one, and my home was within said public building, that little trick didn't work. I had no Were guard for the day yet, more would have to be hired, but I did have my boys in the evening.

"Can we place a ward on the private elevator? I'd like for the house to be secure enough for Sookie and I to leave in the day, and for the elevator to kick out any who intend us harm before they can get up here." I suggested, knowing such protection charms were easy to create, but a nightmare to get through and bring down.

"Sure, do you have any runes?" Amelia asked as she nipped back to her trunk, removing a small jar of clove oil.

"Oeri," I started, but my boy was up off his feet a moment later, disappearing from the room with vampire speed before he returned within seconds, holding in his hand the wooden box that held our runes. We'd had them made using bloodstone while we'd been in Russia, where we had stayed for over 100 years. The stone was spiritually used to fend off undesirable influences and in ancient Babylon; bloodstone was carried to overcome enemies. It was said the magical properties of the stone were to halt bleeding, healing, victory, courage, legal matters, wealth, strength, power, business, invisibility, and agriculture. Victory, courage, strength and power were things I could see us needing right now. I found it rather curious that my boys and had chosen such a stone that fitted in so perfectly with our current situation. There was of course the added bonus of the element attached to it being fire, which had been used to create our protective charms, and that the deities attached to it were Isis and Horus – my mother and brother.

Showing the box to Amelia, Oeri lifted the lid so she would be able to have a look at them. "I'm going to need to draw these symbols on the elevator doors. It's the only way in and out of the penthouse yes?" Amelia turned to me. Shaking my head, I sighed, gesturing to the door just around the corner that led to a private staircase. Damn health and safety.

"Okay, well we'll split them. How many people know about the stairs, and how many know about the lift? I want to place some on your bedroom doors too, and on all of the doors." She started plucking the runes from the box, separating them into four different piles.

"Only the ones in this room know of the stairs, everyone else assumes we use the lift all the time, it's the main way in and out of here." I explained as Amelia pursed her lips together, selecting the stones. I could feel Godric's curiosity and soon he was up on his feet, stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist, watching Amelia over my shoulder. Pam and the others were silently going over the riddles once more, obviously not wanting to alert me to it incase I blew a fuse again. I grimaced as I remembered the way I had snapped at Ari, and scolded Godric.

"_Don't dwell on that, my darling. No one is angry with you for it, we understand." _I heard Godric's mental reassurance as he dropped a kiss to the soft spot just below my ear, causing me to sigh in bliss. He would be the death of me.

With one pile in her hand, Amelia moved to the staircase door and, placing some of the clove oil on her finger, began drawing the symbols on the wood. Drawing each rune onto the wood with the clove oil as she spoke, she explained to us all what they were for, making everyone cease solving the riddles to listen. "Fehu, for achieving a goal and closing the door on this chapter. Ansuz for wise decisions, should you be attacked by lift, then you should use the stairs. Kenaz to dispel anxiety and fear, you have another means of escape. Wunjo to motivate you, it's a long way to get up to the very top, where this residence resides. Jera for change, as these stairs are not usually used and Eihwaz, for life transition, going from your usual methods, to something else entirely, changing your ways." She placed the runes she'd used back in the wooden box before picking up another pile, moving to the elevator doors.

Once again she started to draw the runes on the doors with the clove oil as she spoke. "Uruz for energy, passion and instinct, as it is instinctual to come home. Raido to bring about change, as the rising and falling of the elevator is like change. Gyfu to bring you luck, as to have rise up in the elevator in order to get here, as you do in life. Isa for patience, as you will need to wait for the elevator to come to you. Ehwaz to aid communication, this space will be private for you all, somewhere you can talk without others hearing. Thurisaz will clear out bad situations, to remove unwanted visitors from the elevator. Hagal to remove unwanted influences, only you can influence your futures. Algiz and Tiwaz, for protection." She finished up, placing the runes back in the box.

Grasping the final pile, she started at the door of the staircase. "Mannaz, for the group here to become one whole. Ing will create balance, so everyone will understand one another. Dag will bring forth a positive outcome, success, and Othala, to strengthen family ties through love and friendship." She repeated this as she anointed the elevator doors. Returning to the living area for the last time, she placed the remaining runes in the box, shutting the lid before she handed them to Oeri. Oeri was quick to pop the box down on the small table beside the elevator doors.

"Now Ata is this building in your name?" Amelia turned to me as I padded back towards the sofa with Godric, who sat before he pulled me onto his lap. My boys and Bubba were confident in Amelia's work, and so was Eric judging by the look on his face, but I could see that Isabel, Oscar, Sookie and Pam were not convinced.

"It is, but when the VRA passes I wish to gift it to my children." I informed her honestly, instantly bombarded with love from every direction as all six of my boys showered me in their adoration. Happily sending it back to them, I offered them all a warm smile.

"I suggest you don't hand it over until whatever threats you're under are gone. Anyway, I have to dash, I have another client whose home is invested with gnomes with right, see you later!" She grinned, giving us all a wave before she disappeared off in the elevator.

"Fucking Wiccan's." Pam muttered under her breath as she continued to scribble down ideas. Passing behind her, I gave her a light smack across the back of head, which caused her growl playfully. I couldn't help but laugh at the vampiress who reminded me so much of Alice in Wonderland, especially given the fact she was dressed in a pastel pink tracksuit with a matching Alice band on.

"We need to discuss how we're going to get Oscar and Bubba into Felipe's mansion." I started the important topic, placing myself neatly back onto Godric's lap, who grabbed me around the waist and pulled me flush to him.

"I was just thinking I could walk on in and tell him that I'm yet to find someone to take care of me, and that I was wondering if he has an opening in his palace that I could take over so that I could start earning some money in order to rent my own place and to provide myself with a safe resting place" Oscar shrugged his shoulders.

"That sounds a little simple doesn't it?" Sookie voiced, having been pulled down onto Eric's lap. She sat curled up against him, his strong arms holding her close, her face half buried in his chest. Just watching them was utterly adorable, the fierce and mighty warrior was like a little kitten with Sookie around, a protective kitten at that. Feeling my eyes on him, Eric's head turned to me, and he quirked an eyebrow.

"_Sorry, you're too adorable together." _I gave him a sheepish grin. He responded by pushing affection through our weak bond and I allowed myself to close my eyes, relishing the feeling of it before I pushed it back to him.

"The simpler the plan, the easier it'll be for Mr. Felipe to believe us. If we come up with some elaborate plot and plan then he might be suspicious. I can get in because he knows I'm in the area, and as King it's his job to look after me." Bubba explained to Sookie as I opened my eyes, sinking back into Godric's chest. Eric was still watching me, but he averted his gaze a moment later, glancing down to Sookie before he looked around the room at the collection of vampires and fairies.

"Felipe is old, not incredibly so, but he's still old. He hasn't reached 800 years by being a tool, even if he is one now. He'll know something is up if you feed him huge lies. A small white lie should be enough though to get you into the palace. He probably won't allow you to be privy to all of his secrets, but if you can get information out of his employees, or if you can overhear them talking about things, then at least we'll have a slight advantage." Isabel summarized.

"You'll have even more of an advantage soon." The old voice flooded the room as a loud pop sounded out, signaling the arrival of Niall, who had brought Claude with him. Both were thankfully masking their scents, or else a bloodbath would have most likely occurred.

"Great-grandfather, cousin." I greeted them both with a smile, trying to get up off of Godric's lap but he wouldn't allow me to do so. Sookie took over instead, wiggling away from Eric long enough to embrace them both before she was snatched back, dragged to the sofa and placed firmly on Eric's lap.

"Are we feeling possessive this evening?" Claude teased both Godric and Eric, who leveled him a glare.

"Ata nearly died last night, and again today, and now Russell has found Sookie and Eric and is after Sookie's human family." My Godric responded in a clipped tone.

"That's why Claude and I are here, Pallas told us all about the events of the past 24 hours." Niall explained as two of my boys removed themselves from the sofa so our guests could sit down. Claude plonked himself down beside Niall, removing two tubes and four needles from the small bag he had brought with him.

"I hope they aren't going in me, there's only one kind of sharp pointy thing I allow into my body." I quirked an eyebrow, referencing my bonded's fangs, which dropped casually.

"Correction, two." Pam chipped in with a smirk, causing us all to frown at her. I soon caught on though.

"I don't know what kind of guys you've been fucking for the past 100 years, but that part of their anatomy is certainly not pointy, more rounded if anything." I answered, the whole room falling into a fit of laughter as Pam's face fell.

"You need to sort her out." Eric wheezed between laughter, looking over at Ari, who was chuckling.

"Yes, perhaps it's been too long." He teased, moving a strand of Pam's blonde hair from her face. "I'm sure, with 2000 years of experience, she'll remember that part of anatomy well." He continued as Pam's eyes widened. If it were possible for her to blush I had a funny feeling she would have been as red as blood.

"Okay," I gasped between laughter, "I don't need to hear anymore about my Childe banging the undead life out of Pam." I wafted my hand through the air to silence the room, and soon we all had our laughter under control.

"Honestly, you have got to come out to Hooligans again one night Ata, you too Sookie. The clientele are missing you." Claude teased me, causing me to instantly stop laughing. The last time I had been at Hooligans, the little strip club Claude called his pride and joy, I'd been forced to dance around a stage in my underwear, acting flirtatious with fat, bald, sweaty human men. It had been a rough night, but the tips had been good and I'd felt incredible in the pretty lingerie Claude had picked out for me. One guy had given me stripper singles though, so I'd purposefully ignored him for the rest of the night.

"Because clearly Sookie is the kind to shake her bottom for horrible, slimy human men." Niall rolled his eyes. The mortification came rolling off of Sookie as she realized what Hooligans was.

"You worked at a strip club, gyrating for human men?" I could feel Godric's disgust through the bond but I simply shrugged. We'd been parted for 2000 years; I wasn't going to be completely innocent and naive the whole time. He was lucky I'd saved myself in all honesty; I'd had more than a few generous offers over the years from numerous rich and powerful men.

"It made me feel appreciated, they were all captivated by me and would do whatever I asked of them. See it as female empowerment if you will." I responded nonchalantly as Claude set about placing one needle in each end of each tube. I could still feel Godric's disgust through the bond, but I bated the feeling aside, not wanting to worry about it. I didn't feel disgusted about it, so he had no right to either. Besides, I'd given it up years ago and I was his now, no one would see my body but him.

"What are you gonna do?" Sookie interrupted, looking to Niall for answers.

He gave her a kind smile before explaining. "You're very close to gaining your first fae maturity gift, Sookie, which I know Ata has explained to you. I'm going to give you a little of my blood to give it a kick-start, as I have a feeling you'll be needing this gift in the future. However, I ask both you and the Northman to not 'freak out', as the young ones say, when you do develop this gift. It's an exceptionally rare one, however I think it will do you well" He explained to her as Claude handed him one end of the needle. Slowly he embedded the other end into the crook of Sookie's elbow, watching Eric all the time just to be sure he wasn't going to eat him, but Sookie flinched for a moment in discomfort as the needle entered her skin and Eric's fangs snapped down, a low warning growl sounding out around the crowded room. Thankfully there was no free flowing blood around to entice a feeding frenzy, or an orgy.

Claude rigged up the second set of tubing and needles as the blood from Niall made its way through his tube to Sookie, entering her bloodstream with no problems at all. Claude jabbed the needle into my arm, making me scowl at him, and causing Godric to growl lowly. I knew he was only playing though as he winked a moment later, placing his needle into the crook of his own arm. Giving the tube a gentle squeeze, his blood started to flow into me. "Remind me again why I'm having a mini transfusion?" I asked my male cousin and great-grandfather, not really seeing the point.

"You were badly injured last night, and although you've had the blood of all vampires present you're still a little weak. Claude's blood will just give you a little bit of a boost." Niall explained as I felt Claude's blood entering my system. As we were of the same royal fae house my body accepted his blood happily, and I could feel the warmth of his fae magic mixing with mine in my bloodstream. I would have to remember to not allow Godric to bite for a while, the toxicity of my blood would be increased considerably after this, and it would be harder to suppress. Maybe one day I would draw some blood and let him taste it, without me holding back the toxicity of it. A drunk Godric sounded hilarious.

The room fell into a comfortable silence as everyone became lost in their own thoughts. Pam was working away at the riddles some more, and my boys, along with Isabel, Oscar and Bubba, were quietly helping her. They were taking it in turns to write things down so as not to utter anything aloud. I had a feeling that was for my benefit. Godric and Eric were like statues, holding Sookie and I so that we wouldn't be able to free ourselves. Although they looked lost in their own worlds I was well aware that they were completely alert, constantly checking the area around us all for any signs of danger, or for any unwanted guests.

I felt a light tapping against my shields, so I dropped them, allowing Niall and Claude access. I felt them draw Sookie into the conversation too.

"_The next two weeks or so will be busy for the both of you_, _you won't have much free time, but what little free time you do have I suggest you use sitting in the sunshine during the day, absorbing the power it can give you, and then coupling with your mates in the evening to strengthen your ties. You'll both need to continue training with your powers. Sookie, you will need to master as many of them as you can, and Ata, you will have to fight longer and harder with your children. I also want the pair of you to spend one day, and a whole night, every three days with one another. No interruptions. The pair of you must ready your minds for what's coming." _Niall's soft and authoritative tone drifted into my mind. I kept an eye on Sookie, noting that she shifted her gaze to our great-grandfather as he spoke.

"_What is coming great-grandfather?" _Sookie asked softly, and I could hear the fear in her voice. It was hard for me to control my own fear too.

"_I wish I could tell you, my girls, I wish I could. Pallas has forbidden me to do so though with the threat of draining me dry." _I could feel him mentally rolling his eyes, as could Sookie, and it caused both of us to smile a little. _"Just know this, you need to be able to mentally protect one another and be able to send strength and other helpful emotions to one another over distances with obstacles in the way. Sookie, I need you tomorrow to try and determine if you have a reaction to lemon, lime and iron. Try all three in different quantities and see what your limit is. It might also be useful if you take a few day trips out and about with Ata, not only to get the sunshine but also to put distance between yourself and the Northman. You need to know how far, and for how long, you can be parted before the bonding sickness starts. You need to know what it feels like." _Niall continued on, giving us instructions for the coming few days.

"_If the Viking agrees, I will take some of his blood this evening and place it in a vial so that you can take a few drops should you have a reaction to any of the substances that are our weaknesses, it would also be useful to have incase you find yourself in serious pain as the bonds are pulled." _Claude added. I could agree that it would be a wise move to make, I'd heard from other humans who were bonded to vampires – of which was a rare occurrence – that bonding sickness was incredibly painful.

"_Will you do the same for Godric and I?"_ I aimed my question at Claude, but it was Niall who answered.

"_You will not suffer from bonding sickness, Ata. You and the Gaul were parted for 2000 years, on different continents at different times, with thousands and thousands of miles between you. You are bound so tightly together, as your feelings for one another have had 2000 years to grow and mature where as Sookie and Eric's have only had a few years, that you are practically the same person, making separation bearable. Neither of you will like it, I can tell that much, but it won't pain either of you." _Our grey haired great-grandfather informed us. _"Sookie and Eric haven't had that time to connect properly as they have always both been under extreme stress. Perhaps spending a few nights alone with Eric would do you some good, Sookie? You could ask him all the questions you want answers or simply 'jump his bones' as Claude would put it." _I had to stop myself from laughing out loud at his mental comment, especially when the rosy red colour of embarrassment flooded her cheeks. Eric, sensing her sudden embarrassment, broke out of his protective posture, looking at Sookie with curiosity.

"Just something Niall told me." She mumbled her breath as she dipped her head, trying to hide her smile. Slowly Niall withdrew the needle from the crook of Sookie's arm, and Eric was quick to lick the wound shut, not wanting anyone to smell Sookie. Of course all of the vampires did, and their heads tipped backwards as they inhaled, though they were all able to control themselves enough that Eric had no need to drop fang and growl menacingly.

Claude removed the needle from the crook of my arm and Godric licked the wound shut, groaning at the taste of my blood. I hadn't bothered to suppress the toxicity of it yet, as Claude's pure fae blood was still working its way through my system, patching up any damage left behind by Felipe or the Were's he had sent out to get us this morning. Both Claude and Niall quickly removed the needles from their own arms, stuffing the tubes and such back into the bag before they sealed it to stop any vampires getting at it. Thankfully they were able to suppress their scent so the only smell in the air was that of usual human blood.

"_One more thing girls, I suggest you both exchange blood to form your own bond." _Niall suddenly invaded our thoughts as Claude explained to Eric about taking his blood for Sookie. I could see how hesitant Eric was but the moment he was told it would relieve Sookie should she be in any pain he relented, and Claude set to work extracting his blood.

"_But we're not like vampires, we can't form blood bonds." _Sookie voiced both of our current thoughts. It wasn't like we could exchange emotions or find one another. I could send Sookie feelings because I had spent so long in the company of vampires that I had picked up their traits, and with my mental tie to Sookie being so strong due to our shared heritage it made sense.

"_You're right, you can't. But blood is thicker than water. When the pair of you exchange you will be privy to one anothers deepest, darkest secrets. Together you must overcome them, in order to be stronger women and to overcome your enemies." _Niall rose from his seat on the sofa as Claude handed Sookie the small vial of Eric's blood. Niall's words had done nothing but confuse Sookie and I. There were very few secrets I had left, given how easy it was for my children to access my thoughts and memories, considering they had been with me most of the time too. There was one secret, my worst one, but I would never tell a soul, not even Godric would get to know. I was so utterly ashamed of myself for it that I had spent years and years covering it up, hiding the trail. There was no way I was telling it, no way at all.

"_You must." _I heard Niall inform me as he dropped a kiss to the top of my head.

"Niall, may I speak to you alone for a moment?" Godric's requested caused me to frown, and my curiosity must have been strong through our bond as I was suddenly flooded with reassurance and love. Moving from his lap I shuffled over to the group working away on the riddles, crouching down beside Pam.

"What do we have so far?" I asked her softly, wanting her and the others to know I wasn't about to blow a fuse again. Pam took the time to explain to me the answers the group had come up with, but although I looked like I was paying attention my mind was elsewhere. I was respectful enough not to snoop into Godric's mind to try and find out what it was he was discussing with Niall, but I did try to overhear them. Unfortunately they were conversing in a hushed tone out in one of the corridors leading to the bedrooms so I was unable to pull anything from the conversation. They were only gone a few minutes before they both returned, their faces perfectly void of expression, and I found my bond with Godric was filled with nothing but love and adoration. Niall approached me, bending down to drop a kiss to the top of my head, doing the same to Sookie before he bid us all farewell, popping away with Claude.

I found myself yawning a moment later, unable to hold back the very human action. "You are tired my darling. Come, to bed." Godric's hand was infront of me a moment later. Assessing my level of tiredness, I realized that perhaps simply curling up in bed with him would be the best thing right now. Hugging all of my children, I pressed kisses to their foreheads, doing the same for little Oscar too. Tomorrow night he would be entering Felipe's mansion for us. Giving Isabel a hug goodnight, as well as Bubba, I even offered one to Pam, who was stunned at the action but welcomed it nonetheless. I had a feeling we were slowly building bridges. I gave Sookie a hug goodnight, offering her an understanding smile in regards to the information Niall had given us. I couldn't see Sookie having much in the way of deep, dark secrets. She was too young, too innocent, but apparently there would be something she would need to tell me, or that I would see, anyway. Embracing Eric, I dropped a kiss to the top of his head too, classing him as another of my children. His purr informed me that the action was well taken. I had a feeling he would be discussing the information Niall had given us with Sookie until dawn. If there was one thing I had learnt about Sookie it was that she liked to have a soundboard of sorts, someone she could bounce ideas off of. All those years feeling like an outcast, being called stupid and crazy, must have made it difficult for her to have anyone to talk to. I was pleased she had Eric now though; he was exceptionally patient and understanding with her.

Taking Godric's hand, the pair of us wandered back to our bedroom, taking a moment to observe the faint outline of the rune symbols drawn onto the door in the clove oil before we entered. I took care of my human needs quickly, pulling on my nightie as I wandered back into the bedroom. My vampire was already in bed, propped up by numerous pillows, shirt off to showcase the beautiful, ancient ink marking his body. "You're going to sleep in that?" He questioned softly as I approached.

Pausing in my step, I looked down at my Victoria's Secret's nightie, not really seeing the problem. "Would you prefer it if I slept naked?" I sassed, though I hadn't bothered to put much effort into it. I couldn't be bothered. I was still feeling the effects of Felipe's drugged needle last night and the Were attack this morning. Claude's blood was helping me, but I would need to sleep before I would be any better.

"That would be nice." His immediate response didn't surprise me, what did though was his tone. It was soft, wistful, not demanding or condescending. Relenting, I rolled my eyes before I threw the offending garment onto the pile of clothes on one of the chairs in the room, sliding myself under the sheets a moment later. He too moved down, pulling the sheets up and around us, cocooning us from the outside world. I snuggled against his cool, firm body, nuzzling my nose into the crease in the centre of his chest. "What were you discussing with Niall, Claude and Sookie, my darling? I could feel your brain working overtime through our mental connection though I was unable to hear what you were discussing." He asked me gently, brushing my hair from my face.

"Niall was just telling Sookie and I about some things we have to do over the coming days, it's nothing majorly important. We just have to spend some more time together, get to know one another better." I paraphrased, pressing my lips to his alabaster skin for a moment in a feather light kiss.

We lapsed into silence for a moment, his strong arms wrapped around my slender frame, holding me close to him. "I nearly lost you last night, and again this morning." He murmured, his arms tightening around me as he tucked me into his chest, under his chin.

"I'm here, I'm fine." I reassured him softly.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again, I can't lose you. If something were to happen to you, I would go and meet the sun." His confession spooked me. The thought of him meeting the sun if anything were to happen to me, of him meeting the true death at all, it frightened me to the core. _"If we were thrice bonded though that would be a fucking nightmare. My ability to daywalk would make it difficult, I'd have to find another way to leave this earth." _His mental ramblings caused me to stiffen in his arms. If we were thrice bonded he could daywalk? Why hadn't he mentioned this before?

"Completing our third bond would allow you to day walk?" I voiced in a whisper, pulling back from his body enough to look up at him now that my limbs were cooperating. His eyes widened at the realization that I had heard him. I hadn't been trying to, but tiredness had suddenly consumed me and had destroyed my shields. Thankfully the soundproofing of the room made the thoughts of everyone else in the penthouse harder to pick up on, either that or the fact we were twice bonded had turned Godric into a loud broadcaster.

"_Shit, fuck, shit." _He continued to mentally cuss for a moment before he seemed to remember that I had asked him a question. "Our boys seem to think it might, not that it matters anyway." He shrugged to the best of his ability given our current position on our sides, wrapped up in the sheets.

"Then why are we waiting? Complete the third bond with me." I tried to wiggle out of his grip, wanting to expose my neck to him. I wanted him to have the sunshine so much, he'd lived for 2000 years in darkness because of me, and if I could give him the sunshine then I would happily do so.

"No my darling." He rebuffed me. It was like a knife had been slammed into my heart. He'd never denied my blood ever since we had found one another again, even when I had been exceptionally weak earlier on in the evening, when we'd had to strengthen our bond back up to the second level. Renewing my efforts with newfound energy, I tried to wiggle out of his arms, pushing at his chest and arms to get away, but my actions only caused him to tighten his hold on me.

"My blood not good enough for you?" I spat, suddenly feeling angry with myself. I'd offered him the sunshine and he'd thrown it back at me. He didn't wish to bond thrice with me.

"Do not lash out at me, my sweet. I don't wish to bond thrice with you just yet because I want our third bond to be created out of our love for one another, when all dangers have been eliminated, when it's just you and me, when I can spend hours and hours worshipping you. I don't want our third bond to be created out of a need for protection, or because you want to give me the sunshine. I have spent 2000 years in darkness, what are another few nights, or weeks even?" I ceased wiggling at his tender words, remembering one of the lines of Pallas's riddle _'Do not lash out at those you love.'_

"I'm sorry." I apologised for the second time this evening, sighing at how much of a common occurrence it was becoming. I hardly ever use to apologise.

"Your blood is the best there is, I will never take from another other so long as I am walking this earth, I just don't wish to rush all of this. We have plenty of time to work out what we want." He reassured me softly, pressing kisses to my forehead, the bridge of my nose, each of my eyelids, my cheeks, the end of my nose and finally my lips. "I love you." He reminded me in a soft tone of voice that almost had me sobbing.

"I know, and I love you too, only you." I raised a hand, resting it against his cheek, relishing in the feel of his cool skin against my warm flesh. His eyelids fluttered shut, hiding his blue eyes from the world. In a slow movement he flipped us, my back resting against the soft mattress with his weight comfortably situated above me. Our hands were joined at our sides, resting on the pillow either side of my head. Tipping my head sideways, I gazed at our joined hands, the leather bracelet around his wrist, the symbol of our human years together, and the promise ring around my own finger, the symbol of the eternity we would now have together as immortals. Dropping his head, he placed a kiss to my temple, causing me to turn to look up at him as he slipped inside of me, the pair of us groaning at the sensation.

"Home." He breathed happily, his forehead coming to rest against mine, his pale blue eyes locked onto my own. Raising my arms, I wrapped them around his neck, holding him close, feeling his body against my own.

"Home." I repeated, bringing his lips down to meet mine for an unhurried kiss, filled with love and adoration.

I allowed myself the reassurance that we had a strong nest backing us, that he was here, that he was mine, and that I was going to fight for him, for us, for Sookie and Eric, and for my children.

* * *

**A/N translations**

_"Ego sum paenitet, mea Childe" (Latin) = I am sorry, my Childe._

_"Ego sum paenitet impulit in materia, mater" (Latin) = I am sorry that I pushed the matter, mother._

_"Je suis désolé j'ai craqué à vous, et pousser vos sentiments loin" (French) = I'm sorry I snapped at you, and pushed your feelings away_

_"Ne vous excusez pas, mon ange. Ce n'est pas grave" (French) = Do not apologise, my angel. It does not matter._

The next few chapters will see Sookie working on her powers and such, and spending some quality time with the Viking, even if he is on my shit list right now for dissing Godric in TB...


	52. Broken Heels

**A/N I will say now that I'm only a quarter of the way through this story, I'm sorry if some of you are finding it slow and such but I want to do this right, and I thank all of those who are sticking with me. Neither Eric nor Godric would go jumping into a situation completely unprepared, and Sookie is still not as developed with her powers as I want her to be. The story does pick up from now, as I have the rest of it planned out in detail, but you have to understand that not everything happens all at once, I mean, look at TB this season, we've had 10 episodes of boring shit where we hardly learn anything. A lot of my reviews for the last chapter were talking about my authors note and not the actual chapter content, so I'm guessing it wasn't really to your liking? :/**

**I will say now, Sook reverts back to her Southern twang around Jason, but with Eric/Ata/Godric etc she irons it out 'cause they're all European (okay Egypt isn't in Europe, but it's close enough!) Also, I'm not a Southerner, I'm a Northerner, so I have no clue how a Southerner would talk or how to translate that onto page, sorry!**

**Another point, jewelpearl pointed out that in earlier chapters Felicia is called Flo, you guys may see this as a consistency error and I suppose in a way it is, but I'm going back and editing earlier chapters and I changed her name because I remembered Felicia is a vampire in SVM who moves to Shreveport and bar-tends at Fangtasia. I try not to have people with the same names in case it creates confusion, sorry guys!**

**Also, it was A-Levels results today and I got AAB! I'M OFF TO MY SELECTED UNIVERSITY GUYS! AHHHH! :D :D **

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_All the ladies tell the fellas we can do what they can do  
__We can do it even better in broken heels  
__I roll my sleeves up, wrap my hair up  
__There's no sign on the road so I never stop  
__Can you catch me? Yeah, yeah, yeah  
__You'll never catch me, ay, ay, ay  
__I'm fresh out the box, fast like a fox  
__Boss in my shoes, tick tock, 12 o'clock  
__You better watch me, yeah, yeah, yeah  
__Sit back and watch me, ay, ay, ay  
__You go hard, yes, you do, but when I go it's a magic show  
__Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
__I get it when I want it and I get it right  
__Hey, hey, all the ladies tell the fellas we can do what they can do  
__We can do it even better with broken heels  
__Hey, hey, all the ladies tell the fellas we can do what they can do  
__We can do it even better in broken heels  
__Anything you can do I can do better, boy, I can do it in broken heels  
__Anything you can do we can do better, boy, I can do it in broken, broken heels  
__When you step it up I'm 20 levels up, I took the escalator, elevator to the top  
__How you like me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you gotta like me, ay, ay, ay  
__Oh, you know we rock, we control the block  
__Whatever's going down, ladies take the biggest cut  
__We bring the party, yeah, yeah, yeah, we bought the party, ay, ay, ay  
__You go hard, yes, you do, but when I go it's a magic show  
__Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I get it when I want it and I get it right  
__Hey, hey, all the ladies tell the fellas we can do what they can do  
__We can do it even better in broken heels  
__~ Broken Heels, Alexandra Burke_

The room was pitch black when I woke, but then again I expected it to be. After Godric and Ata had retired for the evening, Eric and I had followed suite. I'd told him of everything that Niall had informed Ata and I of, skipping over the reasons why we needed to create the blood bond though. I already knew what my secret was, and I was not going to tell Eric about Uncle Bartlett. Bill had taken care of him, even though it was uncalled for, as he hadn't bothered me ever since Gran had chased him away. I didn't want Eric to think any differently about me, I didn't want him to be disgusted with me and leave me. I don't know what it was that compelled me to tell Bill about Uncle Bartlett, but I guessed it had something to do with the copious amounts of his blood that was in my system, compelling me to tell him my deepest, darkest secrets and fears. It was the one part of me that I wished to lock away and forget about forever, and if I could have been glamoured then I would have asked Bill to remove the memory long ago. That was the downside of being a telepath, all of the malicious thoughts.

Rolling over, my eyes fell onto the sleeping form of my vampire, lost in his day rest. His bangs were in front of his face, all ruffled from our brief romp just before the sun had risen, and his eyelids hid his cerulean orbs from the world. Smoothing my fingers over his flawless cheeks, I lent forward, pressing a lingering kiss to his plump lips. "I love you, you big Viking." I teased lightly, knowing he wouldn't hear me anyway. Nuzzling my nose against his own, I inhaled his scent. Every person, be them human, vampire, Were or whatever else, all smelt like something, they all had a personal smell, and Eric smelt like the ocean in winter.

Giving him one final kiss, I pulled myself out of bed, padding to the bathroom where I took care of my human needs. Making my way to the wardrobe I pulled on a fresh bra and panties, donning one of Eric's shirts and a pair of sweatpants. Tying my hair up I went to apply some makeup but found, upon looking in the mirror, that my skin was flawless, that I wouldn't need makeup for a good few days. I wasn't sure if that was down to the fairy blood or the vampire blood in my system, but I was grateful either way. I could feel Niall's blood in me, mixing with my own, fueling my energy and my spark. I felt stronger and a little more powerful, and I hoped we would be training again today. I had a feeling I would be able to knock over more of the wooden and metal crates than before.

Emerging from the bedroom and into the windowless corridor, I could hear the sound of a child laughing; mixed with Ata's laughter, and then I heard Jason's voice. "Jason!" I exclaimed, dashing through the corridor and into the kitchen, where my brother and two cousins sat having breakfast.

Jason was up off of his feet, pulling me into his arms for a strong hug. "Sook! What the hell is going on? Some hot vampire chick came to my house last night and put me on a plane, I met Hunter and then we were met at the airport here by a group of vampires, who brought us all here. Ata won't tell us anything, says it's your job." He rambled on, pulling back to look at me properly.

"It's a long story Jase, lets sit." I sighed, moving over the kitchen counters. Felicia had just finished plating up my food for me and Ata had finished her. Rising to her feet she grabbed a spare chair to sit on, giving me the barstool. "Hey Hunt, you okay?" I asked the young brunette boy opposite me, aware that he could probably read all of our thoughts.

"Yes thank you Auntie Sookie. Auntie Ata told me where Uncle Jason and me are." He responded politely, taking a small sip of the orange juice that was in a glass before him.

"_I need to try and get the jinn into his mind today, he could hear my boys as they went to collect them from the airport in the early hours of this morning. I also have some information regarding Hadley, but I can't say it out loud." _I felt Ata filling me in on her findings, throwing up shields to create a narrow passageway between our two minds, meaning we were the only ones who could be part of the conversation.

"Why on earth are we in Vegas, Sook? What's going on?" Jason demanded as he sat himself back down on a barstool, looking between Ata and I with an expression of confusion. I could feel from Hunter's mind that he was confused to, and a little scared.

"Russell Edgington is after Eric and I. As Ata is the only fae member of our family in this realm we were sent here, to her, so that I could harness my powers and help Eric to bring down Russell. Unfortunately he found us last night and he sent me photos of you and Hunter going about your day-to-day lives. I had Ata ask some of her vampire friends to bring you both here so we can keep you safe." I explained, hoping my brother would understand why I plucked him out of Bon Temp, and why I plucked Hunter out of wherever he'd been living.

"Why is Russell after you both? Is that what you couldn't tell me over the phone?" Jason continued to fire questions at me.

"Eric killed Russell's vampire child, because Russell killed Eric's human family. You know my blood is different right? I don't have a blood type, and that's because it's got a tinge of fae in it, and fae blood allows vampires to walk in the daylight for a short while. Russell wants me for my blood, because he wants to walk in the sun, and also because I poured the remains of his vampire Childe down the drain at Fangtasia." I confessed, giving my brother a sheepish grin.

He was up on his feet, pacing the room. "No fanger is getting my little sisters blood, especially so they can walk in the sun! I won't allow it!"

"Jason!" I scolded; reminding him that Hunter was in the room. The young boy didn't need to have any prejudice against vampires. It would be the only way forward for the vampires, for the new generation of humans, and fae hybrids, to accept them.

"Apart from tall, blonde and dead. I can tell he loves ya sis, so that's fine by me." Jason corrected his little outburst, and I allowed myself a private smile at the fact that my brother had pretty much just given my relationship with Eric his blessing.

"We also have the slight problem of Felipe de Castro, and Bill." I added, realizing my brother needed to know the full extent of the danger we were all in.

"Who the hell is Felipe de Castro? And what has Bill gotta do with this?" Jason returned to his seat, firing questions at me.

"Felipe de Castro is the vampire king of Nevada. Each state is given a vampire king or queen, who in turn splits their kingdom, or queendom, into areas. They then select trustworthy vampires to run said areas for them, and they're known as sheriffs. Eric is the sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana, and I am the sheriff of Area 36, which covers Las Vegas." Ata explained as she took Hunter's empty plate away, offering him a kind smile as she filled up his glass with orange juice again.

"But you ain't no vampire, so how can you be a sheriff?" Jason frowned.

"Felipe is frightened of me, and the fact that the vampires who picked you and Hunter up from the airport last night are my four eldest children, we are all over 2000 years old where as Felipe is only 800. Age gives us an advantage, makes us stronger, faster, better." Ata continued. "Felipe is a problem because he wants me as his consort, but I am bound, and in love, with Godric. He tried to poison me the other night and revive me with his blood, as vampire blood enables the vampire to feel, and track, the person who has drank it." I could tell Ata was keeping the story PG for Hunter's sake.

"But I took vampire blood, shoot! Does that mean that the vampire whose blood I took could feel me and track me?" Jason paled.

"No Jase, the blood has to be taken directly from the vampire. If its been outside their body, for example kept in a vial or whatever, then it looses the magic that vampire blood naturally has, and therefore the vampire is unable to feel you or track you." I chipped in, remembering that piece of information from a conversation I'd had with Bill back when we'd been together.

Jason sighed in relief, smiling a little as he realized he wasn't in any danger of being tracked or having his feelings known, but then again Eddie was dead, I'd pulled that much from his mind, and a dead vampire certainly wouldn't be able to track or feel. "So, what about Bill?" he asked, moving along as he ruffled Hunter's bangs. The young boy was sat silently, and I had my shields down to monitor Jason's thoughts, and those of Felicia who was washing up the dishes. I didn't want Hunter to be exposed to any bad thoughts. Maybe I'd be able to go into his mind and create shields for him. I had no clue if that would work or not.

"Well we got this riddle from this mighty old vampiress who said that four people all of power are trying to part Eric and I, and Ata and Godric. Well we figured Russell and Felipe are two of them, and ever since I chose Eric over Bill, well I can't see Bill taking that too well. It makes sense for him to be the third choice." I shrugged, not really understanding how he could be a threat though. He didn't really have that much power. Sure he was the king of Louisiana, but Bill was really young in comparison to other monarchs.

"So whose the last person?" Jason flipped his hands, palms up, with a look of confusion as he awaited our answer.

"We don't know." Ata and I confessed at the exact same moment. Jason let out a long sigh, turning to Hunter who was starting to fidget.

"Women eh?" He shook his head, smiling. Hunter offered a smile in response, but I knew he didn't really understand my brothers' comment. He was only 10 after all.

"I need to train Sookie today, she needs to be able to use her powers a little more. You're both welcome to join us. It might be useful if you get some combat skills, Jason. I'm sure Eric, or Godric, could teach you when they rise for the evening." Ata suggested, and I could see Jase was thinking it over. He'd be a fool not to take the offer, Eric had been a Viking in his day so fighting was like second nature to him, and I had a feeling that Godric hadn't survived for 2000 years by running away from fights.

"Hunter, you were able to hear the thoughts of the vampires that came to collect you and Uncle Jason from the airport last night yeah?" I asked gently, giving the boy a reassuring smile. He quietly nodded his head. "What did they sound like?"

He paused for a moment, glancing nervously around the group before he looked back to me. "I was trying not to listen to them, momma said listening to people is very bad and that I need to stop right away in order to be a good boy, but their thoughts were so loud and all wiggly and I couldn't shut them out." His eyes welled up with tears, and I found myself having to push back my own. Hadley had told Hunter that he was bad for hearing people's thoughts? First she told Sophie-Anne about me and then she made her own child feel like a freak? That didn't sit well with me. I would teach Hunter how to shield properly, and I would shower him with love and affection in the meantime. He was scared and had been alone for his whole life with no one to talk to who would understand his difference. I found it curious how vampire thoughts were all wiggly to him, and that they were so loud, but I'd had years of experience with hearing peoples thoughts, so maybe my mind straightened their thoughts out and toned them down all of its own accord.

"You don't want to hear their thoughts anymore? It's okay if you do, 'cause Auntie Ata and I can help you with your shields, but we can help you if you don't want to hear them too." I offered, giving him the choice. Niall had taken the choice from me, and unfortunately having the ability to hear vampire thoughts would have saved me a whole boatload of grief, and Gran might not have even died.

"I don't want to hear them anymore." He confessed in a whisper, and if it weren't for Eric's blood in me, and my ability to hear Hunter's thoughts, I would have missed his words.

"I can make it go away Hunter. I have a very special friend who will guard your mind from all their thoughts. You won't have to listen to another vampire ever again if you don't want to." Ata stated, referring to the jinn that was locked away in the metal box in the safe.

"_If he wants to hear them when his shields are better, in the future, is there any way we would be able to remove the jinn, given the fuss last time?" _I mentally questioned Ata, using the narrow passageway we had created so Hunter couldn't intrude on our conversation.

"_Yes, we'll have to pay the creature off but it can be done." _Ata soothed my worries. While it would be good for Hunter to be oblivious to vampire thoughts for a while, until his shields were strong and he could use them easily, it would be even more of an advantage for him to hear them in the future, if only to keep himself safe.

"I'd like that Auntie Ata, Auntie Sookie." Hunter offered us a smile of relief, and I felt my shoulders slump with ease. I didn't want to shelter him, I'd been sheltered and look where that had gotten me, but at the same time I didn't want him to be constantly bombarded by thoughts when he was still trying to master his powers. Human thoughts were bad enough, the last thing he needed were the darker, malicious thoughts vampires sometimes had due to their natural instincts.

"Wait, ya'll can hear vampire thoughts? How come Sook couldn't? She told me they were just a big ol' blank to her, that's why she was drawn to Bill in the first place." Jason looked between Ata and I, quirking an eyebrow in a move very similar to a certain blonde Viking asleep in my bed. I cringed though at the mention of Bill. Jason had been right when he'd warned me about him, but I'd been so wrapped up in it, feeling love for the first time, finally being with someone who didn't see me as a freak or 'Crazy Sookie' that I hadn't even noticed it. I didn't regret my time with Bill, because it was my introduction into the vampire world, but at the same time everything was built on lies and his blood. I felt Ata squeeze my thigh under the table in a reassuring gesture, and gave her a mental smile of thanks.

"It seems one of your fae relatives stopped her from being able to hear their thoughts, to protect her from them. I was born into a world where vampires were everywhere, all six of my children are vampires and of course Godric is too, I believe I was given the ability to hear them because I would be in constant contact with them, where as your relative believed Sookie wouldn't be. I think Hunter was given the ability because he's so young, and vampires have only recently come out of the coffin so to speak. He was given the ability to keep him safe, he would be able to hear them coming, especially given Hadley's ties to the vampire world, but he has no need to worry about that now. He's safe in our nest, and he needs to block them out in order to focus on keeping human thoughts out." Ata explained softly to my brother, and to Hunter, whose young brain was trying to process everything.

"Momma is dead." Hunter suddenly blurted out. "She got too close to that red-head vampire lady, and she killed her. She wanted to change momma but momma couldn't be changed." Hunter looked down to his hands, kicking his feet under the table.

"Hadley's dead?" I whispered as the shock set it. I heard Ata sigh from beside me, nodding her head in confirmation as Jason's face fell. "Who have you been living with, Hunter?" I asked quietly, scared of the answer.

"Some of momma's friends. Daddy told them he doesn't want me, but he told them not to tell me. He likes to forget that I can hear people." He confessed with a shrug of his shoulders. My heart went out to the young boy, and I vowed then and there to talk to Eric at sunset. It wasn't fair that he continued living with Hadley's friends. He needed to be with someone who could help him, and Ata had way too much on her plate with her political position and business to take care of him properly and teach him everything about the Supe world, as there was no doubt about it that he was going to be dragged into it the older he became.

"It seems that, even without the essential spark, sky fae cannot be turned properly. She met the sun the day after she was made." I heard my cousin explain in a soft whisper.

"Shit Sook, we're all that's left. You and me are the only Stackhouse's. Hunter is the only Hale." Jason murmured as he came to terms with it. I had come to terms long ago with the fact that Jason and I were it, back when we'd been in Dallas after the bombing of Godric's nest, when neither of us had been able to sleep so we'd spent some sibling time together. It seemed that Jason had still been holding onto the thought that Hadley was alive, and at the time she had been, but she wasn't anymore. I knew it was wrong but I pried into Hunter's mind, and although he was upset over his momma's passing he wasn't that bothered by it. Hadley had abandoned him with friends and with Remy while she'd been busy with Sophie-Anne. He'd never really spent much time with his mother, and Hadley had always thought there was something wrong with him so she'd been careful to only see him when she'd been in good moods. Of course our little trip to the aquarium, when I had told her that Hunter was a telepath too, had done nothing to ease the boys self-esteem issues.

"I promise you now, my children and I will do everything to keep all three of you safe." Ata vowed to us, her gaze moving between Hunter, Jason and I. "Hunter, sweetheart, would you like me to stop the vampire thoughts for you right now?" Ata offered. I could hear, through the narrow mental channel we had going on, that it would easier for her to place the jinn in his mind during the day, so that when the vampires woke for the night he would only be met with silence, and that he wouldn't feel any stress.

"Yes please Auntie Ata." He replied quietly, and Ata slid from her chair, taking Hunter's hand in her own as she offered him a reassuring smile.

"I'll tell you what, my chef downstairs makes the most amazing chocolate cake you've ever tasted!" Ata exclaimed as she started to lead Hunter from the room, up the stairs to the training room, through the open bookshelf door.

"_I'll let you and Jase have some time alone, cousin. He needs to be informed about what's going on. Tell him not to think about what you're about to tell him when he's around Hunter, the poor boy doesn't need anymore frights." _Ata's mental voice chattered to me as she climbed the stairs with Hunter, shutting the bookcase door behind them to prevent the sound of Jason and I talking from reaching them.

"That's a pretty nifty thing don't cha think?" Jason grinned, pointing to the concealed entrance once it was shut.

"Yes it is." I agreed softly, realizing now that Jason, and most likely Hunter, would be dragged into my supernatural bullshit. Jason was silent, watching me, waiting for me to say something. "We're in a dangerous place, Jase. Russell Edgington has a grudge against Eric and he wants me so he can walk in the sun. He's a 3000-year-old psychotic vampire. He's older than Eric and he's even older than Godric. We were given this riddle by an ancient vampiress, who's seen as the top vampire in their hierarchy, and we've solved most of it but it isn't really helping much. The second night we were here the downstairs was bombed by a Were who was working, we think, for Russell or Felipe, maybe even both!" I sighed, rubbing at my eyes with balled up fists. Sometimes all I wanted was to go back to being 'Crazy Sookie' the Bon Temp barmaid. I could deal with rowdy and disrespectful rednecks better than I could vampires and their politics.

"Well why don't cha go and stake this Russell and Felipe in their day rests, problem solved!" Jason raised his hands, palms up, as if he'd just solved the hardest puzzle in the world. I loved my brother but sometimes I truly did want to put his head in a bucket and kick it around the yard.

"We don't know where Russell is, Jason, and there is a little more to it than just staking them. The repercussions would be immense, trust me, I've been buried in this vampire bullhockey for years now. We know where Felipe is and we have Bubba and Oscar going in undercover for us this evening for a few nights, to try and find out as much as they can." I explained.

"Bubba, I call Hoyt that." Jason seemed to drift of into his own thoughts for a moment until I snapped my fingers in his face, pulling him back to reality. Gran would have probably told me off for such a rude gesture, but now wasn't the time for dawdling.

"Well Bubba's real name isn't Bubba, it's Elvis, but you **have **to call him Bubba or else he gets upset." I knew there was no way I was going to get around telling him about Bubba. I figured it would be better to tell him now, during the day, than wait until the vampires rose for the night.

"He was named after 'The King' and he lives in Vegas? Too cool!" Jason grinned from ear to ear. We'd grown up listening to Elvis, so I couldn't blame him.

"No Jason, he **is **'The King'" I corrected. My brothers' eyes widened and his jaw dropped a little. Shaking his head he lent across the table, dropping his voice a few octaves.

"**The **Elvis was made in a vampire?" He whispered in awe.

Sighing, I allowed myself a small smile at my brothers' simple pleasure. "Yes, he was. He's left that life behind though now, so he goes as Bubba. Don't ask him to sing, or dance, and for the love of God don't try and get him to say any of his famous lines." I put down the ground rules. I didn't have to be a telepath to know was Jason was thinking.

Slumping back into his chair, Jason ran a hand through his hair. "Well dress me up in a frock and call me Cinderella! Elvis Presley was made in a vampire!" He whistled lowly, shaking his head. "Have you managed to get him to say any of his famous lines yet?" He suddenly gave a cheeky grin, leaning across the table once more.

Unable to help myself, I spilled. "He said 'thank you, thank you very much' the other night and I could only just hold onto my laugh!" I confessed, putting on my best Elvis voice. Jason broke into a fit of laughter and I found myself doing the same. It had been a long time since I'd simply laughed, laughed over something so simple. With everything that I had been thrown into over the past few years I rarely had anything to laugh about. Slowly our laughter subsided and soon we were both smiling at one another. "I've missed you, Jase." I whispered, taking his hand over the table.

"I've missed you too little sis, but you and I are here together now, an' we got Hunter and Ata too. All of our family is here, an' you got Eric too." He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand in a comforting gesture. "You're gonna get all the training you need to develop that spark of yours, even if I dunno what that means anyway, and then we're all gonna bring down them fangers who are trying to hurt ya."

"You don't mind that I'm with Eric? I know you're not a fan of vampires." I dropped my gaze a little, remembering how he'd acted when he'd first learnt of my 'relationship' with Bill.

"Hey, Sook, don't do that." His free hand came up and he lifted my head so I was forced to look at him. "I know I ain't always been a fan of the fang, but Eric seems like a real good guy. He takes care of ya, he really seems to love ya, plus he probably has lotsa money too, you wouldn't have to work ever again, I know how difficult it is for ya to be around lotsa people what with hearin' them all and stuff." He shrugged.

"Jason, I'm not with Eric for his money," I corrected him "and I wanna keep working, I like working. I could never sit at home all day and eat bonbons, waiting for Eric to rise for the night. You know that ain't me." I pointed out, making sure my brother understood.

"I know Sook, I wasn't saying that you're with him for his money, but it's nice for ya not to have to worry about that kinda thing anymore. I know how much ya use to give Gran when you got your wages each week, now you can start saving up for some stuff that you want." Jason shrugged again, offering me a smile. "But if you're happy with him then I'm happy for ya, but if he pulls a Bill on ya and breaks your heart I'll stake him myself, nobody hurts my baby sister." His protective side showed itself and I rose from my seat, moving across to him before I pulled him into a hug. Jason rose to his feet, scooping me up into a bear hug. Lost in my brothers embrace, I took the time to forget about the fact Russell was after me, and that my life was on the line once again.

"I don't tell ya this much Sook, and perhaps I should, but I'm proud of ya. I know I may have been frightened of what you are when we were younger, but I guess, looking back, that I was just jealous, 'cause you got all the special." His voice dropped the closer to the end of the sentence he got. My heart broke at my brothers' words, how could he not think he was special? Yes he hadn't been academically smart, and he was known around town for sleeping with nearly every woman who looked at him, but he was my brother, he was a track star and he had momma and daddy in him, and the tinge of fae blood in his system.

"Oh Jason," I pulled back a little to take his face in my hands, "you're special too. Just because you can't hear people's thoughts or shoot light out of your fingers doesn't make you any less special. You got momma and daddy in you, you've got fae blood in you even without a spark, you're loyal and you've always been good to me, you've always been good to everyone really. You've gone and got yourself on the police force Jase, you're enforcing the law, putting bad people in jail. You can't say you ain't special."

"Thanks Sook." He pressed a family kiss to my forehead before we parted, taking our seats back at the kitchen counters.

The elevator dinged and, as all of the Were guards had been killed yesterday, I took up a defensive position almost immediately. It felt instinctual. A chubby looking man dressed like a chef entered the room, momentarily startled by the sight of Jason and I. In his hands he held a plate, on which sat a large chocolate cake. "Oh, je suis désolé mademoiselle!" He apologized, taking in my defensive posture. I relaxed as I found his thoughts pertaining to Ata's request for chocolate cake. I remembered her telling Hunter that her chef downstairs made a really tasty chocolate cake. Although his words were in French, and so were some of his thoughts, he mainly thought in English and therefore I was able to understand him. I'd taken a few French classes while I'd been in school, purely because Miss Berry had thought in French and therefore I couldn't hear any of her cruel comments about my classmates or I. "Miss Caesar requested a chocolate cake?" He questioned, taking a few steps towards Jason and I. Nodding my head I gestured to the kitchen counter, which he placed the cake down upon. 'Enjoy your day mademoiselle, monsieur." He said goodbye to Jason and I before he disappeared back into the elevator.

Turning to the cake, I caught sight of Jason salivating. He was practically drooling over it. If there was one thing my brother loved more than women, it was food. He reached a hand out towards the cake and in his mind I saw his intentions. Slapping his hand away, I scowled at him. "Don't you dare stick your finger in the chocolate frosting Jason Stackhouse, that's disgusting!" I reprimanded him. He turned his puppy dog eyes on me, making small whimpering sounds, and I found myself struggling to contain my smile and laugh.

It was then Ata returned, entering the room with Hunter holding her hand. "All done little man, you were really brave, so, I had my chef bring up some chocolate cake!" She let go of Hunter's hand as he raced over, pulling himself up onto a chair, staring at the cake with the same expression that Jason had; like a man dying from a lack of water in the desert, or should I say dessert? Haha. I schooled my features at my own little mental joke, but I could feel Ata's mind prodding mine playfully. Clearly she'd heard me. "Now boys," she grabbed four plates and a large knife, "how big a slice do you want?"

An hour and a whole cake later the four of us sat back in our chairs, groaning at the amount of food we had eaten. The cake had been so good and it had been damn near impossible to stop eating it, I'd over indulged, we all had. "I hate to say this, but I think we need to go and do some more training Sook." Ata was first on her feet, picking up the empty plates, which she deposited in the sink for Felicia to clear up later on. Nodding in agreement, I slipped from the barstool, Jason and Hunter following.

"Uncle Jason, Auntie Ata has this cool room upstairs and it's really big and you can see of Las Vegas!" Hunter grinned, his excitement contagious as he informed Jason of where we were going as our little group made its way up the stairs behind the bookcase. Entering the room, I was pleased to see that the few broken floor tiles from our training exercises had been replaced, and the Viking sized dent in the wall from where I'd thrown Eric had been fixed too, along with the other dents from the training session Ata had partaken in with her children.

Jason let out a low whistle as he took in the room, and then the view. "Damn, best seat in the house eh?" He smiled over his shoulder at Ata who simply chuckled before she moved to the storage cupboard pulling out a few benches. Dashing to her side I lifted one end while Ata took the other, and together we moved them to the wall made of mirrors.

"I'm gonna need you guys to sit on these benches while Sook and I train, I don't want either of you to be caught off guard by stray powers." Ata explained as we moved the last bench into position. Hunter and Jason took their places on the benches as Ata retrieved the wooden and metal crates that had survived our previous training sessions, I also noted there were a few more in the little store cupboard. "Ari replaced them." She offered as explanation as she finished setting them up. "Okay guys," she turned to Jason and Hunter, "try not to freak out about anything, keep calm and collected and enjoy the pretty light show." She grinned, sounding like one of those cheesy airhostesses that always delivered the safety speech, the one about potentially dying or drowning should the plane suddenly fall from the sky, in a chirpy, cheerful tone.

Jason and Hunter simply nodded, and Ata moved to her boom box in the corner of the room. Starting it up, I had no idea what song she was playing, and the moment the singer started singing I was at a loss. It was in a foreign language! The beat was incredible though, and I soon found myself tapping my foot to it. "Okay Sook, three wooden crates, all yours." She gave a flourish of her hand towards the boxes. Feeling confidant, and in the mood to show off a little, I raised my hands to the crates, focusing my fae magic, concentrating on the centre of the crates. Drawing the energy inwards, I pictured myself throwing it at the boxes, and sure enough white light burst out of my hands, hitting the crates right in the centre. The pile toppled to the ground, a loud crashing sound ringing out as they splintered into numerous chunks. Now I could see why Ata would want us to train in the day! There was no way vampires could be around us with lots of flying splinters.

"Holy shit!" I heard Jason cuss as the light from my hands subsided. Turning to look at my brother and Hunter, I saw that both of them were looking at me with wide-eyes, but upon inspecting their minds I found that they weren't horrified by my actions, or frightened by them. They were both surprised, and both of them were wondering if they could do something like that. I didn't have the heart to tell Jason that he didn't have the spark and therefore couldn't, but Hunter would most likely be able to. Ata's high-pitched squeal broke me out of my thoughts as she bounced on the spot, clapping her hands happily.

"Okay, onto metal!" She turned to face the metal boxes and I drew in a deep breath, raising my hands once more. I knew from experience that the metal containers were harder to topple, but the blast I'd sent to the wooden crates a moment ago had been much stronger than before. Focusing my mind, I pulled my fae magic inwards once more; concentrating on one certain point of the metal crates that would more than likely help them topple. Pushing the power out in one hefty shove, the white light flew from my hands, hitting the metal crates exactly where I'd wanted it to. The crates started to tip, the top two wobbling with the intensity of my blast. I stood watching, holding my breath, but to my dismay they stopped wobbling and became still, still stacked on top of one another. Growling in frustration, my hands dropped my side.

"You can do it Auntie Sookie!" Hunter cheered me on from the sideline and I shot him a grin. Jason gave me thumbs up and, with the support of my brother, cousin and nephew I raised my hands and aimed at the metal crate stack once more. Drawing on my fae magic, I centered myself, flinging my light towards it. This time the crates tumbled to the ground, crashing against the wooden floor tiles. Squealing in surprise, both at the loud noise and the fact I had toppled them, I was unaware that Hunter had left his position on the bench until his arms were wrapped around my legs, holding me tightly. "You did it Auntie Sookie, I knew you could!" He beamed up at me. Laughing lightly, I scooped him up in my arms, holding him to my side. Jason was beside me a moment later as Ata started to clear away the wooden fragments and the toppled metal crates, a smile painted on her lips.

"Jeez Sook, I never knew you could do that! What else can you do?" He asked, awe evident in his voice. I bounced Hunter on my hip a little. I was well aware that he was 10 years old, and therefore a highly capable young boy who had been subjected to far more than any other 10 year old should have been, but I felt protective of him, like he was in need of someone to mother him and take proper care of him. Hadley had been on drugs when she'd been pregnant, or that was what her mind had told me anyway, so it was a miracle the little brunette boy on my hip hadn't been born deformed. Of course to Hadley his telepathy was his deformity. It made my blood boil.

"I can shoot light that harms people, light that heals people, light that can change peoples emotions and I can infiltrate peoples dreams. There's a bunch of other stuff but we haven't practiced with that yet." I explained as Hunter wiggled in my arms, so I willingly placed him down on the ground.

Jason was silent, and although I couldn't hear his thoughts I could feel his mind working in overtime. "Sook, that's incredible. Think of how well you'll be able to defend yourself! Of course you first learnt to defend yourself because of me, when I taught you how to fire momma's shotgun" His smug smile appeared on his features, so I allowed him a moment of self-satisfaction. His teachings had been mighty useful over the years, especially with those of the supernatural community being naturally faster than me. A bullet was usually the only way to slow them down enough to either escape, or come up with a plan of attack.

"We're gonna try and teleport now Sook." Ata informed me, wandering over to join Jason, Hunter and I.

"You never said I'd be able to do that, can I do that?" I asked with a frown, recalling the conversation Ata and I had shared when we had been discussing powers over dinner with Godric and Eric the first night we had arrived.

"Usually the ability to teleport is reserved for those who are a third, or over, in terms of fae blood, so that we can escape danger quickly. However, your spark is really strong for someone who is only an eighth, and you had a transfusion of Niall's pure fae blood last night, so I can only imagine what that will do for you. It'll help to awaken other gifts." Ata shrugged, ruffling Hunter's bangs as he stood between us.

I was a little nervous about teleporting. It wasn't like using my light, where the worst thing that could happen would be me blowing something up. I could end up anywhere in the world, and I might not even be whole! I had horrible visions of Mike TV from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the one with Johnny Depp in it. Tara and I had rented it from Blockbuster in Shreveport one day when she'd broken up with her boyfriend in tenth grade, Mick Hansel, and we'd spent the day, and most of the night, eating ice cream and watching movies. Mike TV had tried to transport himself into the TV, and Mr. Wonka had told him it was lucky that all of his little particles had been transported with him, or else he could have lost a limb or something. As if sensing my apprehension, Jason placed a heavy and firm hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay little sis, think of all the places you could pop to!" he grinned, as if going on vacation was one of my main priorities right now. A vacation would be nice though, when all of this was over. Maybe Eric would take me back to his homeland.

Deciding to get this over with, I gestured to the benches for Hunter and Jason to return to, and they did so without making a fuss. Ata held her hands out to me and I took them, locking our fingers together. "Okay, now we'll start with somewhere close, like the living room. All you have to do is picture where you want to go. You must have witnessed the location first, be it either in person or a photograph of it. You might want to keep a bunch of photos on you at all times, you can pull them from Google or whatever, so that you can reference them if you need to get away. I have personally always returned back to Egypt whenever I've needed to escape, and from there I pop myself home. If you're with another fae then they'll be able to follow you for a brief period of time. Think of your popping as a wormhole, and the wormhole stays open for a few seconds once you've passed through it. Any fae who's stood next to you or whatever can jump through it and end up where you are. So your best bet is to find somewhere away from them, make sure you have a minute or so head start." Ata explained, and I nodded to inform her that I understood.

"You can pop alone or with others, even if they aren't fae, however you must be having some form of physical contact with them, be it holding hands or for them to resting a hand on your shoulder etc. Popping is also instantaneous; there are no time jumps. You can pop to Faery too, but we won't go into that for a while." Ata gave a grim smile as memories of my time in Faery, where I was almost forced to eat the light fruit, played through my mind. I found myself also witnessing some of Ata's time in Faery, though she was quick to block off all mental contact between us. Why didn't she want me to see what had happened?

Shaking the thought, I nodded again for her to continue. "Okay, I want you to do as you did with the white light. You need to pull your fae magic into you and focus it, then, in order to pop; you need to distribute the magic around your system in order to ensure that all of you is teleported to your chosen location. Most people who end up suffering are in a stress when they try to pop and don't distribute their magic properly." She gave my hands a squeeze, offering me a reassuring smile. "We'll start with the living area. Close your eyes and picture it in your mind, think of the furniture layout, the smell, the colour of the walls, anything and everything." She instructed me. Doing as I was told I closed my eyes, pulling the memory of the room to the forefront of my mind. I recalled the brown sofas, the cream carpet and walls, the little kitchen area in the corner, the position of the elevator in relation to everything else. "Now pull in your magic." I heard Ata murmur quietly, and I followed her instructions, feeling my fae magic being pulled from my body to the middle of my chest. Focusing it, I kept the mental image of the living area fresh in my mind. "Now let it course through your whole body." She whispered. Pushing my magic out around my system I felt a tingling sensation take over, along with a sharp tug before I felt myself being pulled. Gasping at the sensation my eyes flew open and I found myself standing in the middle of the living area, still holding onto Ata's hands.

"I did it, I actually teleported." I breathed a sigh of relief, grinning as I took in the room.

"With practice you'll become quicker at it, but it's incredible that you can pop from place to place! I'll have to let Niall know of this development, it's amazing! I will say now though that you won't be able to pop in and out of a room that has a high concentration of iron in it, be it in the walls or actual iron bars on the floor of the room or whatnot. It's the one downside to the gift, but thankfully few buildings are built with very high levels of iron these days." She gave my hands another squeeze. "Can I ask you a question now we're alone?" She shifted on her feet, and I could tell she was nervous about either asking, or my response, maybe even both.

"Sure." I frowned, unsure what would cause my usually confident cousin to become shy and nervous.

"If you could go back and change it all, would you? Like, if you could go back and stop yourself from going out and 'saving' Bill, stop yourself from dealing with vampires altogether and live your life like you did before, would you?" Ata's question caught me off guard, so I dropped her hands to allow myself a moment to think. Pursing my lips together, I contemplated all the pros and cons.

"Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if I hadn't gone to Bill. Gran would probably still be alive, I'd have probably never ended up forever in the hospital, I wouldn't have been fairy-napped and be wanted by a psycho 3000-year-old vampire. But then I think of the things I've gained; I met Eric, I now know that I'm a fairy and I'm getting the training I need, I have a large family and I've saved a few lives. Sure I've killed some people, but they were bad people, and I've saved good people. I guess I just don't know, Ata. Why do you ask?" I sighed, my mind now working over her question. It would have been nice to continue my existence without the interference of vampires, but I had a feeling anyway that even if I had of ignored Bill he'd have found a way to get me, and I could be stuck as Sophie-Anne's pet right now than Eric's bonded.

"When I first found out what I was, and started to train up, I resented it. My long life and stuff meant I watched people around me grow old and I never aged a day, and while I love my children I hate that I took their mortal lives from them, even if they say they did it willingly. I don't know my answer to the question, which is why I asked you for your thoughts on it, to see if you could sway me. Seems both of us are unsure though." She gave a small, humourless laugh before she took my hands again. "Come on, pop us back, your brother and Hunter are getting worried. I'm still so excited you can do this!" She squealed, but I could still see the sadness in her eyes, and I could see mine reflected back in them.

Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes, following the same steps as before, however this time I pictured the training room. The same tingling, tugging sensation took over and when I opened my eyes we were back upstairs.

"Heck Sook! Think you could take me to work and back every day?" My brother teased. Laughing, I shook my head, causing my brother to pout. A knock at the door captured my attention and Ata turned to face it.

"Come in!" She hollered over the sound of the foreign music. Felicia wandered in, a smile on her lips.

"Miss Ata, Mr. Hanas is here for the outfit fittings." She informed us all before she disappeared back down the stairs. Ata squealed happily, shutting off the music.

"Outfit fitting?" I questioned, realizing Hunter and Jason were just as stumped as I was. Both boys removed themselves from the benches and Jason helped Ata return them to the store cupboard.

"The VRA passing is in two nights, we're throwing a huge party here in the Colosseum for vampires and humans alike. The theme is Carnival meets Showcase. You and I are going as showgirls." She clapped happily, taking my hand to drag me down the stairs. "We'll continue with your training this evening when the vampires rise, you need to practice hitting moving targets." I grabbed onto Hunter as we passed him, scooping him up. Jason followed us down the stairs. "I'll take you to see the Colosseum we have here after the fitting. I gave Tycho your measurements and a few guidelines and he's come up with something for you. He always creates all of my costumes and tailors my clothes for me if they aren't already. I had Ari send him Pam and Isabel's measurements too so that he could create them some costumes. Unfortunately I have nothing for the guys yet, but we'll work on that this evening! We could even go shopping, I know this incredible little fancy dress store!" She babbled on as we entered the living area.

An elderly man was sat on one of the sofas, a medium sized rolling clothes rail was just to his side along with a female manikin. Seeing Ata he rose to his feet. "Miss Caesar!" The moment he spoke I recognized his accent, it was exactly the same as Talbot's had been. Shuddering at the memory of Talbot, and pouring his remains down the sink at Fangtasia, Jason frowned in my direction, tipping his head to the side in a silent question. I shook my head, not wanting to discuss it, and double-checked that my shields were up. I didn't want Hunter to witness my cruel act. "And who are these lovely people?" The elderly man, who Ata had called Tycho, turned to Jason, Hunter and I.

"My cousins Sookie and Jason Stackhouse, and my nephew, Hunter Savoy." Ata introduced us all. I placed Hunter back down on the floor, but he clung to my leg, hiding behind it a little.

"Ah the little man is shy! There is nothing to be shy of young one, I have eight grandsons and they are all your age!" Tycho grinned at Hunter who offered him a nervous smile.

"It's nice to meet you, I had no idea Ata would be dressing me up for this party." I turned my accusing eyes to my cousin who simply shrugged, dancing off into the kitchen.

"Anyone want a drink?" She inquired, clearly at ease with the elderly gentleman. I knew it was wrong but I took a moment to dip into his mind, and I was pleased to find he was an honest and good man. He had been a tailor back in Greece but had immigrated to America in order to retire, however his medical bills had skyrocketed as he suffered from arthritis in his legs and chronic kidney disease so he had been forced back into work. He enjoyed working for Ata though, as her wardrobe was extremely varied and forever updated, so he had a constant flow of work coming in.

We all settled for glasses of water, so Ata returned with a tray of them. Distributing them between the five of us, she took a seat on the sofa. I picked the spot on her left, pulling Hunter up onto my lap, and Jason sat on her right.

"I'll show you the outfits I have for Miss Swynford de Beaufort and Miss Beaumont first, because I'm sure you ladies would like to try your own ones on." He gave a kind smile, placing his glass down on a coaster on the coffee table. Slowly he rose to his feet, crossing to the clothes rail, from which he produced a blue clothes bag. Unzipping it, he removed the outfit from the confines of the bag, dressing the manikin for us. Once he'd finished, he stepped back to allow us time to look over the costume. "For Miss Beaumont. Ari said she was Spanish, so I went with a matador theme." He explained as Ata rose to her feet, moving over to the garment. She ran her fingers over the fabric, a gleeful smile on her lips.

"It's beautiful Tycho." She complimented, and I couldn't help but agree. The pants and top were made of matching soft leather. The pants stopped at the knee, enabling Isabel to show off her legs and the dazzling heels she would no doubt be wearing. Damn vampires and their incredible sense of balance. Down the sides of the pants was a dark brown, embroidered strip of fabric, in order to hide the seams. The fabric was ornately embroidered with Spanish patterns. The top was form fitting and would hug Isabel's curvaceous frame. The v-neck would show off her cleavage and a small section had been cut out from the bottom of the fabric, in order to reveal her flat stomach. The same embroidered fabric covered the top of the top, following the 'V' until they met in the middle, moving down the top in one solid strip. A red sash would be tied around her waist and the fabric matched that of the jacket, which was cropped with shoulder pads and adorned with more patterns native to her home country. It looked exactly like the jacket's I'd seen matador's wearing on the television.

"I have also created a red rose for Miss Beaumont to wear in her hair." He added, removing the cute pin from his bag.

"What do you think Sook, Jason? You've both known her longer than me." Ata asked Jason and I. Turning to my brother we both nodded.

"She'll love it." Jason agreed. "What do you think Hunt?" he turned his attention to the brunette boy on my lap.

"I like it, you should tell her to curl her hair and wear it in a loose side bun, like momma use to." He suggested. Recalling how Hadley had worn her hair during our school years I smiled, realizing that she had continued to wear it in the same fashion years after we graduated.

"What have you got for Pammy, Tycho?" Ata meandered back to the sofa, taking her seat once more. Tycho gave a devilish grin and divested the manikin of Isabel's costume, hanging it back up. Taking out a bright pink garment bag, which had me rolling my eyes at how typically Pam it was, he removed her costume, dressing the manikin again.

It took everything in me not to laugh upon seeing it. It wasn't bad, in fact it was brilliant, but it was something Pam would wear at Fangtasia, which would help to cement her vicious and dark attitude. "Ari mentioned she was a Victorian, so I tried to incorporate her history into the piece." He informed us as Ata was once again up off of her feet, taking in the outfit. It was a mixture of black and grey fabric, a corset top tight enough that it was a good think Pam had no need to breathe. The skirt was made up of layers of ruffles in a variety of black, grey and silver coloured fabric, which would be skimming her bottom it was that short. Around the cups of the corset were more ruffles, matching those of the skirt. A cobweb design was embroidered into the panel in the front of the corset that was sheer. A black piece of fabric went from one side of the corset to the other, around the back of the manikins' neck. Looking at it closely I realized it looked very much like a vampire collar, the sort of ones that Dracula capes had. Tycho had placed black elbow length gloves onto the manikin, laced up with strips of black lace. He'd placed red cuffs around the manikins' ankles, and had moved the colour up by placing a red choker around the manikins' neck, complete with cross. "I was thinking Miss Swynford de Beaufort could wear fishnets and heels with it. I made her a small hat too." He pulled a top hat from the bag he had removed Isabel's rose from. The hat was black and rather small, with netting that would cover some of Pam's face and would sit at an odd angle on her head. I loved it. It was the perfect combination of sexy and dangerous.

"I think it's super cute." Ata declared.

"I agree." I concurred.

"It's rather sexy, but will blonde and deadly wear it?" Jason questioned, images of Pam flashing through his mind. She'd carded him at the door when he'd gone to Fangtasia in search of 'V' and had subsequently met Amy Burley.

"Earth to Jason, it screams Pam. Besides, if Ari tells her to wear it she will, no questions asked." Ata shrugged; turning back to stroke the soft ruffles of the fabric skirt.

"What's going on with them?" I questioned, remembering how Pam was acting around Ari, her mental thoughts in regards to the Egyptian vampire and the way she seemed to always be holding his hand.

"I think she's got a crush on my boy. I think my boy has a crush on her too." I could see Ata trying not to laugh at the notion that her Childe seemed to have a thing for Eric's. It was a good job that in the vampire you weren't biologically related as such, and that being in a relationship with your Grandsire's bonded's Childe was not frowned upon. It was reassuring to know though that our nest was closely tied together. Eric and I were bonded, Godric and Ata were bonded, and Pam was loyal to Eric while Ata's boys were loyal to her. Isabel was loyal to Godric and Bubba and Oscar seemed loyal to Ata.

"Pam has a crush, on a male." I tested the words out loud, laughing a moment later at the absurdity of it. I'd always known Pam was more a fan of females, given the way she used to leer at Yvette and I.

"Can I have a little top hat with my outfit Auntie Sookie?" Hunter turned on my lap to look at me, his wide chocolate eyes filled with hope. I'd only known Hunter a short while and yet I couldn't deprive this boy of anything.

"If you want a little top hat then you shall have a little top hat." I told him firmly. I was well aware of the outfits Ata had planned for the men, that was the benefit of being a telepath, but they weren't exactly appropriate for one as young as Hunter.

"Would you like to see what I have for you, Miss Stackhouse? Ata informed me that your partner likes the colour red." Tycho turned to me, a smile on his lips as he pulled a red garment bag from the rail. Placing Hunter down on the couch, he shuffled over to Jason who threw an arm around him, holding him protectively. Jason wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, or the brightest crayon in the coloring box, but he would be a good daddy should he ever have children.

Turning to Tycho, I nodded my head, taking the garment bag from him. Disappearing into one of the windowless corridors, where I knew it would be safe to change, I opened the garment bag. Inside was a red and black boned, striped corset that would not only keep my girls in place, but give them a boost too, there was a matching red ruffle skirt, the edge of the ruffles trimmed with black, in the bag also. There was a pair of matching black stockings with red ruffles around the top and a black and red choker, which had black beads hanging from it. Looking over the costume, I nibbled on my lower lip, contemplating just how revealing this outfit would be, and whether Eric would approve or not. _"Oh stuff it Stackhouse, he may be your boyfriend but he does not control what you wear!" _I mentally scolded myself. Stripping down to my underwear, I pulled on the stockings and the skirt first. Tying the choker around my neck I conducted a quick mental scan of the area. Everyone was back in the living room so I quickly removed my bra, grabbing the corset, which I zipped onto my torso, arranging the girls so they were sat comfortable within the fabric. My ample chest spilled over the top a little, but I was sure my Viking vampire would be more than happy with that.

Taking a deep breath, I moved back into the living area, still unsure as to the shoes I would wear with this outfit. They'd have to be heels, there was no doubt about that, and they would probably be red if Eric had anything to say about it. I remembered that Eric's favourite colour was red, and that Ata had remembered in order to have my outfit made in a shade my vampire would appreciate. I smiled at the thought. Entering the living room, I opened out my arms. "What do you think?" I asked, nibbling on my bottom lip. I kept my mental shields up, unsure as to what I would hear.

"Oh Tycho you have outdone yourself." Ata breathed, as she looked me over. The elderly gentleman dipped into his bag and produced a hair comb with two bright red feathers on. Moving towards me he parted my hair at the side, slipping the comb in so the red feathers would stand tall. They reminded me of the form the jinn had taken in my mind, Ma'at.

"Wowee Sook, you look like a showgirl alright! That vampire of yours will love it. Don't cha think the skirt is a little short though?" He commented as I twirled around on the spot.

"Auntie Sookie looks lovely, Uncle Jason. Shush." Hunter reprimanded him, causing us all to laugh, even Tycho.

"Eric will be a fool if he doesn't like you in that, but you must tell him to not get rippy with it!" Ata informed me, wandering over to double check the fabric, running her fingers over the silky material of the corset and the ruffles of the skirt. I flushed at the realization that Ata was aware of how much Eric liked to rip my clothes off of me before sex. A knowing smile crossed her lips as I blushed. "It's okay, like Maker like Childe." Ata whispered in my ear as she pretended to adjust the feathers in my hair.

"And of course, I would never forget you Miss Caesar." Tycho handed Ata a black garment bag, which she took with a huge grin, disappearing off into the other windowless corridor. I stood adjusting the skirt a little, worried about the length. "If it's too short for you Miss Stackhouse I can adjust it?" The elderly gentleman offered kindly. Worrying that I had offended him, I shook my head adamantly.

"It's perfect, honestly. My boyfriend will love it." I offered him a kind smile, checking my reflection in the TV screen. Referring to Eric as my boyfriend rather than my bonded was a strange sensation, but I was unsure how wise it was to divulge the true nature of our relationship to a complete stranger.

Ata returned a moment later; her dress was black, studded with silver gems. The bottom was jagged, torn into strips. The middle section, between her legs, was longer than the sides, revealing her thighs. The top of the dress was fitted perfectly, boned like my corset to maintain its shape. The dress was strapless and a deep 'V' showed off all of Ata's generous cleavage, but a panel of clear material had been used to ensure neither of the girls would pop out. On her wrists Ata wore white cuffs, similar to the ones on men's shirts, and around her neck she wore a white collar and dickey bow. "Tycho, I don't know how you do it, but I love it!" My cousin beamed at the elderly man, who was appreciating the dress on Ata in a critical manner. There was no leering or suggestiveness; he was simply admiring his work on her.

"You're missing one thing." He muttered, moving to his bag of goodies. From it he removed a top hat that was bigger than Pam's, but not as huge as a standard one. It was black and glittery like Ata's dress, and had a matching black feather on the back. Tycho placed it upon Ata's head, adjusting it a little before he took a step back.

"Well?" Ata turned to Jason, Hunter and I. It had a very leading lady feel to it, with a tinge of Parisian sass. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of Godric clapping his eyes on her, I'd heard them converse in French numerous times, and France had been part of Gaul. Was that intentional?

Hunter nodded happily as he gestured to the cuffs and collar. "I like those, they look formal but your dress makes them playful." He offered. I nodded in agreement with my little nephew.

"You need a ringmasters whip." Jason suggested. Ata gasped, eyes widening.

"Oh my goodness, yes! I'll send Riei to the costume store downtown this evening. Maybe if Felipe gets too close I can use it to batter him." Ata rolled her eyes. Jason and I laughed, well aware of what had happened and what was happening, but of course little Hunter was unaware of our in-joke.

"Thank you so much for these Tycho." Ata thanked the elderly gentleman, giving him a gentle hug.

"It's no trouble Miss Caesar, I'm just glad that you and Miss Stackhouse like them." He glanced between Ata and I, giving the outfits the once over one final time.

"Thank you Mr. Hanas." I remembered my manners, and Tycho's surname. Gathering up his belongings, but leaving behind our costumes, Ata saw him to the elevator where she bid him farewell. When he was gone she removed her top hat, placing it on Hunter's head, causing him to laugh.

"Am I a gentleman now?" he asked, sliding off of the sofa and onto his feet, where he padded over to the TV to check his reflection in the blank screen.

"You're always a gentleman, little man." Jason shot him a grin.

"Sookie, if we go and change now we can go and see the Colosseum before it gets dark? I want to show you all how incredible it is and show you what I hope to do with it." Ata's excitement was bubbling over and I looked to Hunter and Jason, who seemed eager to see this Colosseum. Nodding my head, I returned to the windowless corridor, changing back into my normal clothes. Ata had picked up Isabel and Pam's clothing and I could only assume she would be looking after them until the female vampires rose for the night.

Shutting the bedroom door behind me, I changed out of my costume, grinning as I took in the colour and the fit of it. I would have to issue a no ripping decree to Eric. Burying my outfit in the back of the wardrobe, so that Eric wouldn't find it, I changed my outfit. Picking out a pair of denim shorts and a pink tank top, I added a pair of pink ballet flats. Returning to the bedroom I padded over to my Viking. Sitting myself on the edge of the bed I pushed his fringe out of his eyes, stroking his cheeks. "I love you." I reminded him, knowing he wouldn't hear me. Leaning down I brushed my lips against his in a tender kiss before I pulled back, tucking the sheets around him. Trailing my fingers over his muscular back as I left, I ensured that the door was firmly shut behind me. I was unsure how the security system worked, I could enter any and all of the rooms no problem and didn't have to enter security codes or fingerprints. Pulling myself out of my thoughts as I entered the living area, I watched as Jason dressed Hunter in a small coat he'd brought with him. "We'll go shopping and get you some more clothes Hunter." I promised as he stretched his hand up to me. Taking it I held onto him tightly as Ata returned from her own room, dressed in a pair of black leggings, gladiator sandals, which I found highly amusing, and a shirt that was a little too big for her and clearly wasn't a part of her wardrobe until Eric, Godric and I had arrived.

"To the Colosseum!" Ata pushed the elevator button, calling it up to us.

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**A/N **

**translations:  
**_Oh, je suis désolé Mademoiselle! (French) = Oh, I'm sorry Miss!**  
**_

**Isabel's costume - **www{DOT}le-beau{DOT}co{DOT}uk/product-images/Large/83435{DOT}jpg**  
Pam's costume - **www{DOT}images{DOT}costumeideas{DOT}com/sexy-vampire-queen-costume-zoom{DOT}jpg**  
Sookie's costume - **www{DOT}struts{DOT}co{DOT}uk/party-fancy-dress-shop/images/34368rs{DOT}jpg**  
Ata's costume - **www{DOT}img{DOT}escapade{DOT}co{DOT}uk/SALEHIRE/Large/t0081{DOT}jpg


	53. Can't Fight The Moonlight

**A/N I think the Viking and his fairy need some time together now, plus I think he needs to seek counsel with daddy! :)**

**Sorry for the delay, I was travelling and my flight was cancelled so I ended up on the red-eye the next morning :/ I've been super busy too, so I'm thinking of having a 'posting day' once a week where I update. My chapters are pushing 15/16/17,000 words each now so it takes me a few days to write them. What day would be best for you guys? Let me know and I'll see what I can do!**

**Oh and yes, the contact lenses are nicked from Torchwood; I will forever ship Jack and Ianto! ;)**

**Much love to Miss. Sophie-Isabella, Nutmeg1985, Shortscotwifey, gottaloveva, casper22, ILuvBonesNDool, Duckbutt, Thorsminion, ashmo2000, jewelpearl, erin1705, ncmiss12, artzannie25 and TheLadyKT for their reviews! I would respond to you all individually but that would take me forever! But just know that I am so grateful for your reviews and I love you all loads! **

**Oh and erin1705, yes Jase did drink straight from Jess in TB and that's still the same in this story, but Sook only knows about Eddie considering she knew Jason was on V. I get the feeling she wouldn't go rummaging through his mind out of respect and would therefore be unaware of his little tie with Jess, unless of course Jase told her in TB, but I can't remember that! :L**

**500 reviews guys! *Throws the naked Viking at you all* I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

**NO BETA! All mistakes are my own and I'm sorry. I write really late at night so my brain sometimes wanders off and leaves me behind, leading to misspellings, grammar errors etc. As I go through this story to edit/clean-up I will iron out the mistakes, just bear with me!**

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**ERIC'S POV**

_Under a lovers' sky, gonna be with you a__nd no one's gonna be around  
__If you think that you won't fall, w__ell just wait until, 'til the sun goes down  
__Underneath the starlight, starlight, t__here's a magical feeling, so right  
__It'll steal your heart tonight  
__You can try to resist, try to hide from my kiss, b__ut you know  
__But you know that you can't fight the moonlight  
__Deep in the dark, you'll surrender your heart, b__ut you know  
__But you know that you can't fight the moonlight  
__No, you can't fight it, it's gonna get to your heart  
__There's no escape from love, o__nce a gentle breeze weaves its spell upon your heart  
__No matter what you think, i__t won't be too long 'til you're in my arms  
__Underneath the starlight, starlight, w__e'll be lost in the rhythm, so right  
__Feel it steal your heart tonight  
__~ Can't Fight the Moonlight, LeAnn Rimes_

Rolling over as I woke for the evening, I was disappointed not to have my little fairy to cuddle up to, to feel her small, warm body against mine. She was like my own personal radiator, not that I felt the cold, but it was nice all the same, a reassurance she was still alive. Checking our bond I found she wasn't anywhere in the penthouse, but she was close by, and she was rather happy and content. Good, she'd be more susceptible to my ideas for the evening then.

Dressing myself quickly in a pair of black jeans and a dark blue jumper, I headed out of the bedroom and across the hallway to my Maker's room. There was no need to knock; he would know I was on the other side of the door.

"Come in, my Childe." I heard him through the door. Not needing to be told twice I entered quietly, finding him sitting on one of the chocolate coloured seats in the room, near the window which overlooked Vegas. Sparing a quick glance around, and letting my hearing do some of the work for me, I ascertained that Ata wasn't in the room. "She is with Sookie, I believe." He informed me with a knowing smile, having clearly worked out what it was I had been doing. Gesturing to the seat opposite him, I took it quickly. The room was beautifully appointed, and a lot more time and effort had gone into it than the guests' rooms like the one Sookie and I were staying in. They were beautiful too, but it was apparent that Ata hardly ever used them. The room was painted in shades of cream to give it a bright, yet warm feel. In some sense it felt like a representation of Ata – bright, clean, modern, yet with a touch of warmth. The room smelt like both my Maker and his bonded, of fresh linen and the subtle undertone of their couplings.

"What's the matter, my son?" He was always to the point. Even though we had all of eternity, patience was not one of our strong points unless we were waiting for an enemy to slip up, or for our loved ones to return to us.

"I worry about Sookie, she's still led by her heart rather than her head. She was going to go running to Jason and Hunter last night without thinking about it, which would have been exactly what Russell would have been betting on. I fear she might do something reckless, and I can't lose her, I won't." I stated, not feeling the need to hide my emotions in front of Godric. He was my Maker, he knew me better than I knew myself at times.

"Sometimes my Childe, you'll have to play the bad guy in order to keep her safe. When she finally returns to reality and thinks about it then she'll know you're right, but don't rub it in. She's a very proud woman, and her Southern upbringing has instilled in her the need to put others before herself. Just promise me, and yourself, that you won't order her around when in private, like you did last night when you called her back to you, as she was about to leave. I have a funny feeling your little fairy doesn't appreciate being ordered to do something by anyone. Instead, may I suggest calmly explaining to her why she shouldn't do something, and then use that wonderful mind of yours to give her an alternative? I think, though I may be wrong, that she fears to be considered as a 'pet', she wants to be your equal. I know our world makes that difficult in public, and perhaps you need to explain that to her. She's incredibly loyal though, my son, and that's a rare quality in someone these days." He reassured me, giving me food for thought at the same time.

"Sometimes I just want to wrap her up in cotton wool and whisk her off to my farm in Öland, that way I can keep her safe from everything in the world." I confessed. "But Compton wrapped her in cotton wool, and look how that worked out." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I wasn't use to these human emotions, this worry, and this level of care. I cared for Pam yes, she was my Childe, but I knew she could hold her own for a while without me, I'd taught her everything I knew and she was a strong fighter, a survivor. Sookie was fragile though, a knife, a bullet; even a tumble could kill her. There was no way I could turn her though and for her to survive it, to remove some of her fragility.

"Sookie needs to be in this world, Eric, she needs to see what our world is like. If it were too much for her she would have disappeared by now, she wouldn't be here with you. This training she's receiving will hopefully make her stronger, so you won't have to worry about her as much. Her place is with you, and you both know that, you belong together my Childe, you're fated after all." He lent forward, placing a reassuring hand on my knee.

"I know, and I will forever be grateful to whichever God decided to bestow such a gift upon me, because I truly don't feel deserving." I pursed my lips together, placing a hand on top of Godric's. It was comforting to feel his presence in our bond still, to feel his hand on my knee. Two years ago I very nearly lost him, and it was a cold, hard reminder of just how important he was to me. He made me, he took care of me, raised me. I was part of him and he was part of me.

A smile flickered across his lips as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "Oh you are very much deserving my Childe." His words caused me to smile. I hadn't done very much to be proud of over the years, yes I had created a business empire, which had made me wealthy, but I had taken and taken from the world, from the humans, and never once gave anything back. Fangtasia was a lucrative business, a chance for humans to have a brush with 'death', and yet Pam and I had mainly created it so that our food would come to us, rather than us going to them. It was a selfish move. I wouldn't take anything for granted though anymore, I had very nearly lost my Maker to the sun, and I had very nearly lost Sookie on numerous occasions, the worst being to the fairies. The thought of her being used as a broodmare caused my emotions to shift into something a little darker.

"She compliments you. I believe Martin Luther King Jr stated that darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Sookie is your light, just like Ata is mine. We were both on spiraling paths into a deeper sense of darkness, I was going to meet the sun and end it all, and you were being forced by Sophie-Anne to sell her blood and you were fighting with Russell. Our women pulled us back from those edges, unknowingly so. You use to be so bitter, my boy, and that is my fault. I drove all emotion out of you, but Sookie is restoring that, and I am very grateful for it." He brought his hand up to my cheek and stroked along my cheekbone softly. Leaning into his hand I closed my eyes, purring lowly at the love flowing in our bond. "I'm very proud of you, Eric. You're my greatest achievement." He whispered softly, leaning forward to press a fatherly kiss to my forehead.

"Have you spoken to Ata about the third bond yet, about day walking? It would give us an advantage over Russell." I questioned, remembering how badly Russell wanted the sunshine. If Godric and I were to have it, then we would be far superior, and would probably have a higher chance at taking him out.

"She found out last night, but I told her I do not wish to create the third bond out of a need for protection, or for an upper hand. The third bond is sacred, Eric, just like the blood. The third bond is unbreakable my son, and sets the tone for the rest of your lives together, it binds you together as one. If we create those bonds in a desperation hope for some safety, then I fear our bonded's will be in even more danger. The third bond should be created out of love. I know that goes against everything I have taught you, but trust me when I tell you to wait." He brushed a stray strand of my golden hair from my face. "You should tell Sookie though, it would be unfair for her to hear about it from Ata." He added gently, causing me to nod in agreement.

"Lets go find our women." He removed his hand from the side of my face, rising to his 5'6 height. I followed, towering over him. It was easy to see why people simply assumed I was the elder of the pair of us, but it was the silent strength that Godric exuded which gave the game away. He had no need to physically show off.

Together we left the bedroom, entering into the living area. Checking my bond with Sookie, and the weak one I had with Ata, I was pleased to find that they were together and both were well, though they were not in the penthouse. It was then the scents lingering in the air assaulted my senses – two from Sookie's bloodline, one unknown human male, a little on the aged side, and a hint of magic. Scowling, I did a quick scan of the area, spotting two suitcases by the elevator doors that hadn't been there when I had slipped into my day rest. Jason and Hunter had clearly arrived in one piece. Pam was sat on one of the couches, and I offered a nod in acknowledgement, which she readily returned. My Childe was lazy, but beautifully loyal.

"Sookie and Ata aren't here." I commented as Ari entered the room, having changed his usual suit and tie look for a pair of comfy sweatpants and a fitted white shirt, which I caught Pam checking out. I sent her a wave of amusement, and she responded with a wave of mercy. I had to try not to laugh out loud. I would never tie of teasing my Childe, as she had teased me at every opportunity when I had been pinning over Sookie during her yearlong absence.

Ari paused in his step, glancing to the ceiling for a moment before he smiled. "They're in The Colosseum. Come, I'll take you." He offered a hand down to Pam, who took it with a small smile. Godric and I walked behind them; both of us noting how comfortable Pam seemed to be with the Egyptian vampire. I was a little baffled by her sudden attraction towards him and her acceptance of such affectionate physical contact, but then Pam had always been a complex and fickle woman.

"What is The Colosseum?" Pam enquired as we all entered the elevator, Ari hitting the button to go down to the ground floor.

"The Colosseum is a modern replica of Rome's architectural wonder. In the year 2000, we made plans to renovate the defunct Circus Maximus Showroom, which we opened in 1962. During this time, we were approached with a new business venture with Celine Dion. Once the venture was passed, we cancelled the renovation and a new entertainment venue to replace the old showroom. We closed the showroom in September 2000. The Colosseum was built specially to house Celine Dion's "A New Day..." concert. We made sure the construction coincided with other renovations to the hotel, such as the addition of retail space, meeting areas, restaurants, spas and a 20-story all-suites tower as part of the hotel. We started the project in December 2002 and completed it on February 4, 2003, and then we opened it up on March 25, 2003. The success of Celine's show drew more entertainers to perform here for us, which of course helped us to pay off the $90 million it cost to construct. We've had Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Diana Ross, Romina Arena, Faith Hill, Ricky Martin and Luis Miguel perform here. We also host comedy shows from time to time in there, with people such as Kathy Griffin, Chelsea Handler and Ellen DeGeneres. We made sure that it was fitted with world-class acoustics and given a classic style. Ata oversaw the design herself, given that she visited Rome on occasion to see her father. We're turning it into the venue for the VRA passing party though in two nights, so we've had teams in all day removing the seating, rigging up live feeds to the TV screen so we can all watch the news when the votes have been counted and we've had people blocking off the upper levels, in order to keep everyone contained. I think Ata even called in some technical guys to sort out lighting and such. I tend to leave that kind of thing to her." Ari laughed as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor.

I'd completely forgotten about the VRA passing, of course Sookie and Ata had spoken about it during the day when they had recorded their conversations and actions for us, but so much has happened since then that it slipped my mind. If the VRA is passed, I'll be able to transfer my businesses into my own name; I might even transfer my homes into Sookie's name. I had them assigned to random humans, who I'd glamoured into giving Pam and I invitations but to not give them out to any other vampire. At least if they were in Sookie's name I would rest in peace knowing she couldn't be glamoured, and that she would never dare breathe a word of their locations. It'd be legal for me to marry Sookie too, but I had a feeling that she would want to wait for that. She hadn't been too happy with the fact I hadn't told her immediately that the third bond would be the equivalent of marriage in the vampire world. I'd marry her by both of our customs though, heck I'd even go as far as to marry her by fae custom, considering I could probably get away with that now given my real heritage. The thought that my father, the man I had thought of as my father, wasn't my real father was like a knife to my silent heart. He had believed me to be his son, raised me as his own, loved me unconditionally and had handed me his crown upon his death. It may not have been his blood that had been in my veins, nor his DNA in my genetic makeup, but I would still honor him by delivering the true death to Russell. I wondered if my mother had told him the truth that I wasn't his, or if she had allowed him to believe I was.

Moving through the Forum shopping centre inside Caesar's Palace, I took note of the stores – Tiffany and Co, Dior, Fendi, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. I could feel Pam's longing through our bond and it were possible for a vampire to hyperventaliate I had a feeling she would have been doing exactly that. Ata and her children, my brothers, had built themselves an incredible empire. Moving through a marble arch we reached a pair of heavy wooden doors, roped off. Ari unclipped one side of the rope, pushing the doors open before he held them for us all. Nipping through, Ari replaced the rope barrier and shut the doors behind him.

"No no, lower it a little." Ata's voice drifted through the huge space. I was silent as I examined the space, it was of course circular like the real Colosseum, and the stage sat on one side. A huge empty space lay before it and I could picture the hundreds of thousands of seats that would have usually filled the space. The upper levels, which all appeared to be blocked off, still contained the luxurious red seats. We had come in through the side entrance, the fire escape if you will, and looking out across the sea of space and red seats I could clearly see two huge arches that would allow guests entrance. The room was decorated in wood, giving it an earthy feel, and on the wall space on either side of the stage were painting of Roman gods. I recognized them immediately from one of the many textbooks I had studied over the years. Jupiter sat on the left, the master of the gods and the main Roman god. It was said that he held thunderbolts in his hands, which he could hurl from the sky. He had always reminded me of Thor, having the ability to control thunder and lightening. On the right sat Neptune, holding his trident. Of course he was the powerful god of the sea. It was then I realized what exactly I was looking at, a god of the sky and a god of the sea. Ata was from the sky, and Godric from the sea. Sookie was from the sky, and I was from the sea. Lost in my mind, trying to work out if it was merely a coincidence or something more, I didn't hear Sookie approach me until she was stood right before me, her arms wrapped around my middle.

Snapping out of my contemplation I wrapped my arms around her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Good evening lover how was your day?" I pulled back to look down at her, offering her a warm and tender smile.

"It was great, Jason and Hunter arrived safely." She filled me in, gesturing over her shoulder to her brother and a small brunette boy, the one from the photo, who was helping Jason and Ata to direct the huge chandelier up to the centre of the room. "A lightbulb went." Sookie grimaced towards Ari, who mimicked her expression.

"I could smell another male in the penthouse, and some magic. What have you gotten up to today?" I enquired, my curiosity burning away at me. Of course Sookie could feel it through the bond, and thankfully she put me out of my misery.

"Ata's tailor came today so we could try on our outfits for the VRA party, the theme is Carnival vs Showtime, and you have to dress up too." She prodded my chest, but of course I didn't even flinch. The thought of dressing up didn't bother me, I dressed up for Fangtasia's Halloween party every year, and there wasn't much I could look ridiculous in, if I could say so myself. "You should see the costume we have for you Pam, it's perfect for you." My bonded grinned at my Childe, whose whole face lit up. As if one woman wasn't difficult enough, now I would have to deal with two of them in cahoots with one another!

"Ata and I are going as showgirls, we even have a costume for Isabel too, but we have nothing for you guys yet, so you're gonna have to go shopping for something." Sookie explained with a shrug.

"What about the scent of magic?" I questioned, wondering if they had been attacked again today. They all looked to be in okay shape, but then again Sookie and Ata had the ability to heal people with their green light.

"Oh Ata gave me some more training and I teleported for the first time. I technically shouldn't be able to do that because I don't have enough fae blood but my spark is strong enough." My bonded grinned at me, clearly pleased with herself. I couldn't contain my pride and pulled her in for another hug. "I can teleport anywhere in the world, so long as I can visualize the place. So, you're gonna be taking me on lots of holiday's, Viking." She teased me as she pulled back from our hug.

"Oh lover, I'll take you all around the world if you so wish it." I promised her, pressing my lips to hers to finally claim my good morning, or good evening depending on how you looked at it, kiss.

"If he offers to take you to his farm in Öland then don't go, that place is a windy shithole." Pam quipped, causing my beloved to laugh.

"You'll have to show me your teleporting skills later love, I want to know how it works." I brushed a few stray strands of her blonde locks from her face, remembering how they shined in the sunshine. Perhaps soon, when we were bonded thrice, I would get to see her in the sunshine once more. Instantly I remembered Sookie's ability to read vampire minds now so I quickly buried those thoughts in the very back of my mind.

Ata, Jason and Hunter finished putting the chandelier in place and the trio made their way to our little group, Hunter's hands firmly locked into Jason's and Ata's as he walked in the middle of them. Letting go of Hunter's hand, Ata made her way to my Maker, and the pair of them exchanged a chaste kiss, obviously keeping it PG for the teacup human in our presence. Sookie took Hunter's spare hand, holding him tightly. "Hunter this is my," Sookie seemed to pause for a moment to find the right word that the little human would understand, "boyfriend, Eric." She introduced me. I could feel Pam's amusement at such a human label and I sent her a small wave of dissaproval. If it were a way for Hunter to understand then I would accept the label. "This is his," she paused to look for a right word, mouthing an apology at us all for the human labels, "father, Godric." She introduced my Maker, who ruffled the boys' hair affectionately.

"You love Auntie Ata." Hunter spoke up to him, offering him a knowing smile.

"You're correct, Hunter." Godric offered the boy a smile in response.

Hunter turned to look up at Sookie. "If you love Eric, and Godric loves Auntie Ata, does that make them my Uncles?" He asked innocently. Pam's amusement flooded the bond and I didn't have the heart to scold her for it. Ata had to stifle her coo behind her hand.

A smile tugged at Sookie's lips, as she looked down to the teacup human beside her. The labels humans put on relationships never transferred well into the undead life, but it was sweet to see the young human try and figure out all of our relationships to one another. "I don't know Hunter, you'll have to ask them." She told him softly. Shyness suddenly overcame the little boy and he hid behind Sookie's legs. Spotting an opportunity, not only to annoy Pam but also to make the young boy feel comfortable in vampire presence, especially mine, I crouched down before him.

"If you would like me to be your uncle, Hunter, then I would love to." I informed him, offering a fang-less smile. Gaining back his confidence, the teacup human abandoned his place behind Sookie's legs, instead throwing his arms around me in a hug. Startled by his sudden embrace, it took me a moment to respond, but I soon found myself wrapping the little boy up in my arms. Hunter pulled back a moment later, looking up at Godric who crouched in front of him, not having to cover as much distance as me to be the same height as the young boy.

"I would love to be considered as your uncle too, little one." He told Hunter softly, who responded in exactly the same way he had with me, throwing his arms around Godric in an embrace.

"_His mother, Hadley, is dead, and his father doesn't want him. Jason and I are all he really has left, which is why I think he's asking you all if you'll be his family too." _I heard Sookie mentally inform all vampires present. Watching Hunter as he extracted himself from my Maker, I could see that behind his happy and bubbly exterior he was sad, afraid and lonely. If it was family he wanted then I would make sure he would have it, lots of it. The corner of my lips quirked upwards as I realized I could give him another family member.

"I have a daughter, Hunter. This is Pam." I gestured to my Childe, whose earlier smile faded as she realized what I was about to say. "So it looks like you have a cousin!" I grinned at the young boy, allowing my mischief and amusement to flow through my bond with Pam. I could feel her mortification at such a title and it only spurred on my enjoyment of the situation. Hunter turned to look at Pam with a shit-eating grin, and I could see the look of horror on my Childe's face. Rising back up to my full height at the same time as Godric, Hunter moved over to Pam.

"What do you want, short stuff?" she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not short." He sassed her, and I found myself laughing quietly at the fact this little human, who only came to mid-thigh, was sassing my feisty, fierce progeny.

"You are compared to me." Pam retorted, letting go of Ari's hand to fold her arms over her chest.

"One day I'll grow up to be big and strong, and then I'll be taller than you. Besides, you're cheating." He pointed to her ridiculously high-heeled shoes, causing my Childe to look down at her feet. I could feel her inner turmoil at the fact she didn't have a response for that. Hunter, sensing he had won, stuck his tongue out childishly at my progeny, who surprised us all by responding in exactly the same manner.

"You're not bad for a teacup human, squirt." Pam complimented Hunter after she'd pulled her tongue back into her mouth. Hunter grabbed her legs, hugging them to him, causing my Childe to slip into shock, but she soon brushed it off, awkwardly patting Hunter on the top of his head as if he were an obedient dog. The mental image made me bite down on my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"And of course you and Uncle Jason met my eldest boy, Ari, last night." Ata introduced Hunter to him, and Hunter gave the Egyptian a wave, which was returned.

"Do you have everything planned for the party?" Ari shifted the conversation, his eyes trained on Ata who was still at my Maker's side.

"All the main work is done, as you can see." She gestured to the large space where the chairs had once been. "And on the morning of the party I've got people coming in to decorate the place, and I have E(E)E coming in to provide the catering. You wouldn't believe how much the stupid tiger wanted for the service! Apparently his business was in high demand, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let Celina beat me at a party." Ata scowled, and I could immeditly feel the hostility coming from her.

Unsure if it would work or not, I sent my mental question to Ari. _"Celina is?" _I quizzed, trying to include Pam and Godric in on the mental conversation. Clearly it worked as I felt their surprise and then curiosity.

"_Sheriff of Area 24, Arizona. Her area borders Ata's and the pair of them have been locking horns ever since Ata was given the position." _Ari mentalled filled us all in, maintaining conversation with Ata easily.

"We need to send Bubba and Oscar into Felipe's mansion this evening, shall we go up and prepare?" Ari suggested to his Maker, who nodded her head. Hunter took hold of Sookie and Jason, swinging between them as we walked as a group out of the Colosseum. I took Sookie's spare hand, locking our fingers together.

"What did you do today, Hunter?" I asked the small boy as we all made our way back to the elevators.

"Miss Felicia cooked us breakfast and then Auntie Ata gave me a friend in my mind so I can't hear all of you, so now you're all really quiet, see?" Hunter let go of Jason's hand, moving so that he was holding onto my hand, and Sookie's. Holding the little boys hand tightly, I felt a sense of longing fill my bond with Sookie, which I could understand. I could give her anything but a little one. Looking over Hunter's head, I watched her as she glanced from the small child between us to his hand in mine, then up to look at me. I felt my own sense of longing wash over me and pushed my love for her through the bond, wanting her to know that I was okay with this, that I was sorry I could never give her this. Hunter started to swing our joined hands as he continued on with his tale of his day. "Then we ate a huge piece of chocolate cake and Auntie Sookie had some training. She knocked over a huge tower of wood and metal boxes today before she popped out of the room, like this." He chattered on in an excited tone, letting go of Sookie's hand to put his finger in his mouth, clicking it against the inside of his cheek to make a popping sound. Unable to stop my laugh, I showed my appreciation for the demonstration. Grinning up at me, Hunter wiped his hand on his slightly tatty jeans before he took Sookie's hand once again. It was only now that I realized what he was wearing. His jeans were a little on the short side and incredibly well worn, and the t-shirt he was wearing was a little tight – but not in a fashionable sense. He was in need of some new clothes. Perhaps I'd send Pam to get some for him later, I'd have to tell her that he wasn't to be her new dress-up doll though.

"It sounds like you've had a very busy day, little man." My Maker commented as we all entered the lift, Hunter's small hand still lost in mine. I could feel Pam's amusement at the situation, so I glanced over my shoulder at her, offering a shit-eating grin. Hunter's head bobbed in a nod as he agreed with my Maker.

The lift arrived at the penthouse and we all entered the room, the other vampires in our nest were settled in various seats around the room, and the tech guys from the night Ata had entered Felipe's mansion were there too. "Thanks for coming in on such short notice guys. I need you to fig up my Childe, Oscar and one of my closest friends, Bubba. They're both going to be entering the home of a man whose very secretive and will probably conduct checks on them and their luggage when they arrive. What can you do for me?" Ata questioned the men, moving to take a seat on the sofa, which Riei and Oeri had vacated, the two males moving to stand behind the sofa protectively. My Maker took the seat beside her and Pam took the vacant spot on her other side as Ari stood beside her. Isabel, Bubba and Oscar were sat on the other sofa, meaning there was no room for Hunter, Sookie, Jason or I.

Sensing this; Khai disappeared for a moment before he appeared with the barstools from the kitchen, and a few chairs from the guest bedrooms. Sookie and I took chairs next to one another, and Hunter looked to be at a loss of where to sit. Deciding to take the choice from him, in order to get him settled quickly so our plan to send Oscar and Bubba into Felipe's mansion could begin, I scooped the tiny human up, sitting him on my lap. Wiggling a little he soon found a comfortable spot and lent back against my chest, keeping a firm hold on my hands, as if I would let him fall. Sookie's adoration came flooding through our bond, tinge with her love and longing. Ruffling the boys' bangs, I sent my bonded back a wave of pure love, offering her a smile over the top of Hunter's head.

I was aware of Jason's eyes on me and my interactions with both Sookie and Hunter. If it weren't for the time we had spent together during the year of Sookie's absence I would have growled at him for his critical observations. But, I had learnt during our time together that Jason Stackhouse wasn't a bad guy, he was just seriously misunderstood. He wasn't the brightest of the bunch academically, but then again I wasn't either, however he was good at thinking on his feet, quick to respond to situations and he loved and cared for Sookie dearly, and I could tell that love was extended to the little boy on my lap too. He could look over ever aspect of my relationship with Sookie and he would only find that my love for her was real. There were no lies; no manipulation like there had been Bill. In some sense I could understand his need to examine our relationship and ascertain if I was good enough for his sister, I had done the same to Ata when I had first met her and she had embraced my Maker. It seemed a trait, for those in the Stackhouse line with fae blood, to be loyal to those closest to them and exceptionally protective.

I could also see Jason's eyes drifting to Bubba every now and then, but he never once gave any outward appearance that he recognized him. _"I read him the riot act earlier." _I felt Sookie intrude on my mind, and I playfully gave her mind, which I could feel in my own, a little swat. She raised a hand to her mouth, clearly trying to stifle her laughter as I sent her my mirth through the bond. It seemed Sookie and I rarely got time to ourselves, to do whatever we wanted to do. We were always being chased by some lunatic, or we were always thrown into the middle of some disaster.

"We can sort out contact lenses like the ones you wore, and we've actually got a model we're currently testing that has lip reading software in them. So long as you're looking at a person, and have an angle where you can clearly see their lips, the contact lenses can send the image back to a computer in any location and the computer can read the other persons lips, converting them to words for others to view. They even have the function to allow the viewer of the computer to type messages to the person wearing the contact lenses, thus enabling two-way conversation. You can also record whatever the person wearing the lenses is seeing and hearing." One of the tech guys informed us, his companion dipping into one of the metal cases they had brought with them to reveal a small white contact lenses case.

Ata took the lenses case from them, looking it over for a moment before she passed it on to Oscar. "Have you ever worn contact lenses?" She asked the baby vamp, who shook his head. Oscar handed the box to Bubba, who looked it over for a moment before he opened it.

"You'll probably get more use out of them than me, I can't see Felipe filling me in on anything extremely important, or allowing me to be in the room when he's discussing anything serious." The young vampire shrugged, obviously aware of how low down in the food chain he was.

Taking the lenses out of the case, Bubba started to insert them. "Do you have anything I could use, perhaps?" he asked them man rummaging through the metal trunk. Finding what he was after, he produced a bottle opener, handing it to the young vampire. The metal was thick, but it didn't look very heavy. The design on the front was of the night sky, complete with the planets and the stars. Jupiter was the only planet of any colour, painted in red.

"Because you're a good mainstreamer." He offered Oscar a wink before he chuckled. "Embedded inside the metal of that is a bug finder, use it to sweep rooms when you enter them before you have private conversations. Jupiter will flash bright red when there are bugs in the room and then, as you get closer to the bugs, will remain bright red. You can also use it to check your phone for any listening devices or such should you leave it in your room unattended. I assume you have an untraceable phone?" He questioned the young vampire, who apologetically shook his head.

"Well it's a good job we have that covered too, already programmed with the numbers for Miss Caesar and Mr. Seti-Nekht's untraceable phones." The elder of the two men chipped in, removing two phones from the case, handing one to Oscar and the other to Bubba.

"You two are gonna be spies?" Hunter spoke up from my lap, eyes wide at the idea.

"You're right we are, we're gonna be like James Bond." Bubba beamed happily at Hunter. The reference to the English spy was lost on the young lad however he smiled and bobbed his head happily anyway, playing along like he understood Bubba's words. I had a feeling the action was second nature to the young human, pretending to go along with the things people were saying, even when their minds were screaming out something entirely different.

"The first sign of trouble and I want the pair of you out of there, okay?" Ata informed the two with a stern glance, both vampires nodding their consent as Oscar tucked the bottle opener into his pocket. The next twenty minutes were spent familiarizing Sookie and Ata with the communication link they would have with Bubba, even Ari and Khai were told to pay attention in case they needed to take over from either of the two women. Hunter remained on my lap the whole time, only shuffling every now and then when he would need to get the circulation to his legs going once more. It was something that, as a vampire, I never had to worry about.

Once the computer system was rigged up, and Oscar's bottle opener bug finder had been tested, both vampires picked up their suitcases, wishing us farewell before the headed out of the penthouse. They'd promised to get into contact with us when they were securely in Felipe's home and when they had cleared the room of bugs. We were going to be recording the feed from the lenses all night so that Sookie and Ata could look over it in the day together and pick out the important information, but if anything drastic and immediate was about to happen, then Bubba and Oscar had been told to ring us straight away, to give us some time to prepare.

"Ata, I believe we still have a few things to go over in preparation for the party in two nights, I'd like for us to go over it all this evening if possible?" Khai addressed Ata once Bubba, Oscar and the tech guys had left.

"I think my cousin needs an evening with her bonded." Ata agreed, rising up onto her feet. Offering her hand down to my Maker, he took hold of it, rising up onto his feet to stand beside her.

"Hunter, how would you and your Uncle Jason like to hear a story from the Middle Ages?" Ari offered. "I think your Auntie Sookie and Uncle Eric need some grown-up time." He shot a wink in my direction and I was thankful that he was going to take care of the little man on my lap for a while so that I could spend time with my Sookie.

"I'd like that very much, Ari. Will Pammy be staying too?" Hunter's eyes swivled to my Childe, and her horror at such a nickname caused me to snicker.

"Oh I'm sure Pammy would love to stay and hear the story too." The corner of Ari's lips quirked upwards as my Childe pinched his thigh with her lethal manicured nails. To Ari's credit he didn't even flinch.

"If we don't see you before sunrise, then enjoy your dayrest, and Sookie, Jason and Hunter, I'll see you in the morning. Don't stay up too late!" Ata moved towards the elevator, her hand laced with my Maker's. Khai, Riei and Oeri moved with them, entering the lift with them before the group disappeared behind the doors as they slid shut. Egor and Agmund were stood guard outside the elevator as per usual, both watching Hunter with a burning curiosity. I had a feeling, since Ata had never had any biological children of her own, a casino was no place for kids, that they rarely got to see teacup humans up close and personal. Standing up, Sookie followed and I scooped the brunette boy in my lap up into my arms, carrying him over to Pam. Without giving her any warning I placed him down on her lap, and he looked up at her with a smile. Looking up at me from under her ridiculously long lashes, I could tell through our bond she was not amused, and my bank balance would likely have a pretty dent in it by the end of the night. I didn't care though, seeing how much Hunter had taken to Pam was well worth any amount of money. She dropped her gaze a moment later, offering the boy a fangless smile. He shuffled on her lap a little before he lent against her chest, getting himself comfy for the story Ari was about to tell.

"It was 430AD, and we were in England at the time, in the city of London," Ari started his tale as Sookie and I crept off towards our bedroom.

The moment the door was closed I stole a kiss from her, leaving her a flustered mess at the door as I vamped to the wardrobe, rummaging through the clothes I had brought with me. "We're going to go swimming my love, so wear something suitable." I instructed, changing into my own swimwear. I could feel Sookie stood a little way behind me, and the lust barreling through the bond as I pulled up my swim trunks caused a smirk to cross my features. "Like what we see, my little fairy?" I teased, grabbing a white shirt, which I slipped on, turning to face her as I started to button it up. I was about to grab a button when Sookie was suddenly before me, taking the button out of my hand, buttoning my shirt herself. I was baffled for a moment; she had been on the other side of the room a moment ago! Then I remembered her ability to teleport and I tutted. "My cheeky little fairy, using your abilities against me." I scolded her playfully as her fingers brushed over my exposed skin, nimbly buttoning up my shirt. I couldn't contain my shudder at the feel of her warm hands against my cool skin.

"I wasn't using them against you, my mighty Viking, I was using them to help you, and you're body is certainly not complaining." She responded. I could hear the smile she wore through her words, and her eyes dropped down my body for a moment before travelling back up to meet my own.

Leaning down, I brushed my lips to her ear. "My body never complains when it's near you, unless you're withholding my sanctuary from me." I worked a hand down her clothed frame, dipping between her thighs for a moment, causing her to gasp. Chuckling at the blush that crept over her features, she batted my hands away, huffing as she moved to her side of the wardrobe where she removed her bikini from the rail. Not bothering to hide her body she stripped down infront of me, testing my control as my fangs were itching to make an appearance at the sight of her exposed before me. Slipping her panties off she threw them aside. Stretching out an arm I was able to catch them, and I brought the lacy material to my nose, inhaling the scent that was distinctly Sookie. With her bikini on, Sookie turned to find me with my nose buried her underwear.

"Eric! That's gross!" She scolded, trying to snatch the fabric from my hands, but my height meant I could hold them above me and she would have no chance of getting them.

"No it's not, lover. I'm the only one who will ever get to relish your intimate scent." I licked my lips as she attempted to jump up and grab the fabric from my hands, her breasts bouncing in the halter neck of her swimwear. I felt mischief through the bond before I found myself flat on my behind a moment later, the lacy material had been snatched from my hand and was now back in the dainty hands of the woman it belonged to. A smug smile crossed her lips and I felt her pride and amusement through the bond. She'd just used her fairy powers on me to get her own way, and I found myself turned on by her simple use of the immense power she could wield.

Using my speed to my advantage, I had her pinned to the wall a moment later, my huge frame holding her place. She gasped at the sudden movement, her heartbeat picking up at our sudden proximity. Rolling my hips forward I pressed my crotch to hers, scenting the air to discover if she was as excited as I was. She was. "Now now lover, it's not fair to use your powers against your bonded," I dipped my head to her neck, ghosting my lips over her pulse point, her heartbeat erratic, her breathing labored, "especially when it's been longer than twelve hours since I last had you." I purred against her skin, licking along her jaw line, her body shaking with want. "I could have you right here, right now, if I wanted. But what fun would that be?" I breathed into her ear, nuzzling the soft spot behind her ear lobe. "I've already had you up against a wall, but I've never had you in a swimming pool. Perhaps we'll correct that this evening, find a dark corner where I can ravish you until you're screaming my name for all the guests to hear." I continued on in a husky tone, keeping an eye on her heartbeat and breathing. My words were having the desired effect, my bonded was breathless, flustered, excited and, from the scent in the air, definitely interested in the idea of pool sex, with the potential of an audience. Ah my little exhibitionist.

Dipping my head down, I caught Sookie's lips with my own, pushing my tongue into her mouth, demanding entrance, which she willingly gave. Tasting every little crevic, her small hands knotted themselves into my hair. I could get lost in her kiss for all of eternity and I wouldn't mind. I had never been a fan of kissing, I was good at it yes, I'd had 1000 years to practice, but to me it was unnecessary unless you held feelings for the person you were sharing the kiss with. Sookie's legs found my waist and she wrapped them around me, clinging on to me as I held her up against the wall. Hands roaming everywhere, I felt the soft curvature of her hips under them, her hourglass figure slipping effortlessly beneath my fingers. I continued up, tracing the swell of her breasts before I cupped her face, running my fingers over her jawbone as I tipped her head sideways, allowing me deeper access. I could feel my beloved, through the bond, starting to become lightheaded, so I pulled back, trailing kisses across her cheeks before rubbing my nose against her own in something Pam mentioned was called an 'Eskimo' kiss. "Come my beloved, or we won't make it to the pool at all this evening." I teased her, slowly uncurling her legs from around me, placing her down on the floor.

Pulling a light cotton dress on over her bikini, we left the room together, creeping through the living area where Ari was still telling Pam, Jason and Hunter a story from the Middle Ages. Our trip in the lift was silent, but our bond was positively humming with joy at the fact we were alone together. Tightening my hold on her hand, we entered the lobby together, most of the repair work was almost finished by now, and I could see it being completed in time for the VRA party. I had no idea where I was going, so I allowed my bonded to walk before me, leading the way. Walking behind her enabled me to admire her pert rear as she trotted along.

"Stop staring at my bottom." I heard her grumble under her breath as we exited the building, arriving at the start of the pool area. Chuckling under my breath, I moved to stand beside her, throwing my arm around her shoulder in a very human gesture. There were a few people milling around, other couples enjoying late night swims and the odd round of heavy petting, but other than that it was beautifully quiet. "This is the Garden of the Gods, there are eight pools in total." Sookie informed me as she started to lead me towards the northwest corner of the collection of pools. The pool we stopped before was empty, and Sookie wasted no time in removing her cotton dress, throwing it over the back of one of the chaise lounge chairs that were dotted around the edge of the pool. "This is the Jupiter pool." She told me quietly as I removed my shirt, throwing it onto the chaise lounge where it landed beside Sookie's dress. The pool was an odd shape, consisting of many half moon curves with sharp corner edges at the end before the next half moon curve would begin. It was a combination of smooth and sharp edges, and I found myself amused by how much it represented the fae women who were part of the nest I had found myself a part of. There were four sets of curved steps leading down into the water, and Sookie wasted no time in entering. Spotlights were placed within the walls of the pool, illuminating the water. Outdoor lanterns and fairy lights were strung up around the pool to illuminate the seating area, and I assumed the fairy lights were an in-joke with Ata and her boys.

Watching as my bonded entered the water, I was captivated by the way the moonlight shimmered off of her sun kissed skin, the way she held herself with such grace and the way her movements were soft and unhurried. I wanted to cherish her this evening, worship her. Following her into the water as she beckoned me with a crooked finger, I wasted no time in reaching her, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close to me. "I am Ægir, God of the Sea, and you are Rán, my sea goddess." I whispered in her ear, remembering my day in the sunshine thanks to Claudine. I regretted killing her, as she had been Sookie's only link to her fae heritage before she had met Ata, but I would never regret getting to spend a few precious hours in the sunshine, to play in the lake in the day, to feel the heat of the sun on my skin and not find it uncomfortable, to see Sookie in the daylight. Even though I was lost in my amnesia, I'd realized at that moment that Sookie was a creature of the day, not the night, and my little glimpse of her in the sunlight had stirred a longing inside of me, one I had subdued for over 1000 years, to finally be a day walker. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her; I didn't want the restrictions of the night. I wanted to stretch out beside her in her back garden, watch her tan, watch her go about her usual housework, and hear her humming, see her dancing in the sunlight as she cleans. I was aware of her little habits, I'd had Bobby send a few Were's to watch over in the past, but they'd been told to keep a reasonable distance from her so that she wouldn't hear their thoughts. They'd reported all their findings back to me.

Sookie looked up at me from under her naturally long lashes, a faint blush on her features as she too recalled that day. Deciding to bite the proverbial bullet, I scooped her up in my arms, causing her to shriek in delight. Laughing softly, I sat myself down on the steps, still submerged in the cool water. With Sookie straddling my legs, I was able to place my hands on her hips to hold her steady, using it as an opportunity to feel her unmarred, smooth skin in my hands. "Sookie, what I have to tell you is important, so please hear me out before you jump to any conclusions." I started gently, raising a hand to tuck a few loose strands of her honey coloured hair behind her ear. Nodding her head she settled onto my lap, her hands moving to my shoulders, her fingers playing with the short hair at the nape of my neck. "According to Oeri, our third bond could enable me to day walk." I took the blunt approach, not wanting to fancify my words. I could feel her shock through the bond, which I was monitoring closely, and she opened her mouth to speak. I silenced her with a finger to her lips, reminding her that she agreed to let me speak first.

"However, a third bond is unbreakable, we'd be bonded for all eternity, we would never be able to leave one another. If one of us dies, so does the other. Separation will be both physically and emotionally painful for us and we won't be able to hide anything from one another, ever. I love you Sookie, and while day walking is the ultimate dream for a vampire and would give us the advantage over Russell, I don't want us to bond thrice just yet." Our bond was filled with a sudden sharp hurt, and I could see the tears welling up in my beloved's eyes. "No no, shhh min kärlek, don't cry." I soothed her; gently kissing away the few tears that had fallen from her eyes. "I love you, never doubt that. I will tell you every day for the rest of eternity if you want me too, and I will always mean it. I don't want our bond to be created out of a need for safety, or because you feel like you must give me the sunshine, which I know is how you feel right now." I pointed out, causing a tinge of embarrassment to enter our bond as she nibbled on her lower lip, dropping her head.

Placing a finger under her chin I tipped her head back up, pressing a firm kiss to her lips. "Godric told me this evening that the third bond is sacred. I have never heard of anyone who has thrice bonded before. The third bond will set the tone for the rest of our life together; it'll bind us together as one. If we create the bonds for safety, Godric seems to believe it will only put you in more danger, and I will not have you in any more danger because of me." I stroked a thumb across her cheekbone.

"I want to give you the sunshine, Eric. You've saved me countless times from situations I was stupid enough to get myself into, and then you bought my house and restored it for me when I was in Faery. Let me repay you with this." She was almost begging, but as appealing as the sunshine was I wouldn't give in.

"No min älskling, you have already repaid me. You took care of me when I had no idea who I was, when I was vulnerable, and then you gave me this." I tapped her chest, right above her heart. I was well aware of how corny I was sounding, but Sookie needed to know how much I loved her, that I trusted her and that I wanted, and needed, for her to trust me too if we were to both get out of this alive. We would have to start working together, rather than against one another.

"But you will want to complete our bond, in the future?" I could feel her nervousness, and her apprehension. Compton had done a fucking number on her. If I knew where the bastard was I would go and stake him myself – king or no king.

"The moment Russell is dead I will have you flat on your back on the nearest soft surface and I will claim you until sunrise is just around the corner." I kissed my way to her ear, purposefully breathing so that my cool breath would caress her warm skin, causing her to shiver, shake and shudder. The power I could hold over her, and the power she held over me most of the time, was incredible. "Then we'll complete our bond, and together we'll sit and watch the sunrise. My first true sunrise in over 1000 years, and I won't have to worry about burning up. It'll all be because of you, my little fairy." Tears were threatening to roll down her cheeks once more, but I could feel from our bond that these were not tears of sadness, but ones of happiness. Kissing them away I finally claimed her lips once more, wrapping my arms around her waist to lift her up. Wading through the water, our lips still attached in a passionate kiss, I held her against the far wall of the pool, as far away from the other guests as possible. Using my frame to shield her from their sight, I slipped her bikini briefs down, lifting each of her legs in turn to remove them completely before I threw them onto the chaise lounge. While ripping them would have been fun, my bonded wouldn't have had anything to wear back up to our room, and I mostly certainly wouldn't be letting her go commando through the lobby.

Tugging at the knot at the nape of her neck, her bikini top slipped free, and that too joined the pile of clothes on the side. Pulling back from her soft lips to allow her to breathe, I focused my attentions on her clavicle, nibbling and kissing the area, laving my tongue over her warm, moist skin. She tasted like the sun, like the wheat and honey from my human years. Her hands roamed down to my swim trunks, which she quickly removed with a little help. Using my knees to part her legs, I captured her lips once again, easing myself into her in one slow, long thrust until I was completely sheathed inside of her. Swallowing her moan at the sensation of our joining, I gave her a moment to adjust, my tongue coaxing hers into exploration. Feeling bold, my Sookie snaked her tongue into my mouth, rolling her hips against mine.

Taking my cue I started with slow, rhythmic thrusts, angled to reach the little sensitive spot inside of her. Hands clawing at my back as she tried to climb up me, I kept her pressed to the swimming pool wall, my hips unrelenting as I plunged into her repeatedly. She moaned my name, her hands slipping under the surface of the water to grasp at my behind, which she used for leverage as she kept up with my unrelenting pace. Peeling my lips away to allow her to breathe, I kissed my way down her neck, nipping at her collarbones before I bent my head lower, capturing one puckered nipple in my mouth. Throwing her head back, my Sookie brought one of her hands to the nape of my neck, pressing my head against her chest. "Yes! Oh god, Eric, yes!" She gasped as I brought one of my hands to her other breast, rolling and pinching her hardened nipple between my fingers. I could feel her internal walls fluttering around me, preparing to clamp down and milk me of my seed. Using my free hand, I rubbed at the apex of her legs furiously, already feeling myself about to tip over the golden edge. I wouldn't have my moment until Sookie had hers though. Speeding up my thrusts, the water around us crashed against our skin, the cold liquid trying with no avail to quench the fires burning inside of us.

My name tumbled from her lips like a mantra as I dropped fang, easing the sharp points in either side of the dusky nub I was sucking and licking. The moment my fangs penetrated her body she cried out her release, her inner walls clamping down on me, ripping my own orgasm from me. Drawing out two quick mouthfuls of her blood, which tasted all the more sweeter for her release, I pulled back from the wound I had created, roaring her name in completion as I deposited my seed deep inside of her, thrusting into her through the aftershocks that rippled through both of our bodies. Panting wildly, Sookie clung to me, her face buried in my neck. Holding her close, I slowed the rocking of our hips until we finally came to a complete stop. Tipping her head back once her heart rate and breathing were under control, my beautiful little fairy looked up at me with nothing short of complete trust and love. It damn near broke my silent heart.

Not saying a word, I scooped her up in my arms, hoisting her out of the water, still buried deep inside of her. Exiting the pool I moved to the chaise lounge our clothes were strewn over and, with the flick of a wrist, they were in a neat pile on the floor. Sookie's arms were around my neck, and as I lay her down on the soft cushion she pulled me with her, my huge frame shielding hers, stopping the world from seeing her. While I wanted to ravish her outdoors, and she clearly wanted to ravish me outside also, I didn't want anyone to see any of my bonded's womanly parts. They were for my eyes only.

Looking down at my bonded as she smiled up at me, I questioned everything that had happened in my existence before she had wandered into my bar, all virginal in that little red and white dress. Why on earth did she think it would be a good idea to wear white to a vampire bar? I tried to find something, within my 1000 years, that would warrant such a reward, and yet I could find nothing. I tried to find something, anything, that I had done which was selfless, that was morally correct, and I still came up with a blank. I would do right by my Sookie though, she would never feel unloved or uncared for, and she would never question my devotion for her like she had done with Compton. I would fix his mistakes and ensure her happiness for the rest of eternity. The thought that we would have eternity together, with Sookie retaining the sunshine and her heartbeat, caused me to smile. I would never tire of tasting the sunshine on her skin, smelling it on her clothes. "I love you." I reminded her softly, rolling my hips now that I felt she had recovered long enough.

Gasping at my lazy thrust, Sookie's eyelids fluttered to a shut, hiding her from me. "Look at me, lover." I brushed the back of my hand against her cheek; her eyelids sliding back to I could gaze into the bright blue orbs that had been hidden behind them.

"I love you." She repeated, leaning up to capture my lips as she rocked her hips encouragingly. Not wanting to disappoint, my hips matched her slow and lazy rhythm, our lips only ever parting when my bonded needed to breathe, and even then I would attach my lips elsewhere on her body – her jaw, her neck, her collarbones, her bountiful breasts. I lost track of time as we continued to make love on the chaise lounge, the sounds of the few people milling around simply slipped away, and my focus was entirely on my love, and her pleasure. My name tumbled quietly from her lips, scattered between the groans, grunts and moans coming from her, which I was easily matching as she showed me how one long, tender lovemaking session could far outweigh the quick and wild fuck I was use to. Finally feeling her inner walls start to contract, I stole another kiss from her. Checking my internal body clock for the first time she we had started our second round of lovemaking, I found it had been over an hour, an hour of tettering on the edge, bringing one another to the height of pleasure. It would be safe for her to take my blood now, I wanted every part of me inside of her this evening, and my fangs had already buried themselves in her creamy skin. I hadn't closed over the wounds yet, because the sight of them as my loves breasts bounced with each thrust was doing such wonderfully wicked things to me.

Offering my neck to her, as she had done for me countless times, I was pleased she wasn't squemish as she sank her blunt teeth into my flesh, the force of which threw me over the edge, and I howled out her name as I filled her with my essence. The taste of my blood sent Sookie over the edge too, and she pulled away from the wound she had created long enough to shout out in completion, her inner walls clamping down on me as she latched back onto the slowly heeling wound. Taking deep, long draws as I rode us through the aftershocks, my little fairy soon pulled away from my neck as the wound closed itself. I could feel my blood in her system as I closed my eyes, I could feel it moving through her veins, travelling through her heart, supporting her organs and keeping her alive. The blood was such an incredible thing.

Eyes fluttering open again, I could see my blood smeered across her lips. Leaning down, I licked her face clean, causing her to giggle. The sensation her giggle caused me was incredible! Groaning at the sudden contracting and flexing of her internal muscles I rested my head against her chest, sinking into her. Sookie's arms came up to wrap around me, holding me to her. My fang marks from earlier had healed from her intake of my 1000-year-old blood.

We lay in companionable silence for a moment, and I lost myself in the sound of her heartbeat, the feel of it as it thumped away beneath my ear. If I remained still and thought of nothing else, it was like my own heart was beating once again.

"I'm going to adopt Hunter." Sookie's soft voice broke through the silence. "His father doesn't want him, and he needs to know how to shield his mind. He might even develop powers like mine. I can't leave him to be all alone in the world." She explained to me, but there was no need for her to do so. If she wished to adopt the young human then I wouldn't stand in her way, he was actually a rather adorable breather, and he didn't seem at all fazzed by fangs. I was a believer that the new generation needed to grow up around vampires, so that the prejudice and hate towards my kind would slowly start to dwindle. Focusing on our bond, I could feel Sookie's concern for the boy, her love for her family member, but I could also feel her longing.

"I'm sorry I cannot give you a child that will grow inside of you, I would love nothing more than to see you swell with new life." I pressed a kiss to her stomach, feeling her longing and sorrow through the bond. That wasn't what I wanted, not at all, and her feelings caused my next words. "If the VRA passes in Lousianna, would you allow me to adopt him with you, to raise him with you like he were our own son?" I looked up Sookie's body, capturing her eyes with my own. If I could not give her a son, then I would raise her adopted one with her. I already had a daughter of sorts, and a baby vamp was the last thing I wanted right now, but a human child I could deal with, I hoped.

"You'd want to adopt him too, be his daddy?" She asked quietly, her small hands rubbing my shoulders, all of her emotions painted onto her face. There was no need for our bond in that moment; I could clearly see her happiness, her excitement, and her hope.

"I want to give you a family, my Sookie. I want us to be a family." I reassured her, thinking about the fact that all of the vampires in the penthouse were family to me anyway. Ata had bonded to my Maker; her boys contained a tinge of Godric's blood and were therefore my brothers. Pam was my own progeny, and she seemed quite happy with Ari. Then there was Jason, with his tie to Sookie, and Hunter too. Feeling her hands pulling me up, I travelled up the length of her body, settling over her once again as she pulled me in for a hug, burying my face in the crook of her neck. Only my little fairy would be so bold as to allow a vampire to snuggle against her throat. "You could both move in with me too?" I offered. If there was no thing that Sookie's year in Faery had taught me it was that I couldn't stand not being around her. I bought her home to fix it, and to be around her things. Once we were thrice bonded the seperation between our homes in Shreveport and Bon Temp would be horrendous.

"I would love to, Eric, but I can't abandon my home. It's been in my family for generations, I don't want it to sit empty." She sighed, stroking my bare back. Technically I still owned the house, so I could conduct any and all renovations on it and Sookie wouldn't have a legal say in the matter. She could shout at me in private all she wanted, but I would still get my own way.

"Why don't we renovate it then?" I picked my words carefully, referring to us as a single unit, though I would pay for it myself. I was aware that Sookie still had some money left over from our trip to Dallas to save my Maker, but I wanted her to have some play money. "We could add an extension so that Hunter could have a new room, we could expand your kitchen or living room too. I know I have the cubby under the house but we could put lightproof shutters on your bedroom, so I could fall asleep beside you every morning." I suggested. I would have to put the house back in Sookie's name for me to be safe there in the day, but that would only require a few signatures and a visit from Mr. Cataliades, the half-demon Supe lawyer.

"Eric, you've already done so much to my home though." Sookie started to protest, but I silenced her with a kiss.

"I'd be our home, and they be made for us both." I pointed out in a whisper, running my nose along her jawbone, causing my beloved fairy to laugh.

"I'd like for you to live with Hunter and I. Putting up with you for a week wasn't so bad, I think I can handle forever. Just don't use the fire poker to attack any of our guests again!" She batted my chest lightly, and I laughed at the memory of attacking Bill. If only I'd have staked him then and there, I could have blamed my amnesia and then Sookie and I wouldn't have to put up with him and his bullshit lies any longer.

"Can't say I promise, but I'll try, just for you." I dropped a kiss to one of her exposed breasts, nudging it with my nose, which caused us both to laugh. Sookie froze however mid-laugh, and I could feel the panic building up inside of her. Instantly lifting my weight from her, I caged her in, looking down into her face, searching for answers. "Sookie, what's wrong?" I demanded, throwing out my senses in a hope to find the culprit of Sookie's sudden actions.

"Four angry Were's, closing in on us." She informed me in a whisper. Growling lowly at the interruption to our wonderful evening, I dressed quickly, throwing Sookie her bikini, which she quickly put back on. If these were more of Felipe's Were's I would more than happily storm his compound and stake the annoying prick for all of his interruptions and threats. I placed Sookie behind me to protect her, and it didn't take long for two of the wolves to emerge from the shadows. Dropping fang, I sent a warning growl in their direction, using my heightened senses to monitor the area for the other two wolves. They seemed to be hanging back. Good, I hoped they were having second thoughts about attacking us.

One of the wolves took a running start towards us, using the power his hind legs could give him to pounce on me, but thankfully my quick reflexes meant I was able to bring my arm across my body and fling the mutt to the other side of the pool. My plan was perfect, until the second Were leapt towards me a moment later, capturing my arm in its powerful jaws. Howling out, which I briefly found ironic, at the pain of the animal's bite, I tried to shake it free from me. Feeling Sookie's fear made me want to get rid of the animal quicker, but it was unrelenting. As I shook the creature I managed to gaze into its eyes, hoping with all my might that I could get a sliver of glamour into it. It was a failed attempt though, there was only madness in the creatures' eyes, the human it usual took the shape of was lost on V, and clearly it thought I would be its next fix. "Sookie, get out of here, now." I shouted back to her, hoping she would remember to trust me and to trust my judgment. I could take a beating from the Were's, and I feeling I wasn't their true target, but I was in the way of her. Sookie's fear was pummeling through the bond, and every inch of my body was screaming at me to protect her. I could feel her backing away but it was too slow for my liking. If I could just get this Were off of me I could vamp us up to the safety of the penthouse.

Raising my free hand to strike a deathblow to the creature clinging to my arm, I was captured by the other Were I had thrown across the other side of the pool moments before. Both were able to take me down, and I found myself in a crumbled heap on the floor. It was then Sookie's scream, and the fear and anger in the bond, blew up to extraordinary proportions. Sparing a quick glance in her direction, I realized my earlier assumptions had been wrong. The two Were's hadn't been lingering as if rethinking the plan, they'd been lingering to enact the plan. Two had taken me down, and now the other two were in their human forms, holding onto a struggling Sookie, trying to drag her away from me, away from the pool.

"ERIC!" She half screamed and half sobbed, battling against the two drugged up Were's as I tried to free myself from the creatures either side of me. Kicking a leg out from underneath me, I managed to throw one of the animals off balance, but it's jaw was locked around my arm, and I could feel my flesh tearing as the wolf's sharp teeth shredded through it. My blood was flowing freely now, and both creatures were greedily taking their fill. I didn't want to feel their emotions; I didn't want to be able to track them. My blood wasn't theirs, it was my bonded's. It belonged to Sookie. I belonged to Sookie.

"LET ME GO!" I heard Sookie scream as she was dragged to the other side of the pool, both Were's holding onto her arms securely. I could only imagine how much that was amplifying their thoughts, thoughts my Sookie didn't need to hear. Her eyes met mine across the pool and I felt, and saw, something snap inside of her as she took in the sight of the two Were's pinning me down, trying to get as much blood from me as possible. It felt like I was being stripped of my masculinity, being held down by two dogs, but even one Were jumped up on V was a challenge for me, let alone two. They were both clearly male as well, given their bulk. "I SAID, LET ME GO!" My bonded shouted out one last time before the whole pool area was lit up in a magnificent display of white and gold light. Squinting as my eyes couldn't handle the bright light, I opened them a crack in time to see the two Were's who had been holding onto Sookie fly off either side of her, one thumping into the brick wall of the bar and the other landing face first against the trunk of a thick tree. The Were's holding onto my arms stopped their desperate drinking of my blood and glanced towards the brightness, which subsided as quickly as it had appeared. My bonded stood there, fists clenched at her sides, and a look of pure fury on her features. I swelled with pride at the sight – fairy Sookie was coming out to play.

"Let him go." She ordered in a steady tone as she took numerous steps towards us, but all she received was a growl from both wolves, which still had their teeth, buried in my arms. I could feel myself weakening from the blood loss, Were's were greedy creatures, and I would need to find a few bags of donor blood to replenish myself. Sparing a glance to the two prone figures on the floor either side of the pool; I tried to listen for their heartbeats, but could find none. At least the fuckers were dead.

Sensing she wasn't about to get anywhere with the Were's if she tried to rationalize with them, she raised one of her hands, aiming it directly at the larger of the two creatures, the one clinging to my right arm. Through the bond I could feel her gathering her magic inside of her, shaping it quickly for its use. The Were suddenly let go of my arm and leapt towards Sookie, but my bonded was quicker, firing off a blast of pure white light, which hit the creature square in the chest. The moment it made contact with the animal it burst into flames, which quickly engulfed it. The howls of pain were a satisfying sound to my eardrums and a pile of ash was all that remained, hitting the floor before a light breeze swept it away.

Spotting my opportunity while the last remaining Were was otherwise occupied, I rallied all of my remaining strength and quickly snapped a wooden leg off of one of the chairs surrounding the pool. Driving it through the creatures' heart, I made sure it went right through the mutt, the point of the makeshift stake burying itself in the tiles surrounding the pool edge. The action caused the Were's jaws to tear into my flesh some more, but at least the animal was dead now. A stake was the usual weapon of choice when killing vampires, as it turned them into a pile of goo, but it could also kill a human should it be aimed in just the right location, towards the right internal organs. A werewolf was, essentially, a human most of the time.

Sookie's worry flooded our bond and she was before me in seconds, down on her knees. As my fangs were already down, she simply raised one of her wrists to my lips, slicing it open before she pressed it to my mouth, encouraging me to drink. Unable to hold her wrist in place, as my arms were torn to hell, I could do nothing but take from her. Her eyes were focused on the tears to my flesh, and I could see the tears forming in her eyes. "Can you run yet? I want to get you into the protection of the penthouse." She asked me quietly, her free hand moving to gently touch the area of my arms that were trying to heal. I flinched due to the pain, and she was immediately apologizing. Feeling my strength returning to me a little, I nodded, knowing I would be able to get us up to the penthouse, but maybe no further. Closing up the wound on Sookie's wrist once I took my fill, I ensured she still had plenty left, in case the use of her powers took some of her energy from her. She grabbed my shirt, which was now splattered with my blood, as was Sookie, and I motioned for her to climb onto my back, unable to carry her in my arms, the thought of which saddened me. Clambering on, I rose from the ground, sparing a quick glance to the dead bodies around the pool, listening for their heartbeats once more before I was satisfied that they were dead.

Feeling the urge to inform the others, as Godric and Pam had more than likely felt my anger, pain and fear for Sookie earlier on, I attempted to get a mental message through to either Ata or Ari, knowing both had heard me before and that Ata was out of the penthouse. She had my Maker and some of her children to defend her, but if the Were's were after Sookie then they were probably after her too. _"Ata, Ari, anyone. Sookie and I were attacked by four Were's high on V down at the Jupiter pool, all are now dead but we haven't disposed of their bodies. Sookie and I are on our way up to the penthouse now, so that we'll be inside the protection spell. Ari, if you can hear me, don't let Hunter come to Sookie and I until we come to get him from you, we're a little worse for wear." _I thought as loudly as I could, knowing that I was at least doing something right as I felt Sookie push her love and strength through our bond.

It was seconds later, as Sookie and I whizzed through the lobby, that I received two responses. _"My boys are sending humans to clear up the mess, I won't risk any of us out there. Godric and I are in the elevator on the way back up to the penthouse now." _Ata's Egyptian lilt slid into my mind.

"_I hear you brother, Hunter is occupied fully right now, don't worry about him." _Ari reassured me a moment later. Pam and Godric's concern bombarded me, pushing me on. I decided on the stairs rather than the elevator, knowing it was in use. Racing up them, Sookie and I entered the penthouse the moment Ata and Godric stepped out of the elevator. Using vampire speed, I took Sookie and I across the room and into our bedroom, Ata and my Maker following after us quickly. I sent a wave of caution to Pam, reminding her to stay in the living area so as not to upset Hunter. She got the message, and remained sat beside Ari, telling my future son another story. Placing Sookie down in the bedroom, I collapsed onto the bed, sitting with my feet firmly planted on the floor. The wounds on my arms were starting to heal but they were still incredibly painful, and I was still a little short on blood. Sookie was off into the bathroom, returning with a damp cloth as Ata and Godric entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"What happened?" Ata questioned as she took in the scene before her. Godric sat beside, taking one of my mangled arms in his hands as he started to lick the wound, helping it heal.

"Four Were's came for us, Sookie heard their brain patterns first. Two attacked me, brought me down, tried to take my blood as they were high on V, and then the other two tried to drag Sookie away. There was this bright flash of light and Sookie killed two, she challenged the ones holding onto me before she killed one, I ended the other." I informed her, flinching as Sookie wiped the blood from a few tender spots. The rough pad of my Maker's tongue wasn't helping my torn flesh either; it was like rubbing sandpaper over the wound. I gritted my teeth however and dealt with it. He looked up at me, shooting me an apologetic look, and I pushed my love for him through our bond, letting him know I was fine.

"Your powers are getting stronger if you can kill without even thinking about it. The flash of light meant it was impulsive, your natural reaction to the situation. I'm impressed cousin, and very proud." Ata mused aloud as she went to the bathroom, grabbing another damp cloth, which she used to wipe down Sookie as she was wiping me down. I was proud of Sookie too, as she had defended me beautifully.

"I killed three people though." Sookie sighed, wiping away the last splatter of blood from my face as the wound on the arm Godric was holding closed up completely. My Maker moved to the other side of me, starting the process all over again with that arm.

"Three Were's, there's a difference. Besides, they would have killed Eric and then you if you hadn't of killed them first." Ata pointed out bluntly, finishing up with Sookie. Chucking the cloth back into the bathroom sink, she shrugged her shoulders at my bonded, who seemed lost in thought over her actions. Raising her wrist to my mouth a moment later, she offered me more of her blood.

"I can't take it, Sookie. I took too much from you already. Thank you, though." I gently rebuffed her. Her jaw clenched at my refusal and I could feel an argument coming on, however a knock at the door captured her attention, and I felt her tune into their brain signal.

"Jason." She murmured as Ata opened the door, letting the Stackhouse male in. He quickly closed it behind him, taking a moment to assess the situation before he crossed to me, holding his wrist out in an offering.

"I don't need no telepathy to know you're in need, and I ain't even gonna ask what happened 'cause I probably don't wanna know. Although I ain't as much of a fairy as Sook I probably taste better than that synthetic stuff ya'll pretend to drink to keep us humans happy." He stated. I found myself chuckling quietly at my fellow blonde males comment. The residents of Bon Temp found him attractive but dumb, and yet I could tell that he was actually a bright guy when it suited. Well, he was bright enough not to fall for the words of Nan Flanagan. Glancing to Sookie for her approval, I could feel her pride for her brothers' selfless action, so I took his offering, sliding my fangs into his wrist. He flinched initially, as most humans did the first time, however he remained perfectly still as I fed from him, only taking enough to slow his heartbeat down. His blood wasn't as strong as Sookie's, but I could detect the slight trace of fae within it. It wasn't enough to replenish what I had lost though, but I was feeling infinitely stronger. Closing up Jason's wrist wound, I glanced up at him, giving him a nod of thanks. Something seemed to pass between us and I felt like I had gained his approval, like we had come to a higher understanding of one another.

"That's not enough." Ata declared, presenting her own wrist to me. I wavered for a moment, but I felt Godric's reassurance through the bond, so once again I took the offering. Ata's blood was stronger that Sookie's, and I found myself holding on to my control as tightly as possible, but I could slowly detecting the level of fae-ness to her blood starting to decrease as she suppressed the toxicity of it. I was both glad – as my control was becoming less of an issue – and annoyed, because she tasted divine. Not as good as Sookie, but still wonderful. Ata's blood was enough to replenish me, and the wounds on both of my arms were now sealed shut thanks to my Maker's tender care.

"Thank you." I thanked all in the room. "Could you bring in Hunter please? It's past his bedtime." I asked Ata quietly, knowing she would hear me anyway. The corners of her lips tugged up into a small smile, as did my Maker's and she nodded her head, disappearing off with Godric to retrieve Hunter for me. Sookie padded off into the bathroom, where I heard her enter the shower, cleaning the chlorine from her body and hair.

"I know it wasn't my brightest moment, The Fellowship of the Sun," Jason started, capturing my attention, "but I did learn some stuff there. I'll take care of and defend Sook during the day, and little Hunter too. I would say the same for Ata, but I get the feeling she's use to defending herself." He shrugged. While I had to agree that the Fellowship of the Sun had been a stupid idea, the Stackhouse male had pulled his shit together and redeemed himself over the past two years. I knew he would be no match for Were's high on V, but the sentiment was there.

"Thank you, Jason." I offered him a small smile which he returned before he gestured over his shoulder towards the door was his thumb.

"I'll leave ya be, see ya in the evening." He gave a small wave as she sloped out of the room. Falling back onto the bed now that I was alone, I closed my eyes, screwing them shut as I groaned in frustration. I'd been so lost in Sookie, in our blissful peace that I'd abandoned my senses, let down my guard, and it had resulted in us being attacked. I'd promised Sookie I would take care of her, that I would defend her and fight for her, and yet she had fought for us. I wasn't so weak as to feel a blow to my ego at the thought of Sookie saving me rather than me saving her, in fact I quite liked that she was strong enough to save us both, but she shouldn't have had to. I'd been raised during an era where it was a mans job to fight for his woman, to defend her, not because she was weak but because he loved her and wanted no harm to come to her. I felt the bed shift and a weight settle over my hips. Opening my eyes I found my little fairy straddling me, wearing one of her little silk nightie shirts. Leaning forward she brushed her lips to mine.

"Go and shower, you smell like chlorine and I don't like it." She murmured, pulling back to hop nimbly off of my lap. Righting myself, I moved to the bathroom at human speed, and yet I showered at vampire speed, wanting to be back with my bonded as quickly as possible. If anything had of happened to her this evening I would have gladly killed everyone who dared to get in my way, and then some.

Returning to the bedroom in a pair of fresh boxers, I was just in time to see Sookie open the door, and for Hunter and Pam to enter. Hunter was holding onto my Childe's hand, and I had to force back my laugh at the smile on Pam's features. She held his suitcase in her other hand. Spotting me however, the smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with her trademark bored expression. "Here's the little teacup human, he's been told plenty of stories this evening." She stated in a flat tone, letting go of Hunter's hand as she placed his suitcase down, but not before he hugged her legs. Glancing over his head, Pam met my eyes across the room, and I could feel her concern through our bond. Sending her waves of reassurance and love, I watched as her concern disappeared from her eyes, instead replaced with satisfaction. Her shoulders dropped a little as she relaxed.

"What stories were you told this evening, Hunter?" I asked, crouching down and holding my arms out for him. He scampered into them, and Pam left the room, mouthing to me that she would see me at sunset tomorrow. Holding my future son in my arms helped to calm my nerves at the thought that more Were's could come for Sookie, or Ata, or any of us for that matter. Felipe obviously didn't want to get his hands dirty and was delegating work. I prayed Oscar and Bubba would uncover something.

"Cousin Ari told me stories about the Middle Ages, and cousin Pammy told me stories about the Vic-tor-i-an era." He sounded out the word, looked pleased with himself when he pronounced it right. I had a feeling he hadn't had much of an education. I was aware that school had been a problem for Sookie, so I could only imagine what it was like for Hunter. I would make sure my son was sent to a private school if needs be, with small classes so he could concentrate, or I would arrange for him to be home schooled with a Supe, whose thoughts would be harder to read.

"I hope the stories were suitable for you." Sookie stated as she flicked back the sheets. Picking Hunter up, I carried him over to the bed as Sookie rummaged in his suitcase, removing a pair of pajamas for him. She helped him change as he explained the stories he had been told.

"Cousin Ari told me stories about his brothers and all the tricks they use to pull on Auntie Ata, then cousin Pammy told me about all the dances she went to when she was a human. Did you know she wore all these pretty dresses and when her mommy wasn't looking she use to show her panties to all the boys." He sniggered behind one of his small hands, and I found myself laughing at the mental images that description conjured up. My Childe had never changed. Sliding into bed first, Hunter scooted in next, and Sookie took up the other side of the bed, creating a Hunter sandwich. I could see how tired he was, his eyelids fluttering every few seconds.

"Goodnight Hunter." Sookie whispered, dropping a kiss to the top of his head.

"Goodnight little man." I added, pressing my own kiss to his forehead.

"Night night Auntie Sookie, Uncle Eric." He mumbled sleepily before the sandman paid him a visit, drawing him into slumber. Sookie and I watched over Hunter for half an hour, watching him sleep. I monitored his heart rate and his breathing before I finally took Sookie's hand over Hunter's sleeping form.

"I nearly lost you again this evening, I failed to protect you, but you protected us both, and I am so proud of you." I told her honestly, bringing the back of her hand to my lips, kissing the soft skin there. I allowed my pride and love for her to enter our bond and her eyes fluttered shut as she happily accepted it.

"You didn't fail me, Eric. There was nothing you could have done. You once told me that one Were on V was a struggle for you, so I can't even think about what two must have been like." She whispered, her fingers tracing over my freshly healed arm as she returned my love. "Think of it as me returning the favor for all the times you've saved me." She declared softly, leaning over Hunter to press her lips to mine in a gentle kiss. I wanted more from her, I wanted to claim her and ravish her to remind myself that she was okay and she was unharmed, but Hunter was with us, and although it wasn't frowned upon in my day to engage in sex with a minor in the room, as most homes in my days were only made up of one room, I was aware of the shift in the times and the disapproval such an action was met with nowadays.

"I know. Tomorrow, I promise you." I heard Sookie vow, and my excitement level kicked up a notch at the prospect of getting to claim her tomorrow night. "If you go to sleep now, tomorrow will come around quicker." Sookie smiled, and her words reminded me of similar ones my mother had spoken when I had been a young boy, excited for the start of Jul. Jul was a cycle of 12 days and the first day was on the 21st of December. On that day, we had to stop any kind of work because a period of peace was starting. Jul was a time for family feast and gift distribution. The houses were decorated with spruce, mistletoe and holly. The decoration ribbons were yellow and red, the sun colours, and the spruce was decorated with stars and candles symbolizing the return of the light – the longer days. In the chimney I use to place – before the birth of my little sister, as it was the job of the youngest child – a big decorated log, which burnt for three days. It was our equivalent of Christmas.

Freeing my hand from Sookie's, I placed my arm over Hunter and her, holding them closely together, securely in place. My other arm slipped under the pillow, and I cradled Hunter's head. "Please don't leave the penthouse tomorrow." I asked Sookie quietly, feeling her tiredness seeping into our bond.

"Don't worry about me, I won't." She murmured quietly before sleep took her. I lay there, in the darkness, listening to the heartbeat of my bonded and the boy who would soon be my son. I spent a while simply gazing at the two, picking out their matching features. Their noses were the same, as were the curvature of their lips and the sharpness of their cheekbones. I was worried for my Sookie, worried for Hunter and Jason and Ata too. I was useless during the day, unable to aid them, and the thought infuriated me.

Before I could become lost in my anger at myself, and my state of being, or not being depending on ones views, the click of the light tight shutters warned me that sunrise was just around the corner. Taking a few deep breaths, I inhaled the scents of my bonded and our future son before I forced myself in downtime, knowing it would help my transition into my day rest. The moment the sun crept over the horizon I was out.

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**A/N **

Sookie's POV next, then we'll join Bubba and Oscar after her as they start to learn more about Felipe and his allies! Things pick up now, and our little nest start to fight for their lives as more supernatural shit is thrown their way!


	54. Unholy Confessions

**A/N hey guys, so I'm going to be posting once or twice a week I think, not every other day/every three days like I use to. My chapters are pushing 15/16,000 words each so posting so frequently is really draining (hahaha!) Plus I'm starting Uni next weekend so things will be a bit interesting from then on. I am sosososo sorry for the delay for this chapter though! I was visiting family and stuff was really hectic! I was going to finish this up on the flight home but the damned pilot never turned the seatbelt sign off so I couldn't get my laptop out! :(**

**This is the chapter where Sookie and Ata exchange blood and learn about one anothers dark secrets – there will be flashbacks to when Bartlett use to think ill things of Sookie and there will be hints towards his actions against her, but it won't be spelt out for you as such. I'm going to use the scene from season one where Sookie tells Bill and she has a flashback. Personally any form of molestation/rape, to a minor or an adult, is a very serious crime in my opinion and something I do not tolerate at all, so you may find my thoughts on the matter in this chapter via Ata. I'll try and keep the venomous hate to a minimum though, as I don't want to force my opinions and thoughts onto you all :)**

**Italics in this chapter are memories and mental conversations, and bold italics are mental thoughts within memories. All memories are in the first person, regardless of the POV of this chapter, as they're coming from each individuals minds so of course the memories would be in first person!  
horizontal lines represent a time jump btw. Hope that doesn't confuse you!**

**Oh and who saw the season finale!? DA FUQ?! THAT ENDING. They can't leave us hanging like that, so not cool! I cheered though when that thing happened to Bill before the end (don't wanna give the game away to those who haven't seen it yet!) and then I sobbed in annoyance when he rose back up again. I thought season five was a little weak, but that last episode reminded me of why I love the show so much. Plus, my Sooric shipper heart was positively squealing with delight for the full hour! "She **_**is **_**amazing, and MINE." URGHHHH! ERIC YOU BABE! ;)**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Nothing hurts my world just affects the ones around me  
__When sin's deep in my blood, you'll be the one to fall  
__I wish I could be the one, the one who won't care at all  
__But being the one on the stand  
__I know the way to go, no one's guiding me  
__When time soaked with blood turns its back  
__I know it's hard to fall.  
__Confided in me was your heart  
__I know it's hurting you, but it's killing me  
__Nothing will last in this life, our time is spent constructing  
__Now you're perfecting a world... meant to sin  
__Constrict your hands around me, squeeze till I cannot breathe  
__This air tastes dead inside me contribute to our plague.  
__Break all your promises; tear down this steadfast wall,  
__Restraints are useless here, tasting salvations near.  
__Nothing hurts my world, just affects the ones around me  
__When sin's deep in my blood, you'll be the one to fall.  
__~ Unholy Confessions, Avenged Sevenfold_

My body was screaming at me. I was tired and achy and I honestly wanted nothing more than to stay in bed all day, curled up alongside my vampire. Unfortunately a small brunette boy stopped that from happening as he woke up around lunchtime, snuggling into me, grabbing my arm, tossing and turning in a desperate attempt to fall asleep again. Eventually he gave up, once he'd woken me that was. Together we dressed, and I was appalled with the condition of Hunter's clothes. While Hadley hadn't had much money I would have thought she would have at least made sure her only son would have been properly clothed. Seems she was too busy with Sophie-Anne to care for the beautiful little boy who was clutching my hand as we made our way into the living area. I'd been completely serious when I had told Eric that I would adopt Hunter, he deserved a family who would understand him and help him. I'd grown up without any help, and because of that people referred to me as crazy and thought I was mentally deficient. I would not allow that to happen to Hunter.

When Eric had asked to adopt Hunter too if the VRA passed, I was at a loss. Eric had never struck me as the fatherly figure, yes he took care of Pam and it was clear he loved her like a daughter, but I couldn't see much of a paternal bone in him. However, the way he had acted with Hunter earlier in the evening, holding his hand, cuddling him and speaking to him like a grown up had turned my insides into a pile of goo. I'd long ago accepted I would never have children, because I didn't want them to have my disability, and I couldn't see myself with a human man anyway, even a Were or shifter weren't a good idea because I could still get emotions and such from them, so that only left me vampires. It was common knowledge vampires couldn't have children. Hunter was already of my blood though, be it distantly, but he still had Stackhouse blood in his system!

The thought that my home would soon be the residence of my vampire and the little boy who would soon be my adopted son filled me with glee. My house had been empty for so long, not that I had actually been able to stay in it longer than a god damn week anyway without shit hitting the fan, so it would be nice to have permanent company, and when we end Russell there shouldn't be any more threats to us.

Entering the living area, Ata and Jason were sat up at the breakfast bar eating their meals in silence. "Morning Auntie Ata, Uncle Jason!" Hunter cheerfully broke the silence, causing both surviving members of my family to turn in their seats, grinning at Hunter and I.

"Morning guys! How did you sleep?" Ata enquired as I lifted Hunter up onto one of the barstools, allowing him easy access to the food that was on the numerous plates scattered across the counter top.

"Really well thanks, did you manage to take care of the problem last night?" I asked cryptically, knowing Ata would catch on and that Jason was unaware, so he wouldn't give away anything to Hunter if he did start thinking about last night. All Hunter would find out would be that Jason offered Eric some of his blood, which he took gratefully.

"Yes, I had some of the staff clean up. We have a special patch of land for that kind of thing just outside of the city. Eric feeling well?" Ata kept her tone light and cheerful so as not to give away the morbidness of her statement. The fact she pretty much owned a graveyard, full of humans and supernatural's who had tried to hurt her and her children, wasn't much of a surprise considering, but it was still not pleasant.

"He's feeling much better, he enjoyed having cuddles with Hunter when he fell asleep." I ruffled the boys' hair as he started to cram a piece of bacon into his mouth. He reminded me of Jason. "The pair of them are already as thick as thieves." I smiled indulgently at Hunter, whose face was painted into a smile as he continued to eat, kicking his legs happily under the table.

"_I'm going to be adopting Hunter, as he can't stay with Hadley's friends now she's passed, and Remy is useless. Eric has even offered to adopt him too should the VRA pass. Eric has even suggested moving in with me, so we can be around one another more." _I mentally filled in my cousin though the small channel we had between our minds, continuing to eat as if nothing was going on. Gran had always insisted silence at the dinner table, mainly because Jason's mouth was usually going at 100mph and he often ended up inhaling his food and choking.

"_I'm happy for you Sook, you've taken to one another well. I was hoping you would look after him. It seems Eric has taken to him also, if his actions last night were anything to go by. Living together is a huge step, but I do think the pair of you are ready for that, especially if you finish the bond. Separation will be both physically and emotionally painful for you then, so being as close to one another as possible is always a good thing. Will Eric be having quarters underground, or are you going to light-proof your home?" _Ata mentally questioned for me.

Rather than respond, I plucked out the memory of the night before and mentally sent it to her, allowing her to witness everything herself, including the attack. I was sure to start the little memory video after Eric and I had finished up round two. I had a feeling Ata and I weren't quite at the stage where we could actually show one another the antics we got up to with our respective mates. I had a feeling though that Ata would be more accepting of it anyway, and it would be me who would shy away and blush.

"_I cannot wait for the day I can stake Felipe." _I heard my cousin mentally sigh, and I had to restrain myself from smiling at her words.

"_How do we know it's Felipe though, it could be Russell given that we've figured out he's trying to part Eric and I, and that he's here in Vegas and knows where we are considering the 'gifts' we received." _I questioned, wanting to have every angle covered.

"_It could be them both. Maybe they're working together?" _Ata suggested, my blood instantly running cold at the thought of Felipe and Russell in cahoots with one another. It would certainly explain where Felipe had gotten the branded wolves. _"I think we should exchange blood today Sook, I know it'll reveal our secrets to one another but after last nights attack on you and Eric and I think we need to strengthen all of our ties. Jason and Hunter can stay down here and watch TV or whatnot, I have all of the TV channels available in Nevada. We can use the training room upstairs, that way we'll have some privacy and we can even continue training afterwards." _Ata's mental suggestion was sensible, but the thought of her being privy to my deepest, darkest secret disturbed me. I was well aware that we were related, and Ata had proven that she could be trusted, but even Jason hadn't believed me when I had told him about my secret, he'd thought I'd just been doing it for attention, like momma and daddy had.

Silently agreeing that it would be the best course of action, especially before the VRA where there would be plenty of vampires and other supernatural's in attendance, I resigned myself to the fact that my secret would no longer remain secret as such. It wasn't the thoughts of my uncle that had made me want to keep his actions a secret, it was the fact that he was family and he had still thought of it as an acceptable course of action. Family were suppose to love one another, cherish one another and care for one another, not abuse each other and torment them.

As all of us cleaned away the food on the plates, Ata took the empty dishes to the sink, leaving them for Felicia to clean away later on. "Sookie and I are going to go up to the training room, we're going to be continuing with Sookie's training though I'm afraid neither of you can be in the room with us as it could go wrong and you could get hurt." Ata warned Jason and Hunter. I could hear her mentally reassuring me that nothing bad would happen, but that she was using a scare tactic in order to keep Jason and Hunter away from us during the delicate exchange.

"Whatever it is, I ain't letting Sook do it if she's gonna get hurt." Jason declared stubbornly as I took Hunter off of the chair, helping him down onto the floor. He was still a little too short to get onto and off the chair by himself. Jason's protectiveness, while endearing, was a little over the top. This was Ata I was going to train with, if I was safe with anyone during the day it would be her. As I placed Hunter down on the ground I caught sight of the video camera that Ata and I had used a few days ago to record our day. Later on I would ask Jason, or maybe even Hunter, to film us going about our day-to-day activities.

"She won't get hurt, I promise you that Jason, but you and Hunter could if she cannot control the magic she'll be wielding." Ata's tone went from its usual soft timbre to a harder one, similar to that of Eric's Sheriff tone. Jason still didn't appear convinced, but it was Hunter who spoke up next as he sat himself down on one of the large sofas.

"Auntie Ata will take care of her, Uncle Jason." He stated with complete conviction to his tone. Knowing such a small and young boy was so trusting was sweet, given that he was yet to see the harshness of the world and reevaluate how easily his trust was given, but also worrying. If he trusted everyone he came into contact with he would end up like me during my first few years in the supernatural world – being walked all over by everyone and anyone.

Jason still didn't seem convinced, but he listened to Hunter and took a seat beside him on the sofa, grabbing the TV remote from the coffee table before him. "We shouldn't be too long, trust me Jason, everything will be fine. Just, don't leave the penthouse, either of you. It's protected up here, not that we're expecting anyone to try and hurt us, but you can never be too careful given that the VRA passing is tomorrow night." Ata assured them as Jason turned the TV on, absently nodding his head as he flicked between the channels, trying to find something that was child friendly for Hunter. Offering me her hand, Ata opened up the staircase behind the bookshelf, the pair of us entered it quietly, closing the door behind us, before we ascended the staircase.

The training room was silent and empty and Ata's boys yesterday had cleared the debris from our training away, probably, and the lack of music was strange. Listening to the sorts of things Ata played while training had given me quite an insight into her mind. There was the foreign music that had been playing yesterday, a nod to countries I had never visited and probably never would, there was heavy bass music, with force behind it that could only match the force Ata's advanced powers could bring, and then there was the lighter, almost club like music. Out of all of her choices that was my favourite, the speed of the music and the upbeat rhythm helped me concentrate and think in a positive manner.

Shutting the second door behind us, Ata slid the bolt across to ensure us even more privacy. "Sook, I'll take from you first. I would suggest we take from one another at the same time, similar to how vampires form bonds, but as we're going to be subjected to one anothers secrets I don't think exchanging at the same time will work, as we'll have to watch one anothers secrets as our brains send out our own. I don't want our brains to go into meltdown." Ata forced a laugh, but I could see her nervousness underneath it. I had to admit that I was nervous too, worried about Ata's reaction to my secret.

Moving to the store cupboard, Ata removed numerous pillows and blankets, throwing them down on the floor to create a pallet for us before she settled down on one side, gesturing for me to join her. I wavered for a moment, knowing if I sat there would be no going back. I would have to watch all of Bartlett's thoughts and actions in my mind once more, they would be unearthed from the locked space in my mind that I had thrown them into. But then, perhaps if I told Ata my secret and she told me hers, we would be able to help one another overcome them. Maybe that was why Niall had told us to exchange, not only to form a family bond but also to help us overcome our fears. I had a feeling, deep down in my gut, that a lot of our fears would be coming to light over the next few days, and Gran had told me to always listen to my gut.

Sitting down before I could change my mind, Ata pulled a small steel dagger from her pocket, along with a roll of bandage fabric, holding her hand out for me to place my arm in. Wavering just for a second, I relented, knowing this would have to happen sometime, and it was better to just get it over and done with. Taking the blade, Ata created a small cut on the inside of my wrist, and I flinched at the quick, sharp pain. "Sorry." She mumbled, popping the blade down before she raised my wrist to her mouth, not even concerned about any infections that could be passed between us, or the fact that she was going to be taking my blood from my wrist like a vampire. "Just relax." I heard her murmur against my skin, the feeling of calm sweeping over me as she used our mental connection to send me the calming feelings. My shoulders slumped a little as I focused on my breathing, screwing my eyes shut so I wouldn't have to watch Ata as she watched my memories. Feeling her mouth over the wound, she started to take light pulls, not taking very much in each mouthful. It was so different than the times Eric, and Bill, had fed from me. Of course their fangs had been buried in my flesh, and Ata was fangless, but their pulls had been strong and, in Bill's case, greedy.

I could feel my blood in Ata's system, like I could feel it in Eric's and, to a lesser degree, in Bill. The moment I started to feel my blood in her though the memories started to play, and I was helpless to stop it. It was like the locked part of my brain, where all of my worst memories were, including the time Bill practically drained me dry in the back of the lorry in Jackson, was ripped open. The memories of Uncle Bartlett flashed to the forefront of my mind, and I felt Ata pull back from my wrist, gasping as her mind was hit the onslaught of my memories.

_It was summer vacation, I was eight years old, and the sunshine was pouring in through the window of Gran's living room. Gran was out, having gone to get some groceries as Jason and I were staying for the weekend. Jason was out too, playing with Hoyt down by the river on the new tire swing they'd created with some junk they'd found out in Hot Shot. School had given us homework for the summer, and as per usual I had been the only one bothering with it. Most of the other students got away with doing as little as possible, but my disability meant that the teachers paid extra special attention to me, so I could never get away with anything._

_Gran's living room was just like every Southern home, her antique ornaments covered almost every surface, and photographs of the whole family in a jumbled assortment of frames covered the walls. The sofas, old and creaky, stood strong and sturdy in the middle of the room. As it was summer, Gran had placed flowers around the room, brightening it up further and adding to the fresh, summer smell. Gran had always been fascinated with the meaning behind flowers, as every elderly Southern woman usually was, and her fascination had been passed down to me. She'd decorated the house with cosmos flowers, for they were a sign of peacefulness, daisies for innocence, irises for inspiration and pansies, for loving thoughts. I thought it ironic how she had chosen pansies, given that the thoughts coming from Uncle Bartlett, who was sat opposite me in the single armchair, were anything but loving. _

"_**Tiny little legs, flexible and smooth."**__ He thought, his expression remaining blank. My shields weren't developed, so his thoughts were free to flow into my mind._

"_How's the homework coming?" He asked me, feigning interest as I stared down at the math's equations on the page in front of me. I had no clue as to how to answer any of them; math's wasn't my strongest subject as my teacher was an incredibly loud broadcaster, which made it difficult to concentrate. _

"_I hate math. Gran usually helps me." I responded honestly, pausing in my scribbles to look up at my uncle._

"_Maybe I can help?" He offered, but his thoughts betrayed him "__**Her skin is perfect. So soft." **__He smiled, patting the space on his lap. "Come sit on my lap, so I can see it better." He almost ordered, giving a soft smile on his features as if he wasn't thinking such things about me. I was unsure what to do, if I freaked and told him I could hear him and his vile thoughts he would get angry, and without Gran around to defend me I would be at his mercy. If I gave in though, I would have to listen to his thoughts for longer, and they would be clearer, given that we would then be physically touching. Looking at my uncle for a moment, I realized I didn't have a choice in the matter. _

_Picking up my book and pencil, I rose from my spot on the sofa, crossing the room to sit on Uncle Bartlett's lap. He used his hands to place me on his legs, before he allowed them to rest on the arms of the chair. Although there was no direct skin-to-skin contact, I could still hear his thoughts, and they were amplified by our proximity. Opening my book, I allowed him to see the page I had been working on. Scribbling down a few ideas for the answers, I tried to block out his mental voice, to no avail. "I'm good at this." He told me, his eyes downcast onto the page. "It's easier than you think." He tried to encourage me, but I was distracted. __**"No hair anywhere on her body." **__He brushed a few stray strands of my hair from my face, so he could see me better. __**"All mine." **__He claimed me mentally. "Uncle Bartlett loves you sweetie." He tried to make me feel valued and treasured, like his love was pure and innocent, but it was anything but. _

* * *

_It was the Christmas holiday; I was ten years old and this was the second year Jason and I would be celebrating Christmas with Gran, and Uncle Bartlett. I'd tried to tell momma and daddy about him before the flash flood took their lives, but they'd thought I was lying and told me off for it, said they'd take away what little pocket money they gave me if I ever lied again. I couldn't risk losing my pocket money, it was the only thing that was stopping the bullies from picking on me all the time. When I gave them my money they only bullied me once or twice a week, not every day like they did with some of the other kids. Gran was in the kitchen cutting up the turkey for the Christmas dinner tomorrow, and Jason was downstairs building a fire so that we could all sit around it and exchange stories before hanging our stockings up on the mantel for Santa to fill with presents. I was upstairs, putting the finishing touches to the present I had bought with Gran for Jason. We'd decided to buy him his own little bow and arrow set, as he was getting mighty good at shooting at things with Gran's old shotgun, but she didn't trust him with that on his own just yet. She said he was still far too young._

_I heard his mind before I heard him physically approach, and my body involuntarily stiffened at the mental onslaught. I'd developed my shields after momma and daddy had died, with the help of Gran of course, mainly so that I could function in school. They weren't that great though, and on occasion would spring what I liked to call a leak, in that they allowed a few stray thoughts to enter my mind anyway. __**"She's growing up to be a beautiful young lady, still so smooth and supple." **__His mental chatter caused me to bite down on the inside of my lip, to stop myself from crying. For two years this had been going on now. His thoughts around me were never pure, and he never bothered to disguise them, even though he knew I could hear people's thoughts, or so that was what I thought he believed. I wasn't sure if he was in denial over it like momma and daddy had been, he never really thought about my disability a lot. His hands would wander a lot, but he'd make them out to be loving caresses, and every time I would hurt myself he would use it as an excuse to examine me, to make sure I wasn't hurt anywhere else. His hands were always cold whenever he touched my legs or my back or my arms, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I was always warm, as I spent much of my time in the sunshine, so the contrast was unpleasant. _

_On the few occasions where his touches had been less than soft, less than kind, and his thoughts more malicious and disgusting than before, he'd threatened me. He'd told me that if I told anyone about what was going on he would make sure I would pay for it. I was young, so the thought scared me to death. He would sneer at me and remind me that no one would believe me, that they all thought I was crazy and mentally unstable. He was damaging my self-esteem, which was already at an all time low. _

_He didn't even bother to knock as he entered the room, and the brain waves coming off of him told me that he had been drinking, as his thoughts were a little muddled and fuzzy. He'd always been violent when drunk, and Gran had always monitored the amount he consumed when around Jason and I to ensure that neither of us was hurt. Of course every time she popped out to the shop or to the church for her ladies meetings she wasn't there to monitor him and his alcohol intake. It was those times when he lashed out, but he only ever hit me in places that no one would see if I were to wear my shorts and strappy tops. I steeled myself for his onslaught, both physically and mentally, screwing my eyes shut for a moment in a silent prayer that it would be over quickly and then I could go back to pretending that nothing was the matter, that we were all one big, happy family. This had been going on for so long now that I had simply learnt how to block it out, pretend like it wasn't happening to me. _

"_You're growing up to be real pretty, Sookie." He slurred, sauntering into the room with the confidence only alcohol could give someone. Opening my eyes, I turned to face him, plastering on my 'Crazy Sookie' smile in a hope that he would leave me alone, or get this over with as quickly as possible. I couldn't understand how a family member, someone who claims to love you, could do and think such vile things to you, and about you. Then again, the only person who ever thought good things about me was Gran, and I could tell they were sincere. Momma and daddy had pretended, and I could hear under their mental lies their real thoughts. They had believed there was something wrong with me, and after hearing it for so long I started to believe it. _

"_Thank you Uncle Bartlett." I forced myself into the role of sweet Southern belle, knowing it was the way Gran raised me and the way to make her proud. _

"_That dress looks real pretty too." He commented, approaching me. I had nowhere to go, the backs of my legs were against the end of the bed and he was blocking my only escape – the door. __**"Shows off all of her long, slender legs." **__He mentally leered. "What's it made of?" he questioned, reaching a hand out to the hem of the dress, which he ran through his fingers. His hand started to trail upwards, towards my hips. _

_Looking down at the dress I had on, I quickly racked my brains for the fabric, hoping to end this conversation quickly and get away. The dress was blue and white, the shade of blue matched my eyes perfectly, and I could tie the dress tighter around me using the strips of fabric sown into either side of the garment, the strips would knot together in a bow behind me. Gran had bought it for me from this little boutique in Monroe that had been having a closing down sale. Usually we didn't shop in boutiques, preferring to buy our clothes from Walmart as it was cheaper, but on occasion Gran would have a little surplus cash from her job at the launderette and the benefit money we would get for Uncle Bartlett, so she would buy us all something nice each. "It's satin." I informed him, remembering when Gran had told me about how to wash it and to take care of it. It would last me a long time if I showed it a little bit of love, and with how tight our money was at the moment I would need to keep onto it for as long as possible._

"_Feels so good." Uncle Bartlett commented as his fingers ghosted over my hipbones. __**"Just like her skin. Gosh she smells so darn good too, like lavender and honey." **__His mental chatter continued as his hands wandered. Removing myself quickly from his touch, I grabbed a bow that I was going to stick on Jason's present, removing the backing before I placed it onto the wrapping paper._

"_Don't wanna forget the bow!" I giggled, acting as if I had only just remembered to place it on. I had in fact only just remembered, and it was convenient that I could use it to my advantage, to help me out of my current situation. _

"_**Bows are good, but it's the unwrapping that's the best part." **__I heard his mental commentary, along with mental images of him removing my dress, as he stalked towards me. With no where to go but back against the wall, I found myself shrinking towards the sturdy, vertical surface, hoping that it would somehow swallow me up and this nightmare would be over. "Why are you shying away from me sweetie? Uncle Bartlett only wants to give you a hug." He tried to coax me away from the wall, but his mental thoughts were screaming at me that the actions he was about to conduct weren't going to be to my liking, and therefore I refused to get away from the wall. _

"_I don't wanna get my dress all creased up." I tried to lie, but even to myself it didn't sound very convincing. _

"_Don't be silly now, a little hug ain't gonna crease your pretty dress." He tutted. Finally reaching me, he pinned me in place, his hands wandering over my hips and up my sides. "It's a real pretty dress, the fabric is so soft." _

"_Please don't." My voice was croaky as I tried to wiggle myself free of him, but he was stronger than me, even though he was getting on in his life. Fear coursed through my veins and I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. _

"_If you dare tell anyone, I will make sure Gran sends you to that Brentwood mental hospital out in Shreveport. Do you hear me?" He hissed, switching from the seemingly caring uncle to an aggressive, vicious man. The thought of being locked away, having more doctors poke and prod at me, it frightened me, and I could feel my heart thumping against my chest, the perspiration on my hands was making them feel clammy and, in order to relieve the feeling, I rubbed them on my exposed legs._

"_Oh I hear you." I hadn't heard Gran climb the stairs, or enter the room, but the moment she spoke I nearly broke down into tears as relief flooded my system. "How dare you threaten my Sookie." Gran crossed the room quickly, hauling Uncle Bartlett off of me before she placed herself between us. "How dare you have your hands on her in such a manner, she is not some toy, she is your niece! How dare you threaten to send her to the mental hospital, there is nothing wrong with my Sookie!" Gran's voice continued to climb as her anger started to pour out. I hid behind her, feeling safe now that she was here, now that she was aware of what was going on. I'd been so frightened to tell her, not only because Uncle Bartlett had been threatening me, but because he was her brother, her only remaining relative bar Jason and I. _

"_There is something wrong with her, why can't you see that?" Uncle Bartlett gestured in my direction as I continued to hide behind Gran. I'd never hidden behind her before, but I felt the need to distance myself from the volatile drunk in front of us. All my life people had called me crazy, said there was something wrong with me, and knowing my own family thought of me as some sort of freak hurt deeply._

"_There is something wrong with you, Bartlett, treating my Sookie in such a degrading manner." Gran scoffed, reaching a hand behind her, which I gratefully took. She gave my hand a light squeeze before she let me go, taking a threatening step towards Uncle Bartlett. "I want you out of my house right now, I don't want you to ever come back here ever again, I don't want you to ever speak to Sookie or Jason ever again. I'll come by your old house tomorrow noon with your things, but you will leave my family alone." I had never heard such strength in Gran's voice, never heard so much anger and yet, at the same time, so much pain. I instantly felt bad for what was happening, she was getting rid of her own brother, kicking him out of her life, all because I continued to try and get away. If I had given up then none of this would be happening, and Gran would still be happily cutting up the turkey downstairs._

"_You need me here, you need the money, Adele." Uncle Bartlett was grasping at straws, and the panic in his eyes told us that he knew it. _

"_We don't need your money, Bartlett. We'll make do, we always have." Gran's tone held a hint of resignation to it. She took another step forward, causing Uncle Bartlett to back up towards the door. "I want you out, now." She ordered, continuing her pursuit of him as he fled the room. I followed, standing next to the banisters on the first floor as Gran chased her brother down the stairs and out of the front door, not even stopping to let him speak, or to give him the Christmas presents we had already bought for him. She didn't even give him his coat; instead she sent him outside in his Christmas jumper and pants, with only his slippers on his feet. Jason came in from outside, a frown on his features as he watched Gran chase Uncle Bartlett out of the house. I felt sick. This was my entire fault. I could have prevented this had I have just gone along with it one more time. I was growing up now, he would soon stop, and I would soon be able to defend myself better as he grew weaker with old age._

"_Why's Gran chasing Uncle Bartlett, Sook?" Jason's eyes turned to me, but I didn't have the guts to look him in the eyes and tell him the truth. He wouldn't believe me anyway. He loved me but at times he thought me crazy and mentally handicapped, and this would be one of those times._

"_I don't know." I mumbled my lie, grateful that he wasn't able to hear my mind like I could hear his. He was coming up with so many different reasons for Gran's sudden actions and thankfully none of them were close to the truth. With a shrug of his shoulders Jason slopped off into the kitchen in search of food, just as Gran returned into the house. Suddenly anxious, worried and frightened, I bolted for the stairs, hoping I could hide in my room for the rest of my life. _

"_Sookie, sweetie, come here." Gran cooed up the stairs, standing patiently at the bottom step as I reached the top one. Freezing mid-step, I quickly thought over my options. I could run into my room and slam the door shut, lock out the rest of the world and face this later, or I could pull on my big girl panties and deal with this now. Making my choice, I turned to face Gran, fingering the hem of my dress out of nervousness. She offered a hand up to me and I shook my head, tipping it in the direction of the kitchen where I knew Jason was pretending to look for food so he could eavesdrop. Understanding my apprehension, and the reason behind it, Gran climbed the stairs, joining me at the top. Taking my smooth hand in her slightly wrinkled one, she walked with me to my bedroom, where Jason's present still sat on my bed, now decorated with the bow I had used to try and help me escape Uncle Bartlett's clutches. _

"_How long, Sookie?" Gran asked as she cleared a spot on the bed, sitting down before she patted the space next to her, inviting me to join her. Rocking on the balls of my feet for a moment I deliberated the answer to her question. Should I lie and make it seem like a recent thing in order to make her not think so badly of Uncle Bartlett, or should I be honest with her? Gran had always told me that honesty was the best policy, so I took the seat beside her and explained. _

"_Since I was eight. Started a few weeks after momma and daddy died." I admitted as the tears final cascaded down my face. For two years, at least once every week, Uncle Bartlett had been coming to me, pretending to be the doting uncle while his thoughts had been screaming far more sinister and wrong things to me. Gran pulled me into her arms, holding me close as she slowly rocked me back and forth in a soothing motion. Her hands were stroking my hair as I buried my face into her chest._

"_Hush now my Sookie, he won't lay a hand on you ever again, no one ever will." _

My flashbacks ended there, and I opened my eyes to feel the dampness of my tears across my cheeks. My eyes found Ata's bright blue ones, where her own tears were shining. "It wasn't your fault." She whispered, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"I know that," I responded quietly though tone was firm, "but it should have never happened. What kind of person does such a thing to their relative?" I sighed, dropping my gaze to my lap.

"Sick people, Sookie. He can't hurt you anymore though; you've got all these powers to defend yourself with. You could nothing when you were younger, but now you have the tools to do so." Ata soothed, leaning over to wipe the tears away from my cheeks. I hated remembering the way he used to touch me; I hated the way he used to think of me. It may not have been my fault, as I was a child who was defenseless and frightened, but it still made my skin crawl, made me feel violated and dirty, even if it had never gone past heavy petting. I supposed in some sense that it was why I remained a virgin for so long, coupled with my telepathy of course. It had been daunting to a man touch me; I'd even shied away from Jason's affections even though they were meant with the purest of thoughts. It made Bill's betrayal hurt even more, especially considering his reaction to the information.

"He can't hurt me anymore because Bill killed him." I confessed quietly, still quietly reeling from the information even though two years had passed since then. It hadn't been Bill's place to murder him; Uncle Bartlett had been alone, confined to a wheelchair. He'd been frail and unable to defend himself. While his actions hadn't been right they had in no way warranted his death. It was just another way that Bill had controlled my life, and another family member that had died because of my association with him. I'd lost my cat Tina, Gran and Uncle Bartlett. I'd almost lost Jason a few times too, not to mention Lafayette and Tara. I pulled everyone I cared about into the paths of vampires, and it wasn't fair.

Ata was silent after my confession, and I found myself worried by it. She was a vocal person, who always seemed to have something to say. "Does Eric know?" She finally questioned, and I gave a small nod, recalling our conversation the other night. "How does he feel about it?" She gave my hand another reassuring squeeze, rubbing a thumb over the back of it.

"He was glad Bill killed him. He said he'd have done it himself otherwise." I informed her, looking up to catch her gaze as she gave me a grim smile, nodding her head slowly.

"I promise that no one else will hurt you like that again, you don't have to worry about it. I promise not to tell anyone either, I'll lock it away in the private part of my mind. I know he was a family member so you hold some love for him, but what he did was so wrong on so many levels, and I have to agree with Eric. It's better if he's not around to remind you of that time. You need to accept it, learn from it." She offered me a reassuring smile.

"I have accepted it, Ata. But sometimes, no matter how much we accept something, it stills come back to haunt us." I stated, dropping my gaze once more. "Shouldn't I take from you now, so that there isn't a large gap between us?" I moved the topic on, not wanting to delve deeper into a conversation regarding Uncle Bartlett. He did what he did and he received the exile from the family for it, and subsequently death by vampire. Hindsight would have probably been a good thing for him to have, but only a few seemed to have that ability.

"Urm, of course." Ata shifted a little, letting go of my hand. I frowned, as she seemed to suddenly become nervous. Taking the blade she cut into her wrist, offering it out to me. Slowly taking it, I awaited the go ahead, and sure enough Ata gave me a small nod. Sealing my lips over the wound, I started to take light pulls, as she had taken light pulls from me. Ata's blood was a combination of everything heavenly on this earth, and I could distinctly taste the different bloods of all those we shared ties with. Ari, Khai, Riei, Oeri, Egor, Agmund, Godric, Eric, Pam, Bubba, Isabel and Edgar. They were all there.

Noting that Ata had closed her eyes, I followed, and I was immediately taken back into her memory.

_Running a brush through my hair, I sighed as I tried to get the tangles out. My hair was forever knotted and it was a pain to take care of. A commotion outside of my room brought my out of my annoyance, and I placed the brush down on the table before me, glancing at my reflection in the small handheld mirror mother had commissioned for me for my birthday last year. I was twenty-two now and the boy I loved was dead, along with my father. I refused to marry and my stubbornness was causing problems with the High Court. They could stuff themselves though; I would not be forced to marry a man I held no love for. My mother had become a cold and cruel woman, ordering people around and obsessing over the latest step up the political ladder. Rising to my feet I crossed the room, pulling the doors open to reveal the limestone corridor. Following the noise I ended up in my mothers throne room, and a man stood in the centre of the room. He was easily 6' tall, with a __determined stare, thickset neck and square-jawed, fleshy face. _

"_Who are you?" I demanded, looking the gentleman before me up and down. If my mother dared to force me to marry this man I would have no qualms running away from Egypt. _

"_Marc Antony, and whom are you?" He demanded in a booming voice that startled me. His accent gave him away though – he was from Rome. Typical. The only Roman I had ever liked was my father, and he was gone. _

"_Ata Caesar, daughter of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar." I stated with pride, holding my head up high as I offered the man before me a smirk. _

"_Such a shame about your father, he had it coming really, but it looks like I'll be replacing him." He sneered, the glint in his eyes told me he was positively ecstatic at the concept of taking over where my father had left off._

"_You will never replace my father!" I spat, the anger boiling up in my blood as this man dared to talk ill of my Itf. _

_Marc laughed and the sound was deep and creepy. Taking a few short steps towards me he ended up towering over me. "Oh but I will do, little girl. Egypt and Rome will be mine. Your mother is putty in my hands, and there is nothing you can do about it. Now, run along and play with your dollies. Leave the politics to the grownups." He wafted his hand in my face in a shooing motion. _

_My nostrils flared as I tried to hold onto my anger. "You will regret this, you will pay for this." I seethed, storming from the room. Stomping down the corridor my mother came into view, approaching her throne room and thus passing me._

"_Mother, can I speak to you?" I asked, plastering on a sweet smile as I batted my eyelashes at her, hoping to butter her up._

"_Not now, Ata. I'm busy." She admonished me, not even bothering to stop as she continued into her throne room. "Ah Marc, so glad you made it here safely!" She exclaimed as Antony came into view. Turning in disgust, I watched as she practically threw herself at him, pulling him into an embrace. Over her shoulder he spotted me, and the wink he gave me told me all I needed to know. This man had to go._

* * *

_I was twenty-four, still unmarried, still a virgin, and still causing the High Court trouble. My life was short, of that I was certain, but I would never bend to their will and marry, I would never let another sleep with me in my bed. Sat on the window ledge of my room, I allowed my eyes to drift over my surroundings. My room was so bare without my Godric there to keep me company. It had been over seven years since I'd lost him; back when I'd been seventeen. Playing with the leather bracelet around my wrist, the one that had once belonged to him, I sighed as I turned to look out of the window, watching as my people went about their lives in the darkness of the night, oblivious to the current goings on inside the four walls I was trapped inside of. _

_Mother had managed to get herself knocked up with Antony's spawn nine months back, and now she was sprawled out on her bed on the other side of the palace, her legs wide open as per usual, shoving the demon children out of her. Antony has caused nothing but chaos for the past two years. Mother has all but forgotten about me, preferring to spend time with her new squeeze, dealing with the political bullshit he has brought with him. If I were Pharaoh I would cut all ties with Rome altogether and let the damn place fall into the dirt. Mother had been so quick to form an alliance with Antony, so quick to have his children. It was as if she simply forgot about my father, forgot about the affections they held for one another, the love they so obviously shared. My mother and father had been perfect together. _

_A knock at the door pulled me from my angry thoughts, and one of the servant girls entered, a smile painted on her lips. "Your mother has bared two children, a girl and a boy! She has named them Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene!" The servant woman informed me, but the moment their names slipped from my lips I felt my whole world crumble around me. My mother had named her new daughter after her, the ultimate show of her love and affection, and I had been landed with Ata. There was no love there, my name simply meant 'Princess', as if someone would be dumb enough to question whether I was royalty or not. It was like a bad story, her new spawn being given her name while I was stuck with nothing that could tie me to her. Mother's were supposed to love all of their children, not be selective! _

"_Aren't you happy Miss?" The servant girl asked me, taking a small step in my direction._

"_Get out." I murmured, not looking at her. I turned my head to look out over Egypt, my Egypt. This empire was mine, I was the eldest, I had been raised to be a queen and I would take control of this empire if it killed me. _

_The servant girl started to protest. "But Miss…"_

"_I SAID GET OUT!" I turned and screamed at her, throwing the nearest object that I had to hand in her direction, which just so happened to be my jewelry box. Yelping in surprise, the servant girl fled from my room, slamming the door shut behind her. My jewelry box smashed into it, falling to the ground in millions of pieces, my jewels scattered all over the floor. Angry tears were streaming down my face as I took in my obliterated jewelry box. It wasn't the box I was upset about; it was the content of it. The box was poorly made anyway, a gift from an apprentice crafter who had wanted to marry me, but the content was from my father. _

_Crumbling to my knees, I gathered up all of my jewels, looking them over for damage. All of them were in one piece and I sighed in relief, clutching them to my chest. It was then I spotted the golden necklace my father had given me for my birthday, the last one he had ever been around to witness. Picking it up off of the floor, I dusted off the pearls and lazurite. Father had always told me the colour of the lazurite reminded him of my eyes. Unclasping it, I tied it around my neck, my fingers running over the cold material as I looked to the closed door, hearing the excited squeals of the staff as they rushed by to welcome the two new children into the world. "He'll pay for this, daddy. He'll pay for all the nasty things he's said over the last two years and he'll pay for bringing those two children of Apep into this world. I promise you." I vowed quietly, pulling myself up onto my feet, still clutching the jewels my daddy had given me to my chest. _

_A timid knock at the door alerted me to the presence of another, and I dropped my shields to examine their mental signature. "Come in baby brother." I called out softly, moving to arrange my jewels back onto the tabletop. I heard Caesarion enter, and watched as he nimbly tiptoed through the debris of my jewelry box. _

"_You heard that mother has had two new children." He stated, looking to my broken box before up to my face. I could see the tear tracks down his cheeks, and it broke my heart. _

"_Yes, she named the girl after herself." My shoulders slumped. I could show my emotion to my baby brother, he understood me and loved me regardless. "Talk about stabbing someone in the heart and twisting the knife." I muttered, sinking down onto my bed. Caesarion sat beside me, wrapping me up in his small arms. I welcomed his comfort, knowing that the only other person who could reassure me at that moment in time was dead. Fate had taken my beautiful Godric from me, and my father, and was now taking my mother too. _

"_Marc said that those two new babies are the new you and me, he said to me that they're replacing us. I don't wanna be replaced, I've never done anything wrong! He says you and me aren't gonna be royalty anymore, that we're illegitimate now 'cause daddy is dead." My brother started to sob against me, and I couldn't help but cry with him, though I forced myself to cry quietly. I needed to be strong for him, I needed to care for him and carry him through his difficult transition. It was my job as his big sister. _

"_**I've never done anything wrong. I've always been good, always listened to Mut, always done as she's asked. Don't wanna be replaced, can't be replaced. I'm a good boy. I'll try harder, try to be better, try not to disappoint her. I don't want that man to say nasty things about daddy anymore, daddy was good, daddy was nice, he use to bring me pretty presents and give me cuddles. That man doesn't cuddle at all, he gives me funny looks and talks to me like I'm stupid. I'm not stupid. He even said Ata was mentally deranged. Sister isn't deranged, just different. Different is good though, doesn't make me love her any less. I just want that bad man to go away." **__My brothers anguished thoughts caused me to sob out loud, and I hand to clamp a hand over my mouth to silence myself. My perfect little brother thought he was bad, and wrong. There was nothing wrong with my little brother, he was just like daddy and there was certainly nothing wrong with daddy._

"_You do not listen to that man, Caesarion. You were named after daddy because you are just like him, you are strong and brave and good and loyal, you are a little Caesar, and every Caesar fights. It's in our blood. We will not be replaced, we are the true heirs of Egypt and it will be ours. I promise you little brother that I will fix this, Egypt will belong to us once more and that man will no longer be in our lives. I will avenge father, everything that man has spouted about daddy is a lie, and I will cut out his tongue to silence him if I must. Just because daddy's mortal body is gone doesn't mean his soul is. He's in Aaru, Caesarion, and we will join him one day, but we will go there as king and queen of Egypt, not as the prince and princess. I will not allow this man to take from us what is rightfully ours." I pulled him onto my lap, rocking him gently as I rubbed his back. His sobs started to slow down, and the hiccups took over._

_Pulling back, he looked up at me with complete love and trust, and I knew then I would do anything to make my little brother happy again, to make him smile and laugh. "You're gonna kill Marc, to avenge daddy?" He asked quietly, knowing that someone could be listening in at the door. They weren't, my disability could tell me that much. They were too busy with the new demon children._

"_Yes. Egypt will be ours." I vowed._

* * *

"_I don't care, I want him dead!" I seethed, glaring at Anubis as he stood opposite me. I had allowed myself once again to slip into my meditative state, hoping to seek counsel with the gods I worshipped. I was twenty-seven now, and my mother was still enamored with Antony. She had given birth to another of his spawn in the early hours of the morning, another boy whom she named __Ptolemy Philadelphus. "I have put up with him for five years, and he has done nothing but make my life, and that of Caesarion's, a nightmare. Do you know that he calls Caesarion and I disappointments, that he spouts evil lies to my baby brother every day in order to upset him? It is because of him and his foolishness, that Egypt is now weak, that we are about to be declared war upon by Rome as he has allowed relations with our adoptive brother, __Octavian, to crumble! He's going to get us all killed, and I will not sit back and let some fool take my life from me, take that of my brothers either!" I hissed as I paced around the room I had brought all of my gods into. No one would be leaving this room, this meditative state, until I had a plan. _

"_You know I can't interfere in this, Ata. It is not his time." Osiris tried to reason with me, but I wasn't having it._

"_If none of you will help me, then I will end him myself. He will die by my sword and I will relish every moment of it." I spat, stopping in my pacing to glare at the gods around me. I had spent every waking moment since I had first been able to make conscious decisions worshipping them and the ground they walked upon, and yet now they wouldn't help me – a sister in need. _

"_If you kill him Ata, I cannot let you into Aaru." Anubis warned me, but I was far beyond Aaru right now. _

"_My father and my beloved were murdered, but they aren't in your precious Aaru, are they? So what makes you think I want to go there? My baby brother will be the only one of my bloodline to reach the fields and you better let him in or so help me Isis I will drag your sorry asses into these mediations for the rest of damned eternity and make you suffer for it!" I felt like a caged animal, unsure and angry, willing and wanting to lash out at everything and everyone. _

_I could hear my gods hiss at my threat, but none made a move to verbally spar me. There was a reason the symbol of the royalty was that of a snake. "You are walking a dark and dangerous path, sister." Anubis warned, but his warning was meaningless to me. None of them had come to me in my time of need; none of them were willing to help me end the man who was single-handedly destroying my empire._

"_It's a good job I'm not afraid of the dark then." I growled._

"_You do what you must, Ata." Anubis stated with a sad sigh. I could hear his mental thoughts; the way he wished I wouldn't be so destructive, that I would accept Antony and his children. I would have rather allowed the royal embalmers to pull my brain out through my nose while still alive than accept Antony and his spawn._

"_I will take whatever comes my way, I don't need your help." I declared, remembering the promise I made to my brother to kill Antony, the promise I made to my father to avenge all of the spiteful words uttered regarding him. I abandoned my meditative state, slipping back into reality to find my baby brother sat before me._

"_Well?" he asked quietly, nervously playing with the hem of his shirt._

"_He dies tonight."_

* * *

_Three hours later, just before the sun was due to set, I hurried through the passageways of the palace, slipping past the guards and the servants. They seemed to do whatever I wished them to do, not even bothering to put up a fight. I frowned at the strangeness of it; it was as if I was controlling their minds. Entering the armory I took stock of the weapons at my disposal. There were a variety of swords, with their respective shields beside them, and numerous other blades we had accumulated over the years. I couldn't risk taking a sword without someone finding out, the guards were forever entering here to swap their weapons so as not to blunt the blades as quickly. A flash of bronze captured my attention as I turned to leave in order to search elsewhere for my weapon, and I smirked at the weapon before me._

_Reaching out, my fingers caressed the __khopesh. Nobility and my family were the only ones who usually used it, and on occasion the guards who defended our cities many temples would have their own versions to wield. It had approximately six inches of handle and quillons. The blade extended straight out about eighteen inches from the handle, then curved into a slight sickle shape for another two feet. Its sickle-like blade was edged on the inside or outside curve. The spine of the weapon was made to be heavier than the spine of most other swords, allowing attacks to bear far more brutal results. Edged to the outside, this weapon was extremely effective at creating slashing wounds, swung across the wielder's body, like a scythe reaping crops. Edged to the inside, this was used for hacking an opponent; much like a machete was used to cut through dense underbrush. The heavy spine of the weapon, with its center of gravity along the blade instead of close to the hilt, along with its ability to cleave through both armor and flesh easily, made it the most effective weapon we had on offer. I would use it to slay Antony this evening._

_Tucking the blade into my dress, I used the many layers of light fabric to easily conceal it. The last thing I needed was to be seen carrying it through the halls, in the direction of Antony's chamber. Slipping out of the room, I used the shadows to my advantage, concealing myself in them as I moved through all of the corridors in the palace, heading towards the room my mother had allocated to Antony – the room right next to hers. Using my disability to my advantage, I tracked the minds of the guards and the servants as they went about their evening duties. None of them were anywhere near Antony, and he was alone in his room. Good. _

_Using the element of surprise, I opened the door to his chambers a fraction, slipping in before I shut the doors behind me, not wanting anyone to enter. "Good evening, Antony." I called out to the man who was stood on the other side of the room. The years and the stress had made him look more haggard than he had been before, and I was glad to see that he looked a lot older than he was. My father had retained his youthful appearance even into his old age. Antony turned to look at me, shock plastered onto his features before he quickly schooled his face. _

"_What do you want, child? It's about to become dark and I wish to retire for the night." He snapped in my direction. I was tired of his attitude, tired of him calling me a child and thinking so little of me. I was a princess, the daughter of Rome's greatest general and Egypt's greatest Pharaoh. I was the ultimate woman, a powerhouse, with royal blood in my veins. It was unfortunate that the bastard before me was of the same bloodline too; his mother had been my fathers' cousin. That wouldn't stop me from ending him though, if anything it only made me angrier that he had taken my mother from my father. _

"_I am twenty-seven years old, I am the daughter of two of the worlds most powerful people. I am no child." I stated slowly and calmly, as if the man before me was stupid. _

"_You are ignorant of the world, you have a mental hindrance, and you are a child in a woman's body." He responded in a clipped tone, taking two strides to stand before me. "Leave, child. I have no time for your games." He tried to shoo me away, as he had done the first night I had met him, but this time I wasn't going to run along and cry and I certainly wasn't going to back down. I was the daughter of Julius Caesar, the Roman general who concurred Gaul, who led his men into victory. With a flourish I produced the khopesh, ensuring my actions caused the blade to slice along his torso, the serrated outer edge causing a slash wound across Antony's chest. His howl of pain echoed around the room before he growled in anger, and a hard glint appeared in his eyes. I used my mental ability to ensure no one would come to his rescue. "You little kenes!" He spat, lunging at me. He used his weight and his size to throw me across the room; the khopesh fell from my hands and slid along the marble floor, stopping beside the door. As my back hit the wall I grunted at the pain, mentally cursing myself for being so stupid as to remain so close to him after harming him. _

_One of his hands went up to the wound on his chest, trying to suppress the blood flow as he stalked towards me. "Do you have any idea what is going on right now? Octavian is planning on invading Egypt and he will not stop, he wants this empire for himself and I am trying my hardest to keep it from him, to allow your precious mother to maintain her throne." He sneered at me as he hauled me up off the ground. I yelped as pain shot through my body, right down my spine. I would have a nasty bruise in the morning. Eyes frantically searching the room, I tried to find a way to escape, but there was only one door in and out, the only other options were the open windows. However, I did spot his sword leaning against the wall next to me. "You think the whole world revolves around you and your precious daddy, but it doesn't. He's dead, got himself killed because of his stupidity, and you think for one moment you can ever change that? I've heard you praying every night to your gods. Continue praying to your gods as you do, continue to ask them for him back, they'll never help you. I could make it look like you had an accident, you tripped and landed on the khopesh," his eyes flitted to the blade by the door, "and then I wouldn't have to put up with your whining any longer. But don't worry, I'd kill your brother shortly after, wouldn't want the throne to fall to that brat now would we?" The mention of my brother, of him killing my brother, stirred my possessive nature, and I felt my anger spill over._

_In my state of anger and aggression, in my need to protect my baby brother, I didn't even register that I had grabbed a hold of his sword, nor that I had buried it into his chest until his hand around my neck slackened and he took two heavy steps backwards, his eyes wide in surprise as he looked down to the iron blade protruding from his chest. _

_Heaving and panting, I pulled as much oxygen into my lungs as possible, admiring my handiwork for a moment before I started to hear mental signatures approaching the room. I would have a bruise around my neck in the morning and would need to wear a piece of cloth to cover it, so as not to arouse suspicion. "No one threatens my baby brother, no one tries to take my empire from me, no one speaks ill of my father. I promised you that I would make you pay, and now you have." I laughed as he fell to his knees, his hands clutching at the blade as he tried to pull it out of his chest. It was useless though; in my anger I had embedded it deep within him. Crouching before him, I ensured we were eyelevel before I spoke again. "You will not tell a soul about this in your last few minutes. I did not kill you. As far as they are concerned you were worried about Octavian and his plans for a takeover, you couldn't live through that so you decided to take your own life, so that Octavian wouldn't have the pleasure of taking it from you. Do you understand?" I tried to use whatever it was that had influenced the minds of the guards and servants earlier, and the glazed over look in Antony's eyes, along with his robotic nod, informed me that whatever the hell it was that I was doing had worked. In that moment I didn't feel like a freak. I had power over other people, and it was getting me exactly what I wanted. "You will go to your tomb knowing that I have killed you because of everything you ever did to me, my mother and my brother, for the lies you dared to utter about my father. Egypt was never yours, and now it never will be." I tormented him._

"_Izi nek djesek." I blew him a kiss before I hauled myself up onto my feet, leaving him gasping and groaning on his knees. Grabbing the khopesh I placed it back under my dress, securing it. Although the evening had not gone to plan the desired outcome was still the same. _

_I could hear footsteps approaching, and before the door could open to reveal the guards I took off towards the window, vaulting myself through it to land on the sandy dunes outside just as the guards entered Antony's chamber. Instantly they started shouting orders, the servant women were screaming the palace down. Realizing I would need to be back in my chambers, so that the servants wouldn't suspect anything should they come knocking, I took off running, sticking to the walls. Reaching my own windows I threw myself up onto the outer ledge before I slipped in, catching my dress a little on the corner of the limestone, causing it to tear. "Nek!" I cussed, causing my brother who had been waiting for my return to tut quietly, a smile on his lips._

"_He's dead." Caesarion stated as he dashed to my wardrobe, throwing me a new dress, which I changed into as he poured me a bowl of water. I quickly cleaned myself up with the fresh water, wiping the blade of the khopesh free of blood before I stored it under my bed. I would return it tomorrow. Sitting down on a stool, I handed my baby brother my hairbrush and, as planned, he started to slowly brush my hair. For twenty minutes he brushed away, the pair of us sat in silence, though we silently communicated via our eyes through the handheld mirror I kept in place, focused on the door. It was then as a knock sounded out against said door._

"_Mistress, Master, come quickly!" The panicked voice on the other side of the door was loud and clear, but Caesarion and I ignored it. The servant woman continued to knock frantically, and my poor brain was being assaulted with her thoughts. One thought in particular made my blood run cold. _

"_Mut." I whispered, bolting up onto my feet and towards the door. Caesarion was behind me, having abandoned my hairbrush. Flinging open my bedroom doors I shoved the servant away, running through the limestone corridors towards my mothers room. The doors were wide open; the other servants were clinging to one another, weeping openly. Pushing my way through the crowd I could feel the panic building up inside of me, and with my baby brother hot on my heels I skidded to a stop._

_My mother lay in the middle of the floor, her chest no longer rising and falling with steady breath. A basket of figs stood beside her, the contents spilled out on the marble, and an asp amongst the debris, the creature just as silent as my mother. "MUT!" Caesarion screamed, sprinting to mothers' side. "NO! NO!" my baby brother cried as he clung to mothers' prone form. I was at a loss with what to do, what had happened here?_

"_What happened?" I croaked towards the nearest servant, grabbing her wrist tightly. She flinched under my grasp, but I was beyond care._

"_The queen heard of Antony's suicide Mistress, she was distraught. She whispered to a servant girl to bring her the basket of figs that entered the palace this morning. We believe she asked the servant girl to bring her the asp, she was so upset Mistress, spoke of how she couldn't go on without her Antony." The servant girl filled me in between her sobs. My blood felt like ice as I processed the woman's words. My mother had committed suicide, because Antony was dead. I had inadvertently killed my own mother. Crumbling to my knees beside my mother and my brother, I finally cried out in anguish. I went to hold her, but Caesarion smacked my hand away._

"_This is all your fault!" he screamed at me. The servants and guards, sensing that we would need a moment, all left the room. I followed their mental signatures as they moved further and further away from mothers' chambers. "If you hadn't of killed Antony then mother would still be alive now!" He spat at me, wiping angry tears away._

"_I killed him for you, Caesarion, for us! How was I to know mother would do this?" I shot back angrily, the tears streaming down my cheeks at my brothers anger and sorrow. _

"_Your mental disability should have told you! This is all your fault, I hate you!" My little brother yelled at me, rising to his feet as he fled from the room. He hadn't laid a finger on me, but his words hurt far more than any slap around the face. I would have preferred the slap in all honesty. My brother had been nothing but loving towards me for my whole life, he had accepted my difference as something that made me special, not a handicap. I couldn't have cared less about how others felt of me, but for my little brother to hate me, the little boy I had looked after my whole life, who I'd taught to walk, talk and write, the little boy who shared my blood – that hurt more than anything I had ever experienced. Even the passing of my father hadn't hurt this much. _

_Gathering my mothers' still form in my arms, I wept over her, brushing her dark hair back from her pale face. "I'll fix this, I'll fix this. I didn't know this would happen, I promise. I'll marry if I must, create an heir. I'll do everything you wanted me to do. I'm so sorry." I babbled away in my native tongue, rocking my mother as if to comfort her. I was unaware of the pale blue eyes, full of longing and sadness, watching me through the window. I was unaware of everything that had happened to the teenage boy in the years he had been 'missing' from my life, unaware that he had been watching over me whenever he was able to escape the clutches of his Master. I was even unaware that he had killed his Master to come to me this evening._

_The sound of someone entering the room stopped my babbling and ceased my crying. I didn't turn to look at my guest, I was well aware of the man behind me. His hand came to rest upon my shoulder as he crouched beside me. "What do I do, Ari?" I whispered, still cradling my mother as I leant against the broad shoulder of my favourite personal guard._

"_Mistr— My queen," he corrected himself with my new title, "you allow the embalmers to take her body and bury her. You take the crown, and you hold your head up high, you don't show an ounce of weakness. Egypt is in a dark place, we need you to lead us out of it." He brushed my hair from my face, wrapping an arm around me to hold me close. My relationship with Ari was far stronger than it should have been. Guards were suppose to protect you, not be a shoulder to cry on, a soundboard for your ideas, or a companion in the wake of the deaths of all of your loved ones. _

"_I don't think I can do it, Ari." I confessed quietly as the embalmers started to enter the room. Slowly they took mothers' body from me, their eyes downcast; tear tracks on their cheeks. I forced myself to remember how my mother looked in her death – pale, her mind silent, her eyelids shut to conceal her beautiful dark eyes from the world. Her lashes were fanned out across the tops of her cheeks, and her lips were painted their usual ruby red. I would never see my mother again, this would forever be my last mental image of her, and I would have to live with it for the rest of my life._

"_You must. I'll be with you though, every step of the way, for the rest of your time on this earth." Ari vowed quietly, pressing a tender kiss to my temple as the embalmers took mother from the room, leaving Ari and I alone in the empty, bleak room._

Opening my eyes, I watched as the silent tears continued to stream down Ata's cheeks, much like mine had done earlier on. "It wasn't your fault." I mirrored her earlier words. Looking at the woman before me it was difficult to imagine her so venomous, so insistent upon the death of someone. The depth of her devotion to her loved ones had never changed though. I saw the jealousy she had carried over the loss of her mothers' devotion, the hurt when she had named her new child after her. I saw the pain the words her brother uttered had caused her, and the desolation she had felt when all of her family were taken from her, leaving only her behind.

"For 2000 years I carried that guilt, thinking my actions led to my mothers suicide. I allowed my people to refer to it as that, and to write about, because the truth was far worse. Of course the moment we received those gifts from Russell I realized it wasn't my fault and that I've spent the past 2000 years trying to make amends for something that was never my fault." Ata tried to pull her hands away but I held onto them, wanting to comfort her as she had comforted me.

"Your mother and brother, do they know that Russell was the reason your mother died? In your meditative state everyone seemed to get on so well, your mother looked so happy with your father." I tried to approach it from a different angle, to help Ata reclaim her family.

"I assume they know, because they wouldn't visit me or talk to me if they were unaware. I just hate that they didn't think it vital to tell me. I've wandered this earth blaming myself for my mothers' death, weeping over my lost bond with my baby brother. It didn't help matters that Octavian ordered the death of my little brother eleven days later." I heard her mutter before she sighed. I was suddenly very glad I hadn't been an Egyptian – life sounded worse than death.

"Who else knows?" I asked, wanting to find out how many people were aware of her secret. She'd asked me the same question, so I found it fair to ask it back of her.

"Only you." She confessed. "Not even my boys know that I killed Antony, I haven't told Godric either. I don't want him to think ill of me." She shrugged, but I could see that it pained her to hide it from him.

"Tell him. Eric didn't think ill of me when I told him about my uncle, so I doubt Godric would think ill of you for doing what you did. That man was a threat to you, to your brother and mother, to your empire. I'm not saying it was right to kill him, but you were protecting what was yours, and apparently that seems to be a common theme in the supernatural world." I gave her hand a gentle squeeze as she offered me a small smile, but I could see the apprehension in her eyes. I couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to think that momma had died because of me; I couldn't even begin to think about how I would feel to carry that guilt all by myself for over 2000 years. I felt that, in some ways, by exchanging blood and creating our tie, Ata and I had a deeper understanding of one another. I could see how she had changed into a better woman, and she could probably see why at times I was shy and why I was so naive to most things in the supernatural world. We both had a few skeletons in our closets, and something deep inside of me was niggling away at me. I had a feeling these secrets were important, that we would have to face the fear they had left behind, the destruction and the hurt, sooner rather than later.

Opening my mouth to speak, I was suddenly silenced as Ata raised her hand into the air, her head snapping towards the door. "We have company downstairs." She growled out, rising to her feet quickly. Quickly I threw out my mental net, capturing the six angry Were minds downstairs, the haze of red aggression giving away their intentions.

"Fucking Were's again!" I hissed, getting up onto my feet too. I followed Ata out of the room; fingering the pearl necklace I had on, the one the witch Amelia had put a protective spell on.

"Hey Sook, hey Ata. You guys were up there for a while, shouldn't your vampires be waking up in a few minutes?" Jason asked us as we reached the bottom step. Pausing I glanced to the clock, shocked to find that we had spent the best part of four hours in the training room, being exposed to one anothers memories and secrets.

"_We should wait for Eric and Godric to wake." _I informed Ata, hoping she would delay her attack of the Supes downstairs. My argument was useless though.

"_My home and business was blown up by Were's, you and Eric were attacked by them last night and now they're back. I am not going to sit by and allow them to destroy my home, hoping Godric will come and save the day. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of them myself, besides, what better way is there for you to continue using your powers?" _ Ata turned to smirk in my direction before she took off towards the elevator.

"Sook and I need to deal with something downstairs, it's imperative that you both stay up here. Do not leave the penthouse." Ata raised her finger in warning as she called up for the lift, which had already been waiting for us as the doors slid back immediately. Scampering in after her, I was able to see that in her mind she was constructing the protective pyramid around the penthouse, as another layer of security for our sleeping vampires, along with Jason and Hunter.

"What's goi-" Jason was cut off as the doors slid shut, abruptly ending our conversation. Ata closed her eyes for a moment and I gave her the silence, unsure as to what she was doing.

"They know where this lift is, they're waiting for us at the bottom. Two are on the left and two are on the right, to grab us as soon as we step out. The other two are around the corner, securing the way out so they can get us into the car they have waiting and drive us to the drop-off point that was specified in the text message they received last night from their Master." Ata reeled off the information, and I was impressed that she was able to read Werewolf minds so easily. Obviously years of practice had helped her, and I was still relatively new to it all.

"How do we go about this then?" I asked, suddenly feeling an urge to fight. It was similar to the urge last night, but that one had been much stronger, probably because I had been defended Eric – my bonded. I was going to be defending myself this time though, and I was sick and tired of being walked all over by other Supes. If what Niall was saying was true, then I was quite literally a fairy princess, and I had a feeling fairy princesses didn't just roll over at the first sign of trouble and allow themselves to be hurt.

"I'll take the two on the right, you take the two on the left. I have many things I can recall which make me angry enough to want to kill, and I'm going to use our newly formed tie, this one," I felt a tickling sensation in my chest which caused me to wheeze with laughter, "to transmit some of my anger to you, so that you can blast them to kingdom come when I do too. Then, we're going to knock out the final two, so I want you to use your white light to topple them and throw them against the nearest wall. Fuck the marble, that can be replaced, but I want to keep the two Were's as bargaining chips." Ata ran through the plan just as the elevator reached the bottom floor. I was nervous, given that my first kill with my light had been last night and now I was expected to kill again, but I felt the need to protect my brother and nephew, along with my sleeping vampire and my new family. Nodding to Ata, the elevator dinged, the doors sliding back.

Turning, we placed ourselves back to back as we sidestepped out of the elevators, instantly met with the aggressive, angry faces of the Were's who were trying to harm us and those we loved. I felt a surge of anger within me, not just from my own thoughts that these men wanted to hurt my Eric, but from Ata too. Raising both my hands, I realized that I was yet to learn how to fire off two kill shots at once. I'd managed to do it last night by accident, but I needed the talent right now. Blocking out the noises behind me as Ata took care of her two Were's, I focused on one of my two, the one charging towards me, and sent a huge wave of golden light towards me. He stopped right in his tracks, his mind screaming out in pain before it went blank and he slumped to the floor.

The mind of the other Were started to swirl as his anger levels rose, obviously having witnessed the death of his friend had riled him up even more. I raised my hand as he charged towards me, ready to land another kill blast, but as I tried to force my magic outwards I found myself unable to get my light working. Panicking at my sudden loss of magic, I was grabbed roughly around the waist and twisted around, my hands clamped behind my back by one large hand while the other was placed over my nose and mouth. The contact meant his thoughts were much clearer. **"**_Maybe Russell will lemme have a play with this one, like me some feisty blonde piece of country ass."_

Gasping for air, my vision started to blur, but then I felt a tug inside of me, and a wave of concern and fury poured through my bond with Eric. My vampire was awake.

The reminder of Eric, feeling his emotions through our bond, feeling him wake for the night, it spurred me on to fight back. Throwing my head backwards it collided with the Were's nose, and he howled out in pain, slackening his hold on me. Using that to my advantage I turned to face my would-be assassin, pulling back my foot to slam it into his crotch with force that I felt was rather impressive. Jason had taught me that the easiest way to bring down a man was to 'hurt his baby maker.' Grunting, the Were doubled over, one hand clutching at his bleeding nose while the other held onto his crotch. Raising my knee now that it was under his chin, I brought it up sharply into his throat to silence him before I raised my hands once again, summoning what little magic I felt in me, and I even pulled some from my bond with Eric, before I sent a blast of golden light towards him. He crumbled to the ground as his mind fell silent. A wave of sickness took over me, and I swayed on the spot, feeling exhausted and drained. I would have laughed at how I was feeling if I'd have had the energy.

My feet gave way from beneath me and I felt myself falling to the marble floor, but before I could reach it a pair of strong arms grasped hold of me, the scent of the ocean in winter invaded my nostrils and a pair of bright blue eyes fell into my line of sight. "Jag har dig min kärlek, jag har dig." His voice hushed me as I felt the compulsion to shut my eyes. Unable to fight it any longer, and feeling safe in my vampires arms, I allowed the world to become black.

* * *

**A/N Next chapter will be a half and half from both Oscar and Bubba's POV's, of the night they arrived at Felipe's and the night that's just about to occur, and let me say, you're going to find out some pretty interesting things ;)**

**I'm gonna try and make sure you aren't waiting as long for the next update, once again I am so sorry about that, but I want to let you all know that I love you all so much and all of your reviews and favourites etc inspire me to keep writing and updating! So from the depths of my beating heart, I thank you all :)**

**translations**

_Mut (Egyptian) = mother_

_Itf (Egyptian) = father_

_kenes (Egyptian) = c*** (I hate that word, which is why it's in another language, sorry!)_

_Izi nek djesek (Egyptian) = Go fuck yourself_

_Nek! (Egyptian) = Fuck!_

_Jag har dig min kärlek, jag har dig (Swedish) = I got you, my love, I got you._


	55. You Know My Name

**A/N I know, another delay, I'm sorry! I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour here in the UK though the other day and it's a four-hour drive away from me. **

**It was so worth it though because those films were my entire childhood. At the end of the tour they had this beautiful, handmade replica of Hogwarts that was HUGE. I'm not joking, it was HUGE. Just google image 'hogwarts castle harry potter studio tour' and you'll see what I mean! The moment I saw it I started to cry, no joke. It was my childhood, my entire childhood, and I lost myself in the magic of the world within the walls of that castle for ten years. It was a sad moment, to realize that my childhood was over, especially given the fact I go to Uni tomorrow, but the one thing that can summarize it is that beautiful, magical castle :)**

**I really struggled to write from the POV of Oscar and Bubba, which is why this chapter is so short, so from now on the main four (Ata/Sookie/Eric/Godric) will be conversing with them from phones and such and discovering things out thanks to the recordings. I know it's a cop-out but I want to write a great story for you guys and this chapter doesn't feel great/good/etc to me. It feels really weak and for that I am so so sorry but I couldn't let you guys go any longer without an update. Sorry!**

**Anyway, my drive up to Uni tomorrow is eight hours long, so while my parents are driving on down the motorway I'm gonna get to work on the next chapter for ya so you won't hopefully have to wait so long for an update!**

* * *

**OSCAR'S POV**

_If you take a life, do you know what you'll give  
__Odds are, you won't like what it is  
__When the storm arrives, would you be seen with me  
__By the merciless eyes I've deceived  
__I've seen angels fall from blinding heights  
__But you yourself are nothing so divine  
__Just next in line  
__Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you  
__The odds will betray you and I will replace you  
__You can't deny the prize; it may never fulfil you  
__It longs to kill you, are you willing to die?  
__The coldest blood runs through my veins  
__You know my name  
__If you come inside, things will not be the same  
__When you return to my night  
__If you think you've won  
__You never saw me change the game that we have been playing  
__I've seen diamonds cut through harder men than you yourself  
__But if you must pretend, you may meet your end  
__~ You Know My Name, Chris Cornell_

The moment Bubba and I left the safety of the penthouse I was on edge. I had my nifty little spy gear but I was still worried. I'd only been in Felipe's presence when Ata had been sorting out disputes, and even then the man had scared me. Though the vampire who had turned me had taught me how to feed, he hadn't bothered to school me in the ways of vampire etiquette around ones elders. I'd relied on my instincts during the disputes session, which had decided my fate, and I had a feeling I would have to rely on them again around Felipe.

"Don't worry none Oscar, I'll take care of ya." Bubba offered me a supportive smile, and I returned a smile of my own. If my human mom could only see me now, she'd never believe it. She'd adored Elvis as a child, and I'd grown up listening to his music with her. To be sat in a taxi with him was incredible. We'd debated taking Ata's limo, but decided that if Felipe were to see it he would be suspicious. We'd decided on a taxi in the end, and I'd watched as Bubba had glamoured the driver so that he wouldn't remember us once he'd dropped us off.

Pulling up outside of Felipe's mansion, which I remembered from the party my new mom had attended a few days ago, I took an unnecessary breath in, slowly exhaling the cool evening air. Centering myself, I left the vehicle, as did Bubba, who was standing close beside me. Together we stepped up the few short steps to the front door, which was opened for us by a pair of vampire guards stood watching over the entrance. Cautiously I entered, allowing Bubba to lead the way into the mansion. A woman approached us as we entered, she was dressed in a black pencil skirt and white blouse, her chocolate brown hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head and a pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses sat on her nose. She had to be in her twenties, and the sound of her heartbeat was incredible. She looked and smelt wonderful, and I would have pursued her if it weren't for the numerous fang marks littered across her neck. Clearly there were 'perks' to her job. The driver of the taxi had placed our luggage just inside the door.

"I'm afraid the king is busy this evening, you'll have to come back another time." She stated, eyeing Bubba and I. She didn't spend long looking at Bubba, which I considered strange given his true identity.

"Please tell King de Castro that Bubba wishes to see him, and that I have a young vampire with me who wishes to learn the ways of his court. He has no home and family, and I believe he'll be a valuable asset to the kings court." Bubba informed the woman, who looked less than impressed at being ordered around.

The woman sighed quietly, and to a human the sound would have been inaudible, but to a vampire the sound was easy to pick up on. "As I stated earlier, Sir, King de Castro is currently bu-"

"Claire." Felipe's accent cut through the room, causing the woman's whole body to stiffen at the sound. "You know full well that I'm not busy this evening, and that you should send all guests straight through to me." The Nevada king strode into the room, flashing an apologetic smile at Bubba and I before he turned back to the brunette woman, who I now knew as Claire.

"But you are yet to feed this evening, my king." Claire batted her eyelashes at Felipe, tipping her head sideways in what I could only assume she deemed a coy action. The thumping of her pulse was tantalizing, and my hunger was like a burning sensation, trying to consume me, but I called upon my restraint, knowing that the king would be less than happy with me should I pounce on the nearest human. Although it hadn't been required of me for this little mission, I'd refused to feed for the past two days, knowing that if I was hungry the king might take sympathy on me. Even if he only offered me a donor and a room for the night I would be able to get some information for my mother.

"I do not require your blood this evening, Claire. You're dismissed for tonight." Felipe wafted a hand in her direction, ignoring her as he stepped past her towards Bubba and I. Dipping my head in a show of submission, even though my mother had told me not too, I clocked Bubba doing the exact same thing from the corner of my eye. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening Bubba, and that of your companions of course?" Felipe questioned, eyeing me as I lifted my head back up to meet his gaze. Although he was king I wasn't afraid to look him in the eyes.

"The hotel I was staying in was less than accommodating, your highness, so I was wondering if you had a spare room I could perhaps borrow for a night or two before I return to my safe-house in Louisiana?" Bubba questioned, his tone a little lighter than usual in a hope to sway the older king. "My companion is Oscar Roberts, he tells me that you were present when he was taken from his Maker. He has been staying in a motel on the outskirts of town for the past few nights and when I was out finding a cat or two for my dinner I came across him. He has nowhere to go and no idea what to do with himself, so we were wondering if there was an opening in your court perhaps?" Bubba spoke for me, offering the king I smile. I watched as Felipe's nostrils flared, clearly scenting me. I was pleased that mom had suggested we keep physical contact to a minimum for a few days. Seemingly pleased with whatever he smelt, Felipe looked me up and down for a moment before he gave a stern nod.

"I may have a spot available for you, so long as you pledge fealty that is." He offered me a crooked smile and, unaware of what exactly pledging fealty was, I simply dipped my head in another show of submission. I would have to speak to Bubba later about what was required of me. I would go ahead with it if it would keep mom and Sookie safe.

"You are most generous, your highness." I faked my compliment, lifting my head a little.

A smug expression crossed the kings' face as he turned back to Bubba. "I have one room spare if you wish for that Bubba? The pair of you may have to share for a while as I have some important guests staying here with me." I had a feeling it would be difficult to find out who exactly these guests were. I had a hard time believing that he only had one room spare too, not in a mansion this size. He was most likely keeping Bubba and I together, so it would be easier to take us out or kick us out.

"Thank you, your majesty." Bubba dipped his head as I had done a moment earlier, and I couldn't help but think about how much ass kissing there was in the vampire world. Of course in the middle of the humans political world there was ass kissing too, but not on this scale. Humans were less likely to kill one another for political power than vampires were.

"Show them to their room, will you?" He ordered a black-haired vampire who had entered the entrance hall. With a bow the male vampire dashed for our luggage, picking it up effortlessly before he started to lead the way. Giving a small smile to the king, I followed the vampire at a leisurely pace, not wanting to seem nervous or scared. Although I hadn't been a member of the vampire world for very long, I was well aware of how other vampires would pick at me until I showed a weakness, and would then use it to their advantage.

I had to keep the disdain off of my features as I took in the décor of the place. I'd left Caesar's Palace and yet it felt like I was back there already, minus my mom and the rest of the nest I was now a part of. The male vampire said nothing as he led Bubba and I through the maze of corridors, until he eventually stopped in front of an ornately decorated door. "This is yours." He stated in a monotone voice, pushing open the door to reveal the huge, beautiful bedroom.

Stepping inside, the male vampire placed our bags down before he left, shutting the doors behind him. The room was painted in yellow, a cheerful colour that reminded me of the sun, and the floor was made of dark, stained wood. In the middle of the room, against one wall, sat a huge four-poster bed, adorned with a yellow duvet and plenty of yellow throw cushions. The frame was the same dark colour as the floor, and a cream coloured rug sat under the bed, breaking up the vast block of colour. On the far wall stood a dresser, numerous plants covering the top of it, along with a few trophies. I rolled my eyes at the trophies. There were plenty of other lush, green plants dotted around the room, and upon closer inspection I realized they were all fake. Seeing as how the daylight was off limits to vampires, as none of us really wanted to burn in the sunshine, fake plants and flowers were the only ones that would thrive indoors. Next to the dresser, in the wall, was an archway that led through into a sitting area and, off of the sitting area, was a bathroom. All of it was decorated in the same shades of yellow, and the flooring went from stained wood to marble as you moved through to the sitting area.

"There's only one bed." I commented as Bubba picked up his suitcase, depositing it on his bed so he could unpack a few things.

"We'll just have to share then Oscar, I promise to keep my hands and my fangs to myself though, so don't you worry none." Bubba grinned at me over his shoulder, and I laughed a little at his ease with the situation. Before Bubba could open his mouth to utter another word I raised a finger, asking him for silence as I plucked the bug finder bottle opener from my pocket. Turning it over, I held it in my hand, starting to methodically scan it over the surfaces around the room. As I approached the bed Jupiter started to flash red, signaling a bug. Feeling a little bit smug, I continued towards the bed, dropping to my knees as the flashing sped up. Scrambling underneath it, Jupiter stayed bright red and, using my vampire eyesight, I was able to identify the bug that had been placed under the bed. Grabbing it, I pulled it silently from the underside of the bed frame. Vamping to the bathroom, I dropped it into the sink before I ran the cold tap, smothering the bug whose electronics failed the moment the cold water slipped past the plastic shell housing.

It took me another ten minutes to sweep the room, and I was able to dispose of six bugs in total, all of which had been rigged to listen in on Bubba and I. Tucking the bottle opener back into my pocket, I turned to Bubba, giving him a nod to let him know he could talk now. "How long you planning on staying here Oscar? I might be able to buy you another night or two." He offered. Removing the gold pendent the witch had charmed for him, he slid it over his head, tucking it inside his shirt so no one would see it. Of course I could still scent the gold, and other vampires would be able to also, but at least it wasn't on show. Moving to my own bag I plucked out the golden bangle my human mom had always worn, slipping it onto my wrist. A light tickling sensation crept up my arm and settled in my chest, and I instantly felt more at ease. Whatever magic was in the bangle was making me feel comforted and reassured.

"What did Felipe mean by pledging fealty?" I asked Bubba in a hushed tone, just incase someone was listening in at the door. Stopping his unpacking, Bubba turned to me with a sympathetic smile.

"It means you're swearing loyalty to him, it's the only way you can live in his state. All new vampires to an area report to the areas sheriff, and if they tell the sheriff they wish to move to the area permanently then they must swear fealty to the king or queen of the state and to the sheriff of the area they decide to live in. It's essentially a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. You're basically saying you won't stake them in the back. Of course all you have to say is that you pledge fealty to the king or queen, and sheriffs, and then no one can question you. Heck, most vampires don't really mean it when they pledge fealty but the tradition has been around for so long that no one wants to get rid of it. If you break the pledge however, then the punishment is the true death. I've never had to pledge fealty to a king or queen, I'm passed around too much to be loyal to one king or queen, let alone sheriffs. I'm loyal to Miss Ata though, pledged fealty to her on the quiet once, never has she said a mean thing about me." I watched as Bubba's face lit up at the thought of my new mom, and I too struggled to keep my smile at bay.

"So pledging fealty is really just a formality? How do I go about it, do I just say 'I pledge fealty' or do they make a big song and dance about it?" I questioned the slightly addled vampire, taking a seat on the bed as he continued to rummage through his belongings.

"Yeah I guess you could say it is. You gotta get down on one knee and bow your head, before stating that you pledge fealty to them. They then accept your fealty, welcome you as a resident of their state, or area depending on who you're pledging to at that moment, and then that's it. A lot of the kings and queens, when an older and more powerful vampire moves into their state, like to throw a 'welcoming party' and invite kings and queens of neighboring states. It's really just a way for 'em to show off, to show that they now have a powerful asset under their control." Bubba explained to me. Letting the information soak in for a moment, I thought about the vampire before me.

It must have been difficult for him, the transition into this life. He was so well known when he'd been human that he'd probably spent an awful long time in hiding, not to mention that, now that he was immortal, should he reveal himself he would be going into hiding in order to get away from adoring fans. I found it unfair though that he was passed around like some sort of toy – when one state became bored with him they handed him to the next. He knew a lot about vampire ways and customs, and I had a feeling he had probably seen quiet a lot of strange and scary occurrences in the royal palaces as he was passed between them. At least some of his knowledge on Felipe would come in useful. "You wearing them?" I asked in a hushed tone, gesturing to my eyes with two of my fingers.

"Popped them in on the taxi ride here, been recording ever since we arrived." He informed me in a whisper that even I struggled to hear, so there was no chance anyone outside could be listening in, and I'd managed to clean the room of any and all bugs.

"Do you think we'll actually find anything here?" I questioned quietly, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. I wasn't overly comfortable in Felipe's presence, my little gift of intuition was telling me that he wasn't a kind man, and he wasn't very forgiving. I'd watched him carefully as he'd interacted with my mom when she had attended his party, and the way he had leered at her and smothered her in compliments had made me feel nauseous – and vampires couldn't even throw up! I liked the way Godric, I was yet to speak to him about taking on the role as my father, spoke to my mom. He called her his 'darling' and the tenderness in his voice was such a stark contrast to the crudeness in Felipe's. The moment I clapped eyes on the Nevada king my intuition told me to be careful – just like it was doing right now.

"We might get a few things, but I doubt you'll hear much. Felipe will either keep you away from everything to play it safe, or he'll be cocky and let you hear everything. It could go either way. I'll try and find out as much as I can though, just incase you can't find anything." Bubba reassured me with a smile, swapping his shoes over for another pair. "I think the sooner we have you pledge fealty to Felipe the sooner we can start looking for things." Bubba suggested. With a sigh that wasn't necessary, I nodded in agreement, wanting to get this over and done with. I didn't care much for Felipe, not after the way he treated my mom, but I would do this for her, regardless of the fact that if anyone found out this was a cover up, a little mission, then I would meet the true death for pledging fealty and then spying on him.

Rising from the bed, Bubba finished putting his things away before he led the way out of the room, down one of the long corridors to a marble set of stairs. I shuddered at how similar Felipe's palace was to mom's business, and my intuition was telling me the décor was no coincidence. Together we moved down the flight of stairs, which bent at a right angle to the left when we reached the bottom. Dropping down another flight of stairs we found ourselves in what looked to be a living room, though it wasn't as formal as I guessed some of the others would be. The room was, of course, made out of marble, and I silently laughed over the fact that mom hated marble and this poor fool had decorated his whole palace with it. A few rugs, in earthy colours, were scattered over the floor to stop the cold marble from bothering the human house-help and donors that scampered about the place. In the middle of the room sat a round, glass table with two stools, one on either side. Above the table hanged a chandelier, and on the table sat a brown bowl, filled with fresh fruit. To my left there was a cluster of bright blue chairs, a few burnt orange and blue throw cushions were on them, and they were arranged in a manner so that whoever was sitting on them could enjoy conversations with their companions easily. On the other side of the room was a beautiful, hand-carved fireplace, set back into the wall. An oil painting had been placed on the wall either side, small sideboards positioned underneath them. Infront of the fire the interior designers had placed a low coffee table, another brown bowl on the top of it, and on one side a blue sofa, which matched the other ones, flanked it and on the other side a burnt orange sofa flanked it. The blue was an odd colour amongst the earthy tones however I had to admit that it worked well together.

"Ah Bubba, Oscar. I hope your room is to your liking?" Felipe questioned from his spot on the burnt orange sofa. I forced a smile, pretending as if the one bed and one chest of drawers was enough for two people. It was a good thing I wasn't staying for very long. I wanted to get in, get the information needed and then get out.

"It's incredible, thank you." I spoke up, dipping my head in thanks. Bubba's smile seemed genuine, and unfortunately I had no way as to find out his current emotions. He and I hadn't exchanged blood when we'd been healing Ata. I hadn't exchanged with anyone come to think of it, which was probably wise as my scent was clean, and I could vaguely remember hearing something about how sharp Felipe's sense of smell was in comparison to that of other vampires.

"What can I do for you two gentlemen this evening?" He questioned, giving us his full attention as he lounged in the sofa. Gesturing to the one opposite him, Bubba and I took our seats quickly, not wanting to keep him waiting and risk annoying him.

"Oscar would like to pledge fealty to you now, your majesty. You would be the first vampire for him to ever pledge his fealty too." Bubba explained, grinning at me before back at the king. I found it hilarious how Felipe was pretending to be a king when Bubba actually was. Of course they were kings of different things, but I would rather be the king of rock and roll than the king of Nevada. Felipe's eyes shifted to me, surprise evident in them for a second before he schooled his features. I used all of my control, which according to the vampire who had turned me had been extraordinarily advanced for a baby vamp, to stop myself from squirming in my seat. I was under the impression that Felipe wanted me to suffer, wanted to see me squirm. He felt like the kind of man who enjoyed others awkwardness and embarrassment.

"You have never pledged fealty before, do you understand the procedure and the consequences should the pledge be broken?" He questioned, quirking his eyebrow at me in a manner that reminded me of Eric. Biting the inside of my lip with my blunt teeth to stop myself from laughing at the similarity, I nodded my head.

"I understand completely, but I wish to remain here in Nevada and start a new life." I answered. My answer was honest, I truly did wish to remain in Nevada and start a new life as part of Ata's nest, but I would never wish to live under Felipe's rule forever. He would need to be taken care of, and something inside of me was niggling away at me whenever I thought about that.

Crooking his hand, Felipe summoned me over to him. Rising from the sofa I moved around the coffee table to stand before him. Without needing to be told I dropped to one knee infront of him, bowing my head in a show of submission. Mom would be furious. "I pledge my fealty to you, King Felipe de Castro of Nevada." I stated, wanting to keep my pledge as light as possible and not add any further fanciful promises – which I probably wouldn't keep anyway.

For a moment Felipe was silent, and I kept my position on one knee with my head bent. Finally, he bothered to speak. "I accept your pledge of fealty, Oscar Roberts, and offer my protection to you while you live in my great state. Welcome to Nevada." His tone was flat, and I got the feeling he wasn't too thrilled to have me living in his state. I was a newborn after all, and newborns were known for getting themselves into sticky situations. Very few made it past their first year.

Nodding in thanks, I moved from my spot on the floor, lifting my head to once again look at Felipe evenly. Moving back to the sofa I had vacated, I took my seat beside Bubba. Felipe studied me for a moment before he spoke up once more. "I would have thought you would have stayed in Caesar's Palace with my sheriff, rather than staying in a motel?" he questioned. I could see where he was going with it though. Although I had been young when I had been turned, and I'd only been a vampire for a few years, I was aware of how people tried to pry information from one another, how they lead their questions or worded them in an odd manner in order to cause the person they were questioning to slip up and give the game away. I was aware of the tactics because I was planning on using them with Felipe over the next few nights. "The sheriff kindly offered me a room within her establishment and, while it was generous of her to offer, I turned her down as she had already dealt with the issue of my Maker and I no longer wished to take up any of her time, your majesty." I answered in an even tone, disliking the fact I had to be polite to this man. My human mom had a saying, one she'd told me while I'd been at college dealing with the bullies. Kill 'em with kindness.

"I don't know whether to think of your action as noble or foolish." He tried to rile me up, but I allowed myself to recall the past few nights I had spent in the penthouse. Ari, Khai, Riei, Oeri, Egor and Agmund had all been very kind to me, accepting me easily as one of their brothers. They'd started to train me and teach me things, so that I would be able to defend myself and be well versed in the ways of the vampire world. I was calling upon some of those teachings this evening. Sookie had taken to me as well, and it pleased me no end that she stood up to big and blonde when I went to tend to her after he gripped her a little tightly. Truth be told, Eric frightened me a little, but I would never let him know it and I would never show it. He struck me as the sort of vampire who found others weaknesses and used them against them for his own personal gain. Pam was an entertaining woman, one moment she seemed kind and calm and the next she was angry, throwing a tantrum and then ignoring everyone. It was enough to give anyone a hernia.

My new mom and, hopefully, my new dad, had accepted me willingly into their home and nest. Mom had even allowed me to taste her. The memory of her sweet blood, the way the flavour seemed to explode the moment it hit my tongue, made my fangs itch within my gums. I'd been loyal to her the moment she had freed me from the vampire who had turned me, but the moment she had opened her home to me, told me her secrets and then allowed me to taste her, well, I'd decided right then and there that I would protect her with my undead life. Of course by extension that meant I would protect Godric, because mom loved him and if anything were to happen to him then she would be distraught. I felt comfier around Godric than I did his Childe. He was silently powerful, gentle with his voice and understanding. It was rare to find vampires like that these days. I'd met many vampires during my brief time with the vampire who turned me and while I'd been working as a bartender, and none had been as interesting as the 2000-year-old vampire my mom was bonded too. Bonding, that was another thing I was yet to learn about.

Remembering the kings' comment, and my human mom's words, I plastered on a smile. "It was probably a little bit of both, my king." I accepted his criticism, not bothering to correct him. He needed to believe the story Bubba and I had invented.

Seemingly appeased with my response, and the fact I had just for all intents and purposes called myself an idiot, the king smiled, leaning over to press a button on the side of the coffee table. "I'm feeling rather hungry, and it would be rude of me not to offer either of you the chance to quench your own thirst. I have a vast collection of donors on call 24/7, from all over the world and on a huge variety of diets. I have one boy who eats nothing but lemons, his blood has an incredible tang to it." He stated smugly as a group of donors entered the room. I could tell they were all donors due to the vast array of fang marks littering their bodies. Talk about limited self-respect. I was aware though, thanks to my brothers that turning down a donor from the king would be seen as rude, especially considering the fact I was new to the area. I was also aware of the fact that lemons were poisonous to fairies, and that with my mom being fae I would have to be careful around her. I could try this one boy though, but I would have to make sure all of his blood was out of my system before I returned home, just in case mom needs my blood for any reason.

"While all of your donors smell mighty good, your majesty, I'm afraid I'm not very hungry. I went out in search of some stray cats earlier on in the evening." Bubba rebuffed the king, but I got the feeling he wouldn't be reprimanded for it.

"Of course Bubba, I complete forgot about your different palate." He offered the addled vampire a condescending smile, though I was unsure if Bubba understood how patronizing it was. "You must try my lemon boy, Oscar. If you care for some privacy then you can take him up to your room for the evening?" he offered. I wasn't sure whether to be happy about that, as I was still shy of feeding in front of others, or angered that he had insinuated that I would have sex with the donor. Yes feeding and sex went hand and hand, but I had plenty of control and men were not my cup of tea anyway.

"You are most kind your majesty, I think I may just do that." I turned to look at the group of donors as the one who was obviously the 'lemon boy' stepped forward. He was of average build with light muscle definition. His chest was free of any hair and the hair atop of his head was jet black, styled to fall over half of his forehead. His jaw was sharp and his chin nicely rounded. His hazel eyes were located underneath black brows and he seemed perfectly relaxed. He looked to be no older than twenty-six, and it saddened me to see him have a job as a donor. Fangs marks were littered across his body, though none of them were fresh. They were at least a few days old and were now starting to heal over.

Rising from my spot on the sofa, I gave a nod to Bubba, knowing I would see him before dawn anyway. Turning to Felipe I bowed, hoping to appease the king before I strode out of the room, tipping my head in a summons to the donor, who scampered on after me. Making my way back through the maze of corridors with ease, thanks to my vampiric memory, I stopped outside of the bedroom Felipe had given Bubba and I. Not bothering to make a huge show and dance of it, I shoved the heavy doors aside, stepping inside before I gestuered for the donor to follow. Shutting the doors behind us, I tuned in to his heartbeat and other vital signs. His heartbeat had picked up a little but the blood flow around his body was free of any clots. He would heal quickly after I'd fed. Dropping fang, I captured his eyes with my own.

"What's your name?" I demanded in a soft tone, remembering how I'd been told that softer tones usually worked better when glamouring someone.

"Tyler McDaniel" he answered robotically. While glamour was useful for us, I hated using it, especially considering that only a few years back I had been human. The glazed over look in their eyes, they way they did anything and everything you asked of them, it sickened me. Humans were not pets, or animals, and they shouldn't be force to do the dirty work of vampires.

"Tyler, I want you to listen to me and listen well. I'm going to take your blood in a moment as I need to nourish myself, and then I'm going to heal all of your bite marks for you so that you won't be scarred. Is that an acceptable trade?" I offered. I didn't have to heal his bite marks, and it was probably wrong of me to do so, but I couldn't just sit back and allow the young boy who looked like he could have so much potential damage his body the way he was. I would rub my blood on the wounds to heal them as much as possible. Some were already starting to scar though and those would be the hardest to fix. His head bobbed in acknowledgement and acceptance of our trade. "Now, I want you to sit on the bed and sit there silently for a few minutes for me, think you could do that please?" I asked, knowing full well he would do it anyway because of my glamour, but I wanted him to at least have the illusion that he had a choice. Nodding his head once again the young donor took a seat on the edge of the bed. As I had left the room, and lord knows who else had entered, I removed the bug finder bottle opener from my pocket and quickly set to work checking the room. I found no bugs, much to my delight.

Tucking the bottle opener back into my pocket I returned my attention to the donor on the bed. Capturing his eyes, though he was already under my glamour, I offered him a smile, which he happily returned. "Now then, I want you to whisper your answer to my questions to me, can you do that?" I asked in a whisper, hoping it would set an example. The human boy lent forward, nodding his head. "Have you overheard any of king Felipe's private conversations over the last few weeks? If so, tell me everything." I questioned, crouching before the boy to create a more comfortable position to question him from.

"Yes, I heard him talking to someone over the phone two days ago. I was unable to hear the person on the other end, but he was talking to a man and he was discussing a blonde woman. He didn't give the man on the phone the womans name but he said that she was an important asset and that she needed to be secured. He said that his smelt good too and that he wished he bottle her scent right up in a pretty bottle and sell it to other vampires for a hefty price." The donor answered me in a monotone voice, leaning forward as he whispered to me.

He fell silent for a moment, allowing me to think. He was talking to another male over the phone, presumably a vampire, and it was Ata that he was talking about no doubt. I could only guess there were very few blonde haired woman who smelt as good as my mom and who were a valuable asset too. But he'd mentioned that 'his smelt good too' – did the person on the other end of the phone have their own fairy!? The thought of him cashing in on my moms scent infuriated me, it was for Godric to enjoy and nobody else!

"Have you seen anything strange around the palace lately, Tyler?" I retuned to my questions, needing to find as much information as possible. I would have to glamour my questions out of the boys mind after all of this, to stop other vampires from finding out about it.

"There was lots of commotion two nights ago, apparently three vampires from out of town arrived. Felipe has put them in the special rooms but he won't let any of us see them." He gave me a vague answer. That wasn't exactly a strange goings on in the palace. Felipe was entitled to guests and if he didn't want donors to see them then that was his call.

"What do these three vampires look like?" I pressed him for more answers.

"I didn't see them, I was in the kitchen when they arrived and they sped past us at vampire speed." He gave me an answer, though it wasn't the one I wanted. Sighing in frustration, I filed the information away for later. Maybe it would be useful to mom, I had no idea how though. Realising that if I questioned the boy any further I would have a hell of a lot to glamour out of him, I decided to end our little queston and answer session.

"Thank you for answering my questions Tyler, you were a tremendeous help." I thanked him, offering him another smile.

His whole face lit up, and his eyes widend in what I could only guess as surprise. "It was no problem, I enjoyed answering them for you."

"While you were a mighty big help to me Tyler, you aren't going to tell any other vampires, or humans, or anyone even for that matter, that we had this conversation. In fact, you're going to forget all about this conversation because it's so unimportant." I shrugged my shoulders, laughing quietly as if we were simply sharing a joke. I'd learnt from the vampire who had turned me that body language played a part in glamouring someone too.

Tyler laughed, shrugging his own shoulders. "What conversation? We've only just met, never spoken to one another before." He declared. I spent another minute ensuring that he would never utter a word to another – alive or undead – before I released him from glamour. Taking a spot behind him I reminded myself to call Ata as soon as I had finished feeding in order to fill her in on all of the information I had gathered. Tyler tipped his head sideways in offering and I struck, sinking my fangs into the creamy skin of his neck.

The moment his blood hit my tongue I knew something was wrong. The sour taste of the lemon felt like silver to my mouth and I cried out in pain at the sensation, but not before accidently swallowing a mouthful, which continued to burn as it slid down my throat. Although I had no need to breath I gasped, withdrawing my fangs from the boys neck as I struggled to inhale. My hands flew to my throat, which I clutched, red tears streaming down my cheeks from the pain of the burns. I felt a little light-headed, and it wasn't seconds later before everything went black, and all I was left with was the feel of the burn as it crept further into my system, consuming me.

* * *

**BUBBA'S POV**

I hadn't always enjoyed being a vampire. My human life had been troubled with the media always cramming for my attention and, the moment I had opened my eyes as a member of the undead community, I knew I would be hiding for the rest of eternity. I was grateful for the gift I had been given, there was so much I still wanted to do and see, but I would have to rely on my glamour to get myself wherever I wanted without suspicion. Humans were still fond of my music, and me, and it would most likely be another 100 years or so before they started to forget about me.

Something hadn't quite worked during my turning, and I had been left, as some would call it, as somewhat simple. My brain was like that of vampires though, I could think through things quicker than humans, come up with various strategies and plans, and my thought process was very much vampiric. I was just unable to convey those thoughts properly when communicating with others, and for that reason people assumed I was addled. There was also the issue of taking commands. Although my Maker had been a fan, which was the reason he had turned me, he had also wished to control me, thinking it would be something to show off about if he could control someone who had once taken the spotlight. He had used fear tactics to get me to comply, commanding me whenever I proved to be too difficult for him. It was why, after he had been staked in a fight, I followed the orders of those I liked and trusted to the 'T', not wanting to disappoint them.

Although I had been handed around the vampires in the southern states, I returned to Vegas every now and then to see Ata. She'd been a good friend during my human years and her friendship had continued through my turning and my undead life. She'd been kind to me, understanding and accepting. It was hard to find people like that in the world today, but Ata had come from a different time and place, so her morals were completely different. I'd spent some time in Louisiana over the years, as it was one of the states I was handed to on a regular basis, and yet I had never met Sookie before. Of course I had come across Eric, he was a sheriff and therefore I'd had to check in with him whenever I'd been passing through his area, but never had I met Sookie, he had never mentioned her either. I liked her though, she was sweet and her southern manners were very endearing. I'd noticed from time to time that she seemed to want to ask me about my human years, and the few times I had spoken I had heard her heartbeat increase and noticed her clamping her lips shut to stop a squeal or some other feminine sound. I disliked talking about my human years with most people, I wanted to move past it and live my life as an immortal, but sometimes a sense of nostalgia would take me over and I would want to remember. It was what had spurred me to offer to sing Ata down the aisle – it had been so long since I had last sung and I wanted Ata's day to be special for her, as a thank you for all of her support over the years.

Now that Oscar was away feeding for the evening, I was able to ask more questions of Felipe. I'd known he wouldn't utter a word in front of the baby vampire, because baby vampires weren't be to trusted due to their will to survive. They would say and do anything in order to make it past their first few years, so the less they knew about vampire politics the better. "The party you threw the other night was mighty good, my king. I'm just sorry I missed the second half. " I complimented, knowing that monarchs liked to have their egos stroked.

"Yes, wherever did you run off to Bubba?" The kings' eyes swung to me. I decided to stick reasonably close to the truth, so that I would be able to remember every little detail should it be brought up in the future. Of course being a vampire meant I had perfect memory, but when dealing with kings, sheriffs and power struggles I didn't wish to rely solely on it.

Remembering the way Ata had looked on the table in the living area of her home, how pale and gaunt she'd been, the convulsing from the poisoning, it sent a wave of sadness over me. Dropping my head a little I felt no need to act like I was upset, I truly was upset that the vampire before me had hurt her and then feigned innocence. "I heard some gossip that Miss Ata was feeling sick and went home, I went over to her house to check on her." I responded, deciding it was as close to the truth as I was going to dare to get. Thankfully Felipe hadn't witnessed me vamping out of his home after Ari.

"Ah yes, Miss Caesar." Felipe's top lip curled in the most unattractive manner as he leered. Lifting my gaze to capture his lips, so the software back in the penthouse would be able to read him, I waited for him to continue. "Who knew iron was so toxic to fairies eh? She's such a beauty, but wasted on that slave boy. I could give her Nevada you know, make her my queen, have her rule beside me, and yet she turns me down for an ancient fool." He tutted. "She'll soon be mine though." A private smile moved across his features and I couldn't stop myself from shivering at the look in his eyes. I'd seen that look before, when my Priscilla and I had been divorcing. Her lawyer had flounced into the courtroom wearing a smile exactly like Felipe's, and then he'd smacked me with $725,000 to pay right away in cash to my Priscilla. I had loved her though so I had paid it with no qualms, but it was the way her lawyer went about it that Felipe reminded me of. It was predatory; it was the look of a man who was indulging himself, who knew he would win. I would have to let Ata know as soon as possible. What I also found interesting was the way Felipe mentioned the iron, when I hadn't. The only way he would have known was if he was involved, confirming the suspicions of the nest back at Caesars Palace.

"Miss Ata is happy with Mr. Godric, aren't you happy for them?" I asked, feigning innocence. I wanted to keep him talking, to find out exactly how he felt. Maybe he would let something slip, thinking I wouldn't go back and tell Ata.

"It's nice that she is happy, but she should be happy with me. She is an extraordinary woman and her telepath makes her a valuable asset." The king shrugged the question off.

"Now which little blonde telepath are we talking about, Caesar or Stackhouse?" A voice I was more than familiar with broke through the room. Containing my surprise, I kept my face void of emotion but I turned to look at our guest. Russell Edgington. He was supposed to be dead; I'd heard that he had met the true death. The former king of Mississippi had opened his home to me the few times I had visited his state, and Talbot had taken great pride in showing me around their home every time, letting me see the new antiques they had picked up, or stolen, from their travels around the globe. I realized then that Russell was aware of Sookie, and was most likely aware of the fact she was in Felipe's state.

"Miss Caesar, but we can discuss Miss Stackhouse if you'd prefer?" Felipe offered with a small smirk as a dark haired vampire entered the room, his fangs down as he growled at the king.

"Sookeh is mine." He stated fiercely; his dark eyes pinned on the king. He was dressed in a well-tailored suit and, without even having to be introduced to him I was well aware that this was the new king of Louisiana, one of the vampires who was trying to break up Eric and Sookie.

"I do believe Miss Stackhouse is Northman's though, Bill." Russell brushed off the younger vampire aggression, moving across the room to take the seat beside me. "Ah Bubba, it has been far too long. What brings you to the great state of Nevada?" The 3000-year-old vampire questioned me. Gulping, though there was no need for it, I answered his question.

"King Felipe threw a party a few nights ago, I came to the state to attend. I was in Arkansas though, that place is mighty low on cats though. It was hard to find myself a decent dinner." I lied. Although I had come to the state for the party, my main reason to visit had been to see Ata. We usually met one another once or twice every year for a few days, so that we could catch up and exchange information. I kept tabs on the southern states and their political on goings for her, and she in turn kept tabs on the wild goose chase the people of Nevada had in trying to find me. There were so many conspiracy theories going around thanks to my ignorance when I had been a newborn. I had allowed myself to be seen out in public for a short while and now Nevada was usually teeming with tourists trying to find me. Ata kept an eye on it though, and even swopped in to glamour a few humans should they become close to uncovering the truth about my turning. I deemed it a fair trade.

The dark haired vampire, who I now knew was called Bill, was still loitering, unable to sit down. "Compton, will you sit already?" Russell ordered, and like an obedient dog Bill took a seat on the sofa beside Felipe.

"Who is this Miss Stackhouse?" I questioned in a quiet voice, lacing my tone with curiosity. I wanted to see what sort of answer I would get from the vampires present, and I had to pretend like I had no idea who they were nattering about.

"Miss Stackhouse is a delicious little fairy, Bubba. She's like sunshine, so sweet to the taste, wrapped in a wonderful fiery package. Her blood lets us walk in the sunshine. Have you ever tasted a fairy?" Russell lent towards me, as if he were revealing some huge secret. I was well aware of Sookie's heritage, and her connection to Ata, and I was even aware of the fact fairy blood could allow a vampire to daywalk. On my first birthday as a vampire, and subsequently every decade since, Ata had allowed me to take some of her blood from a donor bag so that I would be able to watch the sunrise. It was her birthday present to me every ten years.

"They can really let you daywalk?" I faked a gasp, widening my eyes as I lent forward too. "I've never tasted one, will you let me taste one?" I all but begged, knowing I would have to play stupid and abide by their rules.

A smile flickered across Russell's features, and something told me he had already tasted Sookie before and now had a thing for her blood. "I'll let you have a few drops of Miss Stackhouse when we capture her." He promised me with a wink. I had to stop myself from growling at the thought of them taking her away from Eric. Eric was older than Felipe and Bill, but he was nothing compared to Russell. Not even Godric was as old as Russell.

"Sookeh is mine, you cannot offer her blood to others!" Bill spat, going to stand up. Felipe's restraining arm pulled him back down however and I turned my eyes to him, capturing his face in my line of sight so that the lip reading software could work its magic. "Sookeh is mine, and I will not allow anyone else to have her blood. Find your own fairy." He hissed at both Felipe and Russell, who chortled at the 'bravery' of Bill. Even I knew that they could take Sookie from him, if she were his in the first place for that matter, without even having to ask him. There was a pecking order in the vampire world, and Bill was low down on it. Turning my eyes back to Russell, as I sensed he was about to speak, I felt dread creep over me.

"You can have Miss Stackhouse, Bill. It is Northman I want. He will meet the true death for ending my Talbot. You know he killed him simply because he missed his mummy and daddy?" Russell snorted, shaking his head. So that was why Russell was after Eric and Sookie! It seemed fair to me. Russell took Eric's family so Eric took Russell's. "We will have to take out his Maker though first. You know Miss Caesar don't you Bubba, you could join her little 'nest' and find out about her relationship with the Gaul?" Russell observed me for a moment, and I made sure I gave no outwards sign of my friendship with Ata, nor my anger that he wanted to try and kill Godric.

"The Gaul is mine, he will die by my hands. Ata will be my queen, and with the slave out of the way she will have no one to hide behind." Felipe thankfully broke in before I could answer, sparing me from having to get out of a sticky situation. I was already a double agent; I didn't want to be a double-double agent!

Sighing, Russell rolled his eyes. "All of this male posturing is ridiculous. Fine, you can kill the Gaul, but I want first taste of Miss Caesar in order to see how she compares to Miss Stackhouse. I tried to get my hands on her 2000 years ago but she evaded me. I had to kill her mother in a hope she would fall into despair and Egypt would be weak enough for the taking. Unfortunately the little bitch turned Egypt into a grand powerhouse once again before she fled the country with her four bodyguards." He shook his head. I had to think for a moment as to the identities of Ata's bodyguards, and then I realized he was discussing Ari, Khai, Egor and Agmund.

"Her vampire children." Felipe offered, causing all of us to turn and look at him. I frowned at his words. Ata had no children of her own, she'd told me that she'd never given birth, and the only vampires that were 2000 years old that she lived with were the ones I had reeled off in my head moments before. There was no way they were…

"Are you implying that she is their Maker?" Bill quirked an eyebrow as he observed Felipe, clearly thinking the monarch as delusional.

"I'm not implying, Compton, I'm stating it. I went to arrest Ari as he threw me across my own hallway during my party the other night as I tended to Ata's sickness, and we ended up having a little disagreement in the lobby. She let slip that those vampires are her children, that she used ancient dark blood magic to make it happen. She then went on to command Ari to never set foot in this palace with me or any of my guards." Felipe corrected the dark haired vampire. This was all new to me, why hadn't Ata told me before of her connection to the vampires she lived with? Were Egor and Agmund her vampire children too? My head was swimming with questions for her for the next time we spoke.

"Well, that could prove an issue. Perhaps we can force her to release them, that way we won't have to bother worrying about them. We can threaten Nervii, I have a feeling she'll do anything for him." Russell's lips slid into a smirk, and I found myself sinking back into the sofa. This wasn't a conversation I really wanted to be a part of. "Have my Were's reported back to you yet regarding their little mission?" Russell questioned Felipe, even aiming the question to Bill as if he might know something.

"Ata informed me, during our heated debate, that all of them were in the city morgue." Felipe solemnly replied.

"She killed them?" Russell asked quietly, though I could hear the tension in his voice. Felipe could do nothing but nod his head. "That bitch!" He screamed, letting his anger get the better of him. "I want you to keep sending waves towards Caesars Palace at sunrise and just before nightfall, so that she'll be taken right before those waste of space vampires of can do anything about it. They'll be awake and powerless to help her. I want them vulnerable and worried for her. Tell the Were's I want Stackhouse too. You are to bring both of them to me!" He ordered, rising to his feet to pace the room.

"Sookeh is mine, do not bring her into this!" Bill's southern accent was starting to claw at my brain, and I wondered how much asphyxiation it would take to silence him. The three vampires seemed to have forgotten about me, and I was more than happy to remain silent and observe the scene. They all probably thought me too stupid and addled to understand their conversations, let alone betray them. I wasn't loyal to any of them though, I was only loyal to the woman who owned Caesars Palace, as she'd been the only person I had ever met who had never once said anything bad about me.

"I want them all into this. Northman killed my Talbot and Stackhouse dumped him down the drain, they are both accountable for their actions. You are lucky that I've been so forgiving of you Bill, for we are of the same blood. You are my great-great-grandchild, and I am grateful that you dug me out of that concrete hell, but if you continue to push your luck I will have no concerns with staking you where you sit." Russell's eyes held no room for argument, and thankfully Bill fell silent, obviously taking onboard the warning. I had to hold back my shock. Bill was a descendant of Russell; they were of the same bloodline. Sookie and Eric needed to know this right away. Russell would be able to command Bill to do anything he wished. That was another vampire secret – we could command any below us from our bloodline.

"I will continue to send Were's after them, Russell." Felipe agreed, dipping his head in a show of submission to the older vampire male.

A slow smile slipped across Russell's lips, as he took in Felipe's submission, obviously pleased that someone else would be doing the dirty work for him. "Good. They won't get away with everything they have ever done to any of us. You will have Stackhouse as yours, Compton, and you will have Caesar for yourself Felipe. I will take down Northman and Nervii is yours to end Felipe." The expression the king of Nevada had worn earlier slid effortlessly onto Russell's face, and I was startled by the similarity as he turned to look at Felipe. "I want Northman, Nervii, Stackhouse and Caesar brought here as soon as possible, by any means necessary. Do not damage them in transit; we will have our fun with them. As your Maker, I command you." He ordered. If my blood weren't already cold then it certainly would have been now. Russell was Felipe's Maker, and the great-great grandsire of Bill. Ata and Sookie needed to know this, right now.

"Now, where is my other Childe? He said he would be down in a moment, and I'm sure he would love nothing more than to plot against Caesar and her little crew." Russell's lips turned into a sinister smile as he retook his seat on the sofa beside me. I had a feeling, deep down inside my gut, which my momma had always told me to trust in, that I wasn't going to like whoever was about to walk though those doors, and that he'd be very bad news for the nest at Caesars Palace.


	56. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**A/N So so sorry for the delay guys! It was freshers week at Uni and it was mental! I love it here so much! The reason I had time to write this chapter for ya is because I fell down the stairs and did some serious lumber to my foot – and I was sober at the time. I have to go to the hospital tomorrow to have it looked at and it may require crutches or something, which may mean I'm stuck in bed for some time or something. Talk about awkward! :')**

**I also worked out my timetable for this academic year, and it turned out I was twenty credits shy, so guess whose going to be going to her first Swedish class tomorrow afternoon? ;)**

**I hope to update a little more frequently now, as the number of parties I attend will hopefully die down, and as none of my lectures start before 2pm I should be able to write for a few hours every morning (providing I can get out of bed!) ****I've converted some of the girls on my floor in halls into Trubies. OUR LITTLE ZOO IS GROWING!**

**Anyway, so much love to all of my guest reviewers, you mean the world to me and I just wish I could respond to you in private like I do everyone else, but just know that I appreciate your comments and that you rock! **

**Please R&R, it makes me so super happy and will give me something to grin about as I start my first semester of lectures! I'm not too happy with this chapter either, it feels a bit disjointed and clunky to me. Looks like I'm going back and editing in the near future me thinks!**

**MUCH LOVE.**

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_Put up your dukes, lets get down to it  
__Hit me with your best shot  
__Why don't you hit me with your best shot  
__Hit me with your best shot  
__Fire Away  
__You come on with a "come on"  
__You don't fight fair, but that's ok, see if I care  
__Knock me down, it's all in vain  
__I'll get right back on my feet again  
__Hit me with your best shot  
__Why don't you hit me with your best shot  
__Hit me with your best shot  
__Fire Away  
__Well, you're the real tough cookie with the long history  
__Of breaking little hearts like the one in me  
__Before I put another notch in my lipstick case  
__You better make sure you put me in my place  
__~ Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Pat Benatar_

Sookie's secret had shocked me to the core; I'd been prepared for a bunch of different scenarios but not that. How on earth was she still so sweet, so untainted? I had never met the woman that she had called Gran but I knew that I liked her. Very few people would chase away their only surviving direct blood relative on the word of a young, misunderstood girl. The thought that Sookie had been subjected to such thoughts from a family member had knocked me, and I was glad I'd had 2000 years of holding onto my stomach. I knew first hand what a curse and a gift our telepathy could be, and I too had been subjected to less than pure thoughts over the years. None of them had come directly from any of my bloodline though. The improper thoughts had always come from leering men and curious women. I was glad though that Sookie had shared her secret with Eric – he would be able to help her heal rather than simply forget.

My own secret was one that, until recently when the truth had come out, I had been so ashamed of. I'd believed that I had in-avertedly murdered my own mother. I'd lost the love of my baby brother over it. I hadn't told a single soul over the years. Only my little brother had known about my plan with Marc and he'd taken the secret to the grave with him. Although Ari, Khai, Riei and Oeri had been around when I had killed Marc, and they had been loyal to me for over 2000 years, I was still wary of telling them the truth. None of them had been a fan of Marc and his antics with my mother, but they had been loyal to my mother and therefore hadn't questioned her relationship with him. I had no regrets in killing Marc, he deserved to die for the things he had said and done over the years he had tormented Caesarion and I, but I did regret the events that it led to. I was still worried about telling Godric. Sookie had told me that it would be wise to fill him in, but I was worried that it would alter his perspective of me. We'd never had secrets in our human years, but it seemed since we both became immortal that the secrets had simply piled up. I would tell him though, when we finally had a moment together where someone or something wasn't coming after us. It was the least I could do really, given that he had been honest with me about wanting to meet the sun.

The moment Sookie collapsed into Eric's arms I knew she would be okay. I was aware of what had caused such a reaction but I would deal with it after I had killed the final Were and detained the two others around the corner. A blur shot past me from the elevator as my bonded took the matter of the other two Were's into his hands. _"Keep them alive! Throw them in the basement!" _I ordered him mentally as I took on the final Were. Angered that Sookie had been hurt, and that once again I was relying on my vampires to help me out when I was perfectly capable, I grabbed the final Were by the throat, using the vast amounts of vampire blood in my system to my advantage as I hoisted him off of the floor. Using my telepathy, I wiggled through his mind until I found exactly what I was after. "Who sent you, George?" I demanded, calling the creature by his first name in an attempt to spook him. It worked, as his eyes widened as he struggled to get out of my grasp. His mind started working overtime and yet there were holes in his thoughts whenever he thought about who sent him. I could only assume that he had, by some miracle, managed to be glamoured. It meant he came from the same vampire that the first Were we had questioned had come from – Edgington.

A blur appeared and George was taken from me, a cool hand brushing against my warm one as Godric took over holding the Were in place. "What was your plans for my companion and I? Were you going to kill us, give us to a vampire who would drain us, or were you simply going to 'enjoy' us yourselves for a few hours?" I questioned the Were, already aware of what exactly they had planned for us. I'd heard it from their minds, but the Were didn't need to know about that. The mention of the Were potentially wanting to have 'fun' with Sookie and I caused both male vampires to growl. Eric was tending to Sookie on the floor, holding her close to his chest, and the mention of her potentially being used by a Were caused him to hold her tighter, baring his fangs at the animal in warning. Godric growled too, gripping the Were so tight it was struggling to breathe.

"Oh I know! You were supposed to capture my companion and I and take us to a drop off point specified in a text message you were sent, weren't you?" I continued to pull information from the animals mind, filtering it through to my boys in order to keep them up to date. I'd warned them, through our Maker-Childe bonds, not to come down and try to help. George looked completely baffled as to how I was aware of everything, and I offered him a knowing smile. "End him baby, we already have two of his friends in the basement to torture and question, I could do without my business smelling like Were any longer." I gave the order to Godric, who looked more than pleased at the prospect of killing the intruder, especially because he had my permission. He didn't need permission to kill, he was old enough, strong enough and wise enough to make up his own mind, but the last time he had killed without me saying it was okay we had ended up having a bit of a lovers tiff.

In one fluid motion my bonded snapped the creatures neck, ceasing its movement. Dropping it to the floor he had his arms around me seconds later, checking me over for any signs of damage. "I'm fine, it's Sookie I'm concerned for." I reassured him quietly, wiggling my way out of his arms. Moving to Sookie and Eric I dropped to my knees beside them.

"Why isn't she waking?" He gritted out through a clenched jaw. "What happened to her?" he demanded, keeping his tone as even as possible. I could feel his anger and frustration, and his concern, through our weak bond however.

"I know exactly what's happened, lets get back into the penthouse where it's safe and I'll let you know." I responded softly, brushing Sookie's bangs back from her face before I rose to my feet, Eric following suite as he carried Sookie. _"Four dead Were's in the lobby, two alive Were's in the basement. Please take care of them for us, my children. Can someone contact Ludwig too please?" _I mentally requested of my children. It was only a few seconds later, as we were stepping into the elevator, that the door to the emergency staircase to the penthouse opened and three of my boys appeared, taking care of the dead bodies without saying a word. I loved their ability to get a job done quickly and efficiently and not ask questions about it.

Eric had Sookie flat on the sofa the moment we entered the penthouse, and he was clucking around her like a mother hen. He fluffed up pillows to keep her head up, elevated her feet and even removed her jacket so that she wouldn't be too warm. If I weren't so concerned about her I would have found his actions adorable, especially given his big, bad Viking vampire sheriff persona. Throwing out my gift I could hear Jason and Hunter in one of the bedrooms. Jason was reading to Hunter and had literally only just started the story. That would buy us some time. I didn't want to worry them.

"Will you tell me what's happened now?" Eric demanded of me as he finally finished fussing over Sookie. Sighing, I padded over to the other sofa, sliding myself onto it. Godric sat beside me, an arm wrapped around my waist as he held me close.

"She depleted." I stated grimly.

"She did what?" A look of confusion passed over Eric's face at my answer before he schooled his features.

A pop noise filled the room as Ludwig appeared, carrying her little doctors bag in one hand. "She depleted, vampire," Ludwig reiterated, "and you're supposed to have good hearing." She muttered under her breath as she moved to Sookie's side, batting Eric out of the way. Setting her little bag down, she started to rummage through it, looking for the right tools of her trade.

"She hasn't been in the sunlight for a while, and the sunlight powers her abilities. I didn't think it would have such an effect on her as she's only an eighth fae, clearly I was wrong though." I mused, pursing my lips together. Although only an eighth, Sookie seemed to have all the characteristics of a fae with higher blood toxicity. "I have to be in the sun at least once every three days, for at least four hours. Then again, I've learnt how to stockpile my magic and only use exactly what's necessary. I think Sookie may have used up all of her current magic and her stockpile magic while fighting off one of the Were's." I elaborated, knowing that to the vampires it might be a difficult concept to grasp, especially considering the fact they hadn't seen the sunlight in thousands of years.

"So Sookie lost all of her magic?" Eric questioned, quirking an eyebrow as he placed a cool hand onto Sookie's forehead.

"She hasn't lost her magic, she's just used it up, vampire. She needs rest and sunlight and she'll be back to normal to no time." Ludwig explained, packing away all of her little tools which she had been using to check Sookie over with. "Seems a common occurrence in your bloodline, princess. Her case isn't as bad as yours was, not by a long shot, but it still isn't a good thing to have happen to you. You women and them dang fangers." She tutted, clearly displeased with the fact Sookie and I were bonded to ancient vampires.

"Still not a fan of the fang, Lulu?" I teased the short doctor as she closed up her bag. We'd found ourselves getting on well, so well in fact that I had been privy to her real first name.

"Fuck no. The pay well though." She shot Eric a toothy grin, showing off her jagged teeth. Trolls weren't the prettiest of creatures, but they were hard workers and utterly honest – even if it made them sound cruel.

I laughed at her honesty, completely at ease with the situation. I was well aware that Sookie would be okay; I'd been in her situation quite a few times before I'd learnt how to control my own magic. With a shake of her head, Ludwig popped away, leaving me in the room with two vampires and my fae cousin, who was still flaked out on one of the sofas.

"How long will it take for her to wake? Is there anything we can do to help her? How did you heal and how long did it take?" Eric was firing questions at me left right and centre, and thankfully my perfect memory enabled me to recall them all.

"It varies by person, but I wouldn't think it would take too long for Sook to return to her full strength. When she wakes she'll be a bit slow and groggy, so perhaps some of your blood will help her. There's nothing we can do but wait it out. If it were daytime I'd take her outside and the sunshine would help heal her faster, but alas it's night." I shrugged my shoulders.

"You didn't answer my final question. How long did it take you to heal and how did you heal. Ludwig said this happened to you before too." Eric picked up on my short answer, moving to sit on the couch. Taking Sookie's prone form in his large hands, he moved her gently so that her head was resting in his lap. Slowly he brushed his fingers through her hair, smoothing her wild blonde mane. I could feel my bonded's curiosity spike through our bond and I sighed at the realization that I would have to tell him about my depletion stage, and the time I spent elsewhere recovering. Damn Niall and his motor mouth when he had come to visit the other night!

"Before the Great Reveal, I was nocturnal so that I could keep on moving with my boys. I very rarely saw the sunshine. There was a time where I went eight months without seeing a single ray of sunlight as we were running from a pack of Were's in Spain that wanted us for the death of their pack leader. I was awake in the day but I couldn't leave my boys incase the Were's found us, and we were staying in those cheap hotels so as to avoid detection and the curtains were flimsy. I had to stay awake all day to ensure that no sunlight reached my children. Of course by staying awake all day in the dark, and running all night, meant that I was exceptionally tired an my magic hadn't replenished itself. The Were's found us one night and we were forced to fight back. I sent a blast of light towards three Were's and although I killed them I blacked out, having used up all my magic. I woke up in a bedroom that although wasn't mine, felt like it was mine. It transpired that Ari had contacted Niall the moment our skirmish was over and informed him of my blackout. Niall took me to Faery for a week, which is the equivalent of around fifty years on earth. I needed to be in Faery as other fairies can help one another heal, hence why I'm staying in the room with Sookie. My presence alone is helping her heal. Another reason he allowed me to stay in Faery for so long was because it's always sunny there, always daytime. There is no nighttime, because of course that's when the vampires are out and about. It doesn't help that the sunlight in Faery has no effect on vampires, but they use it as a deterrent." I explained with a small shrug. At the time it had been a big deal as it had been a new experience, and I had been forced to spend so long away from this realm, but over the years I'd gone back a few times, for an hour or so which equated to a year and a half in the human realm. I had used the time to allow my boys to travel, so that they could have their own lives rather than dedicating it to looking after me all the time. We'd all found the separation hard though, which was why I only ever went for such a short amount of time.

"You were away from this world for so long my sweet? You were hurt that much?" The concern in Godric's voice was palpable, and I couldn't help but offer him an affectionate smile at his care. Even in his human years, when he'd been treated like nothing more than dirt, he had been caring and compassionate.

"I wasn't hurt, just tired. I make sure to spend time in the sunshine regularly now though, as depletion isn't a particularly nice experience." I responded quietly, lifting a hand to caress my vampires face.

"Will it have any long lasting effects on Sookie?" I heard Eric ask from the other sofa. Removing my hand from Godric's face, I shifted my eyes to the blonde vampire holding my cousin's prone form to him.

"No, she'll just need to rest all day tomorrow. I promise you I will take her outside and we'll sit by the pool all day. I can conduct last minute checks for the party from there." I vowed as Eric lifted his head to look at me. I offered the Viking a reassuring smile, knowing how important Sookie's wellbeing was to him. I found it so strange, after rummaging through his memories and thoughts the first time we met, that such a fierce man, who'd killed and maimed for 1000 years, had such a wonderfully endearing soft side. Underneath the big, bad vampire there was a human man there, wanting nothing more than acceptance and love. I could see why my Godric had turned him, and oddly enough I found it nice that some of my blood, even if it were only a drop, managed to get inside of him during the turning process. I would never have biological children of my own with my bonded, so the more vampire children we could sire together the better.

"I don't like the thought of you both outside of the penthouse in the day, without any protection. I thought my brothers were going to hire more Were guards for you both?" Eric spoke up, looking between Godric and I. It took me a moment to register the fact that Eric referred to my boys as his brother, but the second my brain caught up I couldn't help but grin at him. Obviously feeling my happiness through the weak bond we had formed when everyone in the nest, my bonded's Childe flashed me a smile of his own.

"I concur. The thought of you both out and about without anyone there to look out for you makes me feel uneasy. I need to know you're safe in the day my sweet, I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you." Godric gently rubbed my side. He still had an arm around my waist so he gave my hip a slight squeeze too. Touched by the concern of both men in the room, I lent against my beloved, resting my head on his shoulder before I offered a hand out towards Eric. Taking it, the Viking locked our fingers together.

"I know you both care, and you're worried for us, but there's no need for it. We're both wearing our little charms." I nodded towards the pearls around Sookie's neck and the band around my finger, which glistened under the artificial lights in the penthouse. "This is my home, and I won't live in fear. If any Were's try to come for us, I'll fight them off, or pop both Sookie and I up here." I reassured them. I could see that Eric wasn't completely convinced, and I could feel that Godric wasn't either, but I had no intentions of soothing their worries with pretty words. There was always a chance Sookie and I would be hurt, be it either at the hands of supernatural creatures or from simply crossing the road. I wouldn't live in fear, and neither would my cousin.

We fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Godric's arms wrapped around my body as he held me close to him, and Eric's hand still locked with mine. The temperature difference between us all didn't bother me, and simply being near my bonded and his Childe was soothing. Although I would never admit it, I was worried and nervous for tomorrow night. The VRA would be decided upon, and if passed I would be able to give Caesar's Palace to my boys, who had more than earnt it over the years. I'd built up my empire for them. I had all but given up on finding Godric, so I'd spent the last hundred years or so preparing for my passing. I'd set up plenty of successful businesses, invested a ton of money and I'd even spoken with Mr. Cataliades about my will, in which I'd left everything to my children. I wanted their lives after me to be as easy as possible. They had dedicated over 2000 years to me, they had given up the sun for me, rescued me every time I'd been in trouble, taken bullets for me, claimed me in front of others to save my purity, allowed me to viciously attack them in order to build up my strength and had loved me unconditionally from the very start. I was a lucky woman to have such beautiful and wonderful children, whose loyalty and bravery knew no bounds. I'd only had 400 or so years left to live before Godric had appeared quite literally on my doorstep, so I'd wanted everything in place for my passing.

"Are you going to turn Oscar into your Childe?" Eric broke the silence, his free hand smoothing Sookie's hair as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze with the one I was holding.

Nodding my head, I let my intentions be known. As soon as Oscar was back in the safety of the penthouse I would make him my Childe, and I would help him grow into a magnificent man, and vampire. I could feel Eric's internal struggle for a moment and I frowned, unable to locate the source of such a struggle. Oscar had willingly gone into Felipe's mansion to spy for us, knowing it could lead to his true death, and he'd sampled my blood after I'd been poisoned with iron and Hep-D, which could have severely weakened him and led to his true death too. I felt the young boy was deserving of a family, a support system to help him navigate his way through the rough world of vampires and their politics. Eric's emotions settled a moment later though, and his eyes left Godric's, moving to me instead. Holding my gaze, he took a small, unnecessary breath before he spoke up. "Would you do the same for me too, please?" he asked in a quiet tone.

His question shocked me, surprised me, but it seemed that Godric had anticipated it, as I felt a soft acceptance tinged with happiness through our bond, which I had instinctively checked the moment Eric had uttered his request. "You would want to be my Childe too?" I double-checked that I had heard him correctly, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"I've been thinking about it a lot over the past day or so." He nodded his head, loosing himself in his thought for a moment. "I can feel the love you have for Godric, and the love he has for you in return." Eric murmured, looking between my bonded and I for a moment before his gaze returned to me. Godric's arm around me tightened a little, and I felt his happiness and love flood our bond. "I can feel your care for Sookie, and her care for you in return. I can feel the love you have for my brothers and how much they love you too, and I want to be a part of that." The Viking confessed, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on mine. "I want to be your son." He stated in a confident tone, nodding his head with his words, as he seemed to mentally come to the conclusion that he wanted that for himself.

It was a struggle for me to keep my emotions in check as Eric confessed his want to be my Childe too. If I were a vampire, then by now I would have more than likely turned between 150-200 others, but I had purposefully kept the number of vampires sharing my bloodline to a minimum. I wanted an elite group of vampires, of men who were strong and mighty, loyal and brave, accepting and ever growing. The Viking fitted every single category perfectly. Untangling myself from my bonded, I crossed to Eric before I pulled him gently into an embrace. I was standing however, so his head came to rest upon my chest, but as his eyes closed and he let out a low purr of contentment I knew it wouldn't be an issue. "Jag skulle älska ingenting mer, min son" I murmured against the top of his head as I dropped a motherly kiss there. I could feel Godric's happiness flowing through the bonds he shared with both Eric and I, and they were practically humming. The three of us lost ourselves in our bonds for a moment, but the ringing of my cell phone broke the moment.

Dropping one final kiss to the top of Eric's head, I let him go as I moved back to sit on the sofa beside Godric. Sliding myself in under his arm, I retook my previous position as Eric moved Sookie further onto his lap, tending to her, running his hands over her smooth skin and brushing her bangs out of her face. I smiled at the scene before me, pleased I would soon be able to call the fierce Viking my Childe – a Childe I shared with my bonded. Sliding my finger across the screen of my phone, I answered the call.

"Caesar." I answered curtly, knowing that only a few people had the number for my untraceable phone, and therefore the information was much more likely to be of a sensitive nature.

"Miss Ata?" Bubba's chirpy voice sounded from the other end of the line, and I found myself surprised to hear from him so soon. He had only left for Felipe's the night before. "Oh thank goodness, I was mighty worried you wouldn't pick up!" the slightly simple vampire sighed in relief, though it was completely unnecessary. It was another reason why I adored Bubba so much; he had retained so much of his humanity after his turning.

"Why? What's the matter? What's gone on?" I tried to keep my voice even and my questions as casual as possible, but it simply wasn't meant to be. Hearing the strain in my voice, and of course the words being uttered by Bubba on the other end of the line, Godric rubbed his hand over my slightly exposed hipbone, soothing me. Even Eric glanced up, frowning lightly before I felt a small trickle of comfort and reassurance through the weak bond we shared.

"It was last night Miss Ata. Oscar was offered a human who'd lived on lemons for a long, long time. He took the boy to our room and tasted him, but the human came running back downstairs a few minutes later saying Oscar had blacked out. We had to call Ludwig in and even she was baffled. Ludwig told Felipe she had no idea what had happened. But when he was long out of earshot, and I can say this 'cause I was good and swept the room for bugs and I know no one is listenin' outside, she told me that Oscar had been a fairy in human life. A fairy Miss Ata, just like you and Miss Sookie! She says that's why he has an intuition or something, and that he's from the earth. Ain't that mighty cool?" Bubba was practically beaming down the phone, but my blood ran cold at the news. Oscar had been fae too, and because he wasn't from the sky he had been turned. Now I understood why he had been turned, given that he was so young. It was rare for a vampire to turn their human companion until they were of an age that was similar to the age the vampire had been turned at. It would be strange for an older vampire, in the sense of their human age, to sire a Childe who was considerably younger than them in human years. If Oscar's blood had been that of the fae, then it was potent, and he could have been accidently drained, making his turning simply an accident too.

Now it all made sense where the boys intuition talent came from. The earth fae were known for their intuition, as nature informed them of everything they needed to know about. The trees carried stories; the winds held the gossip, the leaves the details of a person's life. I felt sorrow wash over me at the thought of Oscar as a human, knowing all these little details about people but having no idea why, or what to do with the information. Unable to form a coherent sentence, I barely felt the phone being taken from my hand, but Godric's voice brought me crashing back to reality.

"Bubba, how is he? Has he healed yet? Do you know if Felipe made him sample the human on purpose? Do you think Felipe has put the pieces of information together and now knows?" My bonded reeled off a list of questions, and I shook my head to clear my thoughts before I lent in towards him, straining up to hear the addled vampire on the other side of the city.

"He blacked out but he woke up a moment ago for the night. Ludwig woke him with a shot of some nasty smelling stuff when she got here, and of course he spent the day sleepin' like the rest of us. He seems right as rain. Ludwig bought him some bagged donor blood 'cause she said she don't trust Felipe as far as she can throw him. As for whether it was done on purpose or not, I have no idea. I assume not, but after everything that happened with Miss Ata and the iron shot I ain't too sure. Either way, we gots plenty of information for ya so we could come on home now if you want us?" Bubba offered, a hopeful tone to his voice.

Pulling myself together, I gently took the phone back from Godric as Sookie started to stir in Eric's lap. Eric's eyes snapped from me to Sookie with lightening speed, the speed only vampires possessed, and he starting to murmur encouragements to her, trying to coax her out of the blackout she had suffered thanks to her depletion. "Bubba, it's me. Sorry about that, my brain needed a moment to catch up with everything else. Am I able to talk to Oscar?" I requested, chewing on my lower lip as Sookie started to whimper. I could feel her pain starting to seep into the bond we had created during our mutual exchange, so I used my gift to take it away from her, easing it out of her system to aid her recovery. I could feel Eric doing the same, and even Godric was aiding my cousin. I sent a little wave of gratitude to him, to let him know I was thankful for his help.

"Don't you worry any Miss Ata, I completely understand. He's consuming quite a few bags of donor blood now, so I don't think you can talk to him just yet." Bubba sadly informed me.

Feeling disappointed that I wouldn't be able to check in with another of my future children I sighed quietly before I trudged on. "I'm pleased you have plenty of information Bubba, and I'm so, so happy that neither of you have met an untimely demise because of it, but I need the pair of you to stay there a little while longer. If you stay tonight, and then come back here tomorrow we should be okay. Bubba, if you say you're going back home to Mississippi for the VRA passing then you should be able to leave, and if you tell Oscar to say that he's found his own place to live so he won't be taking up a guest room at Felipe's mansion then he should be able to get away too. I have a feeling Felipe isn't a fan of guests." I rolled my eyes, remembering the few times I'd been forced to stay in Felipe's home when he'd had parties and other events on to entertain the monarchs of the other states. Although he had always provided me with a large room he had always made a fuss about the fact I was staying over. It was another reason I disliked the monarch.

"I wanna talk to my mom." I could hear Oscar on the other end of the phone, followed by some rustling, before a second later I heard the phone changing hands. "Momma?" Oscar's voice was quiet, and I could hear he was still in pain. The way he called out for me though, referred to me as his mom, it tugged at my heartstrings and I found myself tearing up. I wanted to run over to him and scoop him up, steal him away from Felipe's mansion and to remove his pain. My other boys were now so old that we had all passed the cute 'momma' phase and I was now simply known as 'mother' to them. To hear myself being referred to as momma stirred my longing for a full biological child of my own, but I held back on those feelings, not wanting my bonded to feel guilty for not being able to give me that.

"I'm here my Childe, I'm here." I crooned, keeping my voice sure and steady in a hope to offer my youngest boy some support.

"I wanna come home, momma. I feel so tired and weak. The lemons, I can't consume them." He carried on in a timid tone. Sookie was still out of it, flaked over Eric's lap, and I watched as the Viking tore into his wrist, offering his blood to Sookie who, with some coaxing and massaging of her throat, started to swallow down the red liquid. I knew it would only aid her a little, and that it would be rest and sunlight that would finish the healing process, but I wasn't about to stop Eric from giving his blood to my cousin, I wasn't about to make him feel helpless by not being able to truly help her.

"I know my little boy, I know. I just spoke to Bubba and I want you both to stay there just for this evening, and then tomorrow night I want you both to return back to me. We can't break our cover just yet. Spend the evening resting if you must, Bubba can find out more information if needs be. I need you at full strength for the party tomorrow night, as I want you right by my side." I smiled; hoping some of the happiness at the thought of having my youngest back with me would transfer into my tone of voice.

"Ludwig told me I was part fae in my human years, just like you are. She said that was why I had a reaction to the lemons." Oscar informed me, as if Bubba hadn't just told me that a moment before. The fact Oscar had been a human/fairy hybrid in his human years troubled me, especially when it was taken into consideration the fact that I was a sky fae and my bonded was a water fae. There was pretty much a representative from every fae clan; all we were missing was a member of the fire fae.

"It would certainly explain your intuition, if you were a member of the earth fae clan. Perhaps you were meant to be turned and perhaps we were meant to cross paths, little one? The fae need to stick together these days." I reasoned, now feeling content that Oscar's little gift had a source.

"How's Sookie?" Oscar shifted the topic, and I could feel that he wasn't too keen on staying on the topic we had been on, for fear of finding out something he didn't like the sound of. The conversation would happen soon, but for now my little vampire needed to focus on healing.

Returning my gaze to Sookie as she lay out across Eric's lap I watched as she licked at Eric's puncture wounds, which were now closed, seeking out any final droplets of his blood that had eluded her. Her eyes were moving behind her eyelids and I could tell she was only seconds away from opening her eyes. "She's fine. We had a run in with a few more Were's this evening, but it was nothing we couldn't handle." I soothed his concern as Ari and Khai entered the room, followed by Pam and Isabel. The four vampires took their seats on the remaining surfaces and waited, with eerie silence, for me to finish my phonecall. I caught sight of Pam looking to Sookie with a worried expression, though she soon straightened out her features.

"I don't like the fact you aren't safe" Oscar confessed after a moment of silence, and I couldn't help but think about how similar his words were to Eric's a few minutes ago.

"We'll be fine, don't worry about us. Both Godric and Eric will take care of us." I glanced between the two male vampires who nodded in agreement. "Now, go and recover, I need to speak with Bubba for a little while longer about the information he's found out for us." I started to end the conversation, not wanting to put too much strain on my youngest Childe. His young age meant that any serious illness or damage to his body that he obtained could lead very quickly to his true death.

Oscar wavered for a moment, before he finally said is goodbye. "Stay safe momma. Love you." He hurriedly, and somewhat shyly, confessed his feelings before he handed the phone back to Bubba. I couldn't stop my tender smile at my young boys declaration of love.

"Love you too, little one." I murmured down the phone as Bubba raised it to his ear, knowing full well vampire hearing would allow Oscar to hear that my feelings were returned. "Can you tell me everything you found out please, Bubba?" I requested as the older vampire took over the phone.

"Sure can Miss Ata. King de Castro has a few guests in his home at the moment. One of which is actually Russell Edgington. I thought the AVL said he was dead?" I could hear the inquisitive tone in Bubba's voice. I spared a glance towards Eric who was still nursing Sookie, and he looked up before he offered me a sheepish glance.

Sighing at the situation, I returned my attention to the phone call I was currently engaged in. "It seems like the AVL lied about that. In his need for vengeance Eric buried Russell in cement, where he assumed he would remain for the rest of time before he met his true death at the hands of starvation. However, someone has clearly dug him up. Do we have any idea as to whom would have done such a thing?" I aimed my question towards Eric, who fell into a state of contemplation. There was silence for a moment as he mulled over my question. Pam glanced over to her Maker, chewing on the inside of her lip as she too thought it over.

"There are only two people, besides Pam and I, who know where he was buried - Bill Compton and Alcide Herveaux." Eric answered solemnly.

There was suddenly a hive of excitement on the other end of the phone. Bubba's excited voice rang out as he responded to Eric's statement. " Mr. Bill is here at Felipe's mansion! He was with us in the sitting room last night." Bubba filled us in. Both Pam and Eric growled at that piece of information, and I found myself angered by it too. Couldn't the pompous ass just piss off and leave us all alone? First he had tried to hunt me down, tried to force his blood into me in a hope that I would end up tied to him so that his queen would be happy, and then after I booted him up the ass and sent him on his way he went and fucked up my fae cousin's life too. Mr. Compton and I would be having a serious discussion the next time we were in the same room together. "There was Mr. Russell, Mr. Felipe and Mr. Bill. Oh and there was also this other vampire, one of Russell's children, but I was never told his name." Bubba informed us all, and I could hear the confusion in his tone. Bubba had never liked not knowing everything.

Looking to Ari, he understood exactly what I was after and disappeared off, returning a moment later with one of our laptops, which he set up on the table in front of me. Accessing the videos from Bubba's contact lens cameras from the night before, we watched for a moment as he and Oscar greeted Nevada's monarch. I heard a grumbling noise from Eric's direction, and looked over in time to see Sookie open her eyes, squinting at the lighting in the penthouse after spending so much time blacked out. "Welcome back, cream puff." Pam purred towards Sookie as she struggled to sit up. Eric quickly supported her, allowing her to rest against his firm, strong frame. Dropping me eyes to the screen, I watched as both vampires were shown to their room.

"Call me that again Pam and I'll zap your ass with my magic light." Sookie grumbled under her breath as she rubbed her temples. I chuckled quietly at her comment, but I sensed Eric's turmoil through the weak bond we shared. Sending comfort to my new son, I tore my eyes away from the screen for a moment to look over at my cousin.

"I wouldn't recommend you using your magic for a little while, Sook. You depleted and therefore it'll take some time for you to build back up your strength and your store of magic." I filled her in, knowing I would need to go into greater detail in a moment.

"I did what?" She swiveled her gaze to me and the confusion was evident on her features.

"Depleted. You used up all of your magic too quickly. Your shot at the Were was beautiful, there's no denying it, but you used a bit too much whammy with it and it sapped all of your energy and magic with it. We haven't been out in the sunlight enough so you haven't been able to stockpile your magic as much, which means you aren't that strong in a fight as the sunlight is what powers us." I reminded her, recalling the conversation from a few nights ago when we had discussed our magic and the different types of fae.

"Am I, am I completely human?" Sookie asked, and the tone of her voice was hard to place. I could hear an underlying happiness at the thought of not having to deal with being different anymore, but I could also hear a tinge of sadness. Sookie was part fae, always had been and always would be. It was a part of her and I could understand the sadness it would cause her to loose a part of herself. However, she was completely wrong in her assumptions.

"No, you're still very much part fae. It'll take some time for your magical stockpile to build back up again, but we'll spend the day lounging by the pool to help you out. Eric also gave you some of his blood, which will help with the replenishing process." I lied with a smile, covering my emotions so as not to give the game away. I wanted Eric to feel like his offer had done some good, and I wanted Sookie to be grateful towards her bonded. I knew she was always grateful towards him, but I figured they would need some time to reconnect. We were being attacked on all sides by Were's, and probably other supernaturals in the near future, so alone time together to concentrate on our emotions was a rarity.

Sookie turned her head towards Eric, smiling gratefully before she pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, which he readily returned. "Thank you." She whispered, burying herself into his chest. I could feel her tiredness through our weak connection, so I pushed some of my energy towards her, hoping it would help to keep her awake for the night. With Sookie now awake, and Eric taking care of her, I returned my attention to the screen in front of me just in time to see Bill and Russell enter the room. The volume was up on the laptop, and therefore we were all able to hear Bill trying to claim Sookie as his own. I was blindsided by rage, not only from Eric, whose anger I had expected and anticipated, but from Pam and Godric too. Even Sookie was angered herself that Bill was still trying to claim her, still trying to make everyone think she was his. I decided then and there that Bill Compton would have to go, even if it meant taking over Louisiana. At least then my cousin would get to live her life in peace.

We listened as Felipe continued on his tirade about how I would be his and how Russell wanted to sample us both, so he could compare us as if we were some fancy wines.

"You can have Miss Stackhouse, Bill. It is Northman I want. He will meet the true death for ending my Talbot. You know he killed him simply because he missed his mummy and daddy?" Russell was shaking his head on the screen, and without realizing it I placed the phone down on the table. Bubba was still on the other end of the line, but he was silent as we all watched the video. I noted, from the corner of my eye, how Eric tensed at Russell's words, and it took Sookie's gentle soothing, along with a wave of calm and affection from Pam, Godric and I for him to relax. "We will have to take out his Maker though first. You know Miss Caesar don't you Bubba, you could join her little 'nest' and find out about her relationship with the Gaul?" Russell continued on, and I let out a low growl at the mention of them trying to harm my bonded. No one would ever harm him ever again, or so help me Isis I would rip him or her apart with my bare hands and make them suffer for it.

"The Gaul is mine, he will die by my hands. Ata will be my queen, and with the slave out of the way she will have no one to hide behind." Felipe commented in his overly smug manner. Another growl slipped from between my lips and I found myself wrapped up in my bonded's arms a moment later, perched upon his lap.

"Don't worry about me, my darling." I heard his accented voice slip into my ear, but I was still blinded by my need to harm Felipe, to tear him apart for even suggesting that he would kill my Godric. Still growling lowly, I caught Eric's eyes, and for a moment we just watched one another in silence. Something seemed to pass between us, an agreement, perhaps, that together we would end Felipe should anything happen to Godric.

"I love you." I reminded my bonded as I turned to look at him, burying myself in his chest.

"I love you too." He whispered in my ear, pressing a tender kiss to my temple before he turned his attention back to the computer screen. Feeling a little more confident, and rested, Sookie rose up onto her feet, crossing the room to sit on the sofa beside Godric and I, in the space I had vacated when I'd been hauled onto his lap. Sookie's movements set off a chain reaction as all of the other vampires in the room moved to stand behind us, so they would be able to see the screen too.

Listening to Russell as he stated that he murdered my mother, I had to stop myself from crying. However, I wasn't crying because of his actions, I was crying because I'd thought her death was my fault for 2000 years, and only now was it coming to light that there had been foul play involved. Sensing this, and understanding my reaction, Sookie took hold of one of my hands, giving it a reassuring squeeze. However, as my Godric was unaware of the truth and the reasons behind my feelings, his curiosity got the better of him.

Seconds later I found myself in one of the windowless hallways, pressed to the wall with Godric's slightly larger and firmer frame holding me securely in place. There was no anger or dominance to his stance; it was simply reassuring and safe. "Your emotions are all over the place, my darling. I can tell though it is not due to Russell mentioning the fact he was the cause of your mothers' death. What's the matter, my sweet?" he asked me softly, bringing his hands up to cup my face, forcing me to look up at him.

I was at a loss with what to do. I couldn't tell him out in the corridor, with the hearing of the remaining vampires in the living room, as they would be privy to my secret too, and I would feel cruel to have my children simply overhear my darkest secret. They deserved to be told face-to-face. On the other hand it would save me from having to talk to them, to tell them myself. I didn't want them to think any less of me. They would probably already think less of me because I'd kept it quiet for so long, and we'd all agreed to never keep secrets from one another.

Capturing the eyes of the man I adored with my entire being, I lost myself in the pale blue colour for a few minutes, internally debating with myself the best course of action. My bonded waited patiently, and I could feel him keeping a close eye on our bond. He couldn't love me any less for this one little secret, could he? After 2000 years he still loved me, surely one little piece of information wouldn't cause us to part ways for the rest of time. Sighing quietly, I brought my own hands up, resting one on his broad shoulders and the other against his cool, left cheek. "I have a confession to make, but I want to make it in front of everyone. You all deserve to know." I decided in a whisper. I would bite the bullet and tell everyone, if only to clear my closet of the skeleton hiding in it.

"I love you no matter what it is you're going to tell us, okay?" Godric murmured as he closed the distance between us, brushing his lips against mine in a soft kiss. I nodded in acknowledgement of his words, yet inside I was anything but reassured. His arms wrapped themselves around me in a tight embrace as he pulled me flush to his chest, tucking me safely under his chin. Shutting my eyes, I wrapped my own arms around him and allowed myself to get lost in his cuddle. It had been so long since I had last stopped and simply stood still to cuddle someone. We broke apart in silence, and with my hand locked with his we walked back into the living area, where we took our seats once again. The vampires in the room had heard our brief exchange in the corridor and yet they didn't mention anything as we re-entered the room. I was grateful for their silence.

"Have my Were's reported back to you yet regarding their little mission?" We watched Russell question Felipe, even aiming the question to Bill as if he might know something.

"Ata informed me, during our heated debate, that all of them were in the city morgue." Felipe responded and I felt my Ari's amusement at my description of the Were's locations. Although it had felt good to put the vampire monarch in his place, I had let slip the tie I had with my children, and the power I held as a bearer of the fae.

"She killed them?" Russell asked quietly as Felipe nodded his head. "That bitch!" Russell screamed, causing me to flinch at the volume. I have expected the vampires in the room to follow suite, but they remained perfectly calm and expressionless. "I want you to keep sending waves towards Caesars Palace at sunrise and just before nightfall, so that she'll be taken right before those waste of space vampires of can do anything about it. They'll be awake and powerless to help her. I want them vulnerable and worried for her. Tell the Were's I want Stackhouse too. You are to bring both of them to me!" He ordered, rising to his feet to pace the room. I could feel the tension building up inside of me, and the anger. The last thing I needed was for more Were's to be sent to my establishment. I would need to get in contact with the local Were pack quickly, to ensure that Sookie and I weren't caught up in another skirmish.

"Sookeh is mine, do not bring her into this!" Bill protested, and I watched as Sookie visibly shuddered in horror at his pronunciation of her name. I restrained my laughter, not wanting to cause offence. Over the years I had been subjected to almost every accent in the world, and the southern twang was unfortunately down in my least favourite ten. I could feel, through the weak bond I shared with Eric, his possessiveness of Sookie given the situation. He loved her and cared for her and I could feel just how much he would hurt anyone who dared to touch her. It was reassuring to know she was so well cared for.

"I want them all in this. Northman killed my Talbot and Stackhouse dumped him down the drain, they are both accountable for their actions. You are lucky that I've been so forgiving of you Bill, for we are of the same blood. You are my great-great-grandchild, and I am grateful that you dug me out of that concrete hell, but if you continue to push your luck I will have no concerns with staking you where you sit."

The video cut off there and for a moment I was puzzled as to why, however my mind switched back quickly to the information we had gathered as the shock sprang around the room like a mattress spring. Bill was a descendant of Russell's bloodline, and had betrayed both Eric and Sookie by digging him up, in the process putting my boys and I in danger too. All of the vampires in the room had their fangs down in anger as they came to the same conclusion as I had. Bill was pushing his luck before, but now he had overstepped the mark.

"Bill betrayed us. He betrayed me." Sookie spoke properly for the first time since she had recovered a little, and the sadness in her voice damn near broke my heart. Turning to look at my cousin, I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and my sympathy for her ended right there. She was not going to cry over that waste of blood!

"Sookie. If you dare shed a single tear for that bastard then I will beat the holy crap out of you when we're training tomorrow." I threatened her, keeping my voice deadly serious. I used my weak tie with Eric to send him a slow stream of reassurance, to let him know I wouldn't really beat the crap out of her. He understood immediately if the relief through our tie was anything to go by.

Looking aghast, Sookie's eyes narrowed in my direction. "You wouldn't?" She challenged. Never breaking eye contact, I quirked an eyebrow in challenge, and she crumbled under my gaze. "He was my first love, my first time, the first guy I trusted. You can't expect me not to be hurt by his actions!" she protested, suddenly shifting onto the defensive.

"Oh be hurt by his actions all you like, but don't you dare cry. Do you think he's crying over you? No, he's not. Instead he's sat inside a mansion on the other side of the city with two vampires who are older and more powerful than he is, planning Eric's true death and a way to enslave you and tie you to him for the rest of your life. But sure, if you feel like pining over him then go for it." I scoffed. Wafting my hand in her direction, I picked up the phone from the counter, remembering that Bubba was on the other end of the line still. Raising it to my ear, I was aware that he would hear the movement of the air as I lifted the phone, so I remained perfectly silent. I would let Sookie stew for a few minutes.

"Something happened with the lenses and they just blacked out then, it was so strange Miss Ata! Mr. Russell said he had another Childe though and that he was waiting for him to arrive, but I never got to meet him before Oscar became ill and I was sent to tend to him." Bubba explained after a brief pause of silence.

"Okay, thanks Bubba, keeps us updated should you find out anything else." I ended the call, hanging up on the famous vampire. Sookie was still giving me the stink eye but I ignored her. There was no reason for her to be upset over Bill. I had never been in her position as such, and was therefore in no way entitled to judge, but she would need to toughen up and let go of Bill if she wanted to continue having a flourishing relationship with my new Viking Childe.

"Whose this other Childe of Felipe's then?" Pam enquired, though of course her vampiric hearing meant she heard the conversation with Bubba and the fact the addled vampire never met the other Childe of Edgington's line.

"I don't know, and I don't think we should care about them right now. I think our main priority is keeping ourselves safe." I switched into business mode, not wanting another person hurt in my hotel on my watch by any supernatural being.

"But they could be a threat too, don't we need to plan for all possibilities?" Isabel interrupted. Though her point was valid, I was running short on patience and the need to discover whom this other Childe was happened to be bottom of my to-do list. The VRA passing was tomorrow night and I was yet to finalise details, not to mention the fact that we were all attacked earlier and that more attacks were coming, and that Sookie was in danger from depletion again if she didn't get any vitamin d into her.

"We'll deal with that after the VRA passing, nothing will be tried there as it's too much of a public event and with everyone watching from around the world the other supernatural creatures won't want to expose themselves." I brushed off her concerns, storing them away for another night. Running a hand through my hair, I turned my attention back to Sookie, who was grimly looking down at her lap. Eric's blood was still smeared across her lips and chin, but it didn't seem to bother her. Spending so long in the company of vampires desensitized you to blood and gore. It was all a nightly occurrence for them of course.

"You were right." She confessed after I gave her a moment of silence to contemplate her words. "He probably doesn't really care for me on a personal level, a level beyond my blood and gift, and the fact he's plotting how to get rid of my Eric makes him unworthy of my affections any longer." She stated in a quiet voice. A part of me was wishing I had a tape recorder for this moment, but the other part of me knew this would be a turning point for her – a private one. "I've spent so long crying over him, pining over him, and all he's ever done is let me down. When he was suppose to meet me after work the second night we met he didn't bother pitching up until I was a bloody pulp, when I was attacked by Gabe in the fellowship he never bothered to come for me, when Godric's nest was blown up it wasn't his body shielding me, when the maenad scratched me up he wasn't the one to call the doctor for me, when I was stuck in Russell's mansion with the physco after me he never came up with a plan to get us all out alive and when I went away for a year he never even attempted to buy my house for me even though his new position gave him the resources to do such a thing." She rattled off the list of things Bill had never done for her. If it weren't for Eric, and on occasion my Godric too, then Sookie would have died an awful long time ago. The Viking was reliable, supportive and understanding. Yes he manipulated and withheld the truth on occasion, but he always had my cousin's best interests and her surivial at the forefront of his mind. I could feel Eric's rejoice as Sookie came to terms with her feelings, as she began to understand that her relationship with Bill wasn't as beautiful as she had thought it was initially. I could see her working out how many times Eric had been the one to save her, how many times Bill had let her down. "He started off our relationship as fake, and though to me it was real and always will be, he doesn't deserve my affections any longer. He lost them a long time ago, and I blindly gave them to him. Eric earnt them, and that's a lot more valuable." She came to her conclusion, and Eric was quick to scoop in for a passionate kiss, filled with his love and adoration for my little fae cousin.

"What's this little confession you have to make, Ata?" Khai spoke up, causing everyone in the room to look at me expectantly. Of course the vampires had overheard me speaking about my confession, but Sookie simply looked confused. "I'm going to tell them." I told her quietly, dropping my gaze for a moment. Using the Maker-Childe bonds I had forged thousands of years ago, I summoned all of my children to me, and it took them no time at all to enter the living area of the penthouse and arrange themselves neatly around the room on many of the available surfaces.

Taking a deep breath, I felt my bonds with the vampires in the room fill with love and support; some of it even came from both Pam and Isabel, which surprised me even more. Godric's arm around me tightened a little as he pulled me back to his chest, letting his solid frame support me physically and the emotions through our bond support me emotionally. "Back in my human days, my mother was involved with Marc Antony, as I'm sure many of you are aware of thanks to the history textbooks. Now, I don't know if you believe everything you read anymore but he was not a nice man. He used to tell my brother and I that we were disappointments, that because of our fathers' death we were no longer legitimate heirs. He used to call me all sorts of names because of my gift, and would make it a regular thing to try and bring my little brother and I down. He wanted to replace my daddy, and no one ever replaces my daddy." I lifted my gaze from my lap to look up at everyone in the room, who were all politely giving me their full attention.

"He got too big for his boots one night, and after a particularly cruel week of tormenting, name calling and abuse I decided that enough was enough. I went down to the armory, where the guards stored our weapons, and took out my family khopesh. Nobility and my family were the only ones who usually used it, and on occasion the guards who defended our cities many temples would have their own versions to wield. I used my ability to sort of glamour human minds to sneak through the palace without anyone noticing or questioning me, and entered Marc's room. There was a scuffle, and I lost hold of the khopesh. He had me against the wall by my throat, and I could practically feel him choking me to death. I instinctively reacted and grabbed his iron sword, which was leaning against the wall beside me, and I slammed it into his chest." My voice dropped off, as did my gaze, which hit the floor. I checked all of my bonds – strong and weak – in order to gauge the reactions of everyone in the room. All were shocked and surprise apart from my bonded, who was calm and collected.

"I returned to my room and my little brother, leaving Marc dead on the floor, only to be summoned to my mothers room a short while later. Caesarion and I entered and we found our mother, on the floor dead, having apparently killed herself because she couldn't live without Marc. I killed the man she loved, and she killed herself because of his death." I murmured, knowing the vampires would hear me. "I in-avertedly killed my own mother." I whispered, testing the words aloud in front of a crowd. Although it was out in the open now that my actions hadn't been the cause of her death, I was still ashamed of my actions, and the guilt I had carried for my entire immortal existence.

Silence fell through the room as everyone processed my confession, and my children all seemed to be lost in thought. "But Russell killed your mother, not you." Pam offered softly, in a tone I would have never expected from the blonde vampiress.

"I know, but for the past 2000 years I've carried around that guilt, thinking it was my fault that my mother died. Caesarion pretty much disowned me that night, and we didn't speak to one another or see one another for 11 days. The next time I saw him he was flat on his back, with his eyes shut, on the embalmers table." I hauled in my emotions, something I had learnt to do over the past 2000 years, and steeled myself for the onslaught of abuse from everyone in the room.

"Why didn't you mention it to us, mother? We could have helped you carry the guilt, even though it wasn't your fault." Agmund asked quietly, crawling his way across the floor to sit at my feet, looking up at me. The angle he was sat at, and the tipping of my head towards the floor, meant that I was looking right into the eyes of one of my Viking children.

Taking a deep breath in, I slowly let it out again, focusing on Agmund. "I didn't want any of you to think differently about me." I threw my thoughts out there, shutting my eyes in a hope I wouldn't have to witness the expressions on their faces when they realized I lied to them, that I did something so terrible that I was undeserving of their love and devotion.

I was suddenly bombarded with love, understanding, adoration, devotion and support from every angle, and I whimpered under the intensity of the emotions. A light breeze was the only warning I received before I was sat down on Agmund's lap, all of my children nuzzling me from each side, offering comfort and support. Khai was sat in front of me, and he gently swept my bangs away from my eyes, allowing me to open them. "We could never think differently of you mother, you are a part of us and we are a part of you. We all knew what we were doing when we signed up for this, and we will always love you regardless of what you did, or in this case didn't, do. We love you, you can feel that." He reassured me gently, pushing his feelings through our bonds. Raising my hands, I traced the outline of the faces of each of my children, pulling each one in turn for a kiss to their foreheads.

"Gratias vobis ago." I murmured to them all, stealing a glance to Sookie.

"I told you everything would be fine." She stated quietly, and I gave her a small smile of acknowledgement that she was right and I was wrong. I would never say it out loud though, but she understood. Turning my attention to Godric, I felt sick with nerves, but the calm washing over me from him helped to soothe me.

"I already knew." He whispered, holding his hand out to me. My boys helped me onto my feet before I took my bonded's hand, allowing myself to be pulled down onto his lap where he comfortably tucked me against his slightly larger frame. Shocked that he already knew, I looked up to him with wide eyes. All of that worrying over nothing?

"Out in the corridor you were worried as to how I was going to take it, and as thoughts of me were involved I was able to see your side of the session with Sookie, able to witness everything that had transpired in the day that your mother had passed. I was there though when you held your mother, just before the embalmers came for her. It was your anguished cries that enabled me to overpower my Maker and kill him. I could smell an unfamiliar vampire nearby, so I assumed that they were the one to end your mother. To me it was the sort of thing a vampire would do, but of course you were unaware of our existence then, all you had to go on were the myths and legends." He answered me solemnly, rubbing any available skin on my body that he could get his hands onto.

"Why didn't you say anything, then or now? You could have come to me, shown yourself to me, shared your theory with me. Why didn't you tell me when you got here that foul play was involved in my mothers passing, why did I have to find out from Russell?" I asked a multitude of questions, though none of them were asked in anger. The first half were done in pain – he had been near me and yet hadn't come to me – and the second half were done in curiosity.

"I was afraid, worried about how you would react to my new state of being. I had nightmares about you no longer wanting me, and I couldn't have lived with that. I figured that if you believed I'd died then you would get some closure, that you would be able to move on and not be stuck with someone who could only give you the night time, someone who was so young in vampiric terms that they were in need of much more blood than you could ever give. I didn't want you to have to suffer." He admitted, dropping a kiss to my temple.

"But we both suffered." I reminded him gently as I felt a hand on my ankle. Looking towards the large fingers, and the cool feeling against my skin, I smiled fondly at my new Childe's offer of comfort. Pam and Isabel were silent, though I could feel light influxes of calm from them, as if they were expecting me to blow up like Mount Vesuvius at any moment.

A humorless laugh escaped the lips of my bonded, and he sighed in defeat. "Yes we did, and if I could go back to then knowing what I know now, I would reveal myself to you in a heartbeat, or at least spend the next 2000 years following you to ensure your safety, and our meeting much sooner." His kiss to my temple started to migrate down my cheek, to my jawbone and down my neck, where butterfly kisses were trying to make me giggle.

"You never answered my second question." I pointed out, trying not to sound too breathless. Judging by the amused expression on Pam's features, along with her usual smirk; I came to the conclusion that I was failing miserably.

"I never told you because I thought you already knew. I thought you figured it out a long time ago my darling. If I had of known sooner that you were carrying around that unnecessary guilt I would have told you the truth and helped to spare you from that burden." His kisses stopped, and I was disappointed at the loss of such a pleasant feeling. Sensing my disappointment through our weak bond, Isabel laughed quietly.

We all fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, none of us moving. My boys were still all sat on the floor, and had each reached up to place a hand on me. With my eyes closed I missed the moment Isabel pulled a small box from her pocket, showing it quickly to Godric who nodded once before Isabel tucked the item away.

"There's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there? You have many more layers." Pam questioned quietly, breaking the silence. Lifting my head I opened my eyes and I looked up at the female vampire opposite me, thinking about just how much more there was to her as well. Glancing to Ari, my eldest, I could see the side of her that cared for him, the soft side that she so rarely showed. Moving my gaze to each of my children I could see the torment they had undergone over the years for me, because their dedication was much more than a promise to my mother. Our connections were based on strong foundations, there was more to our relationships and bonds than loyalty and blood. Shifting my eyes to Isabel I could see the devoted best friend, the companion of her Sheriff. I could see how proud she was, could see her tormented human life and how free she was in her vampiric life. I could see beneath the surface though that she was hurt, still upset that her human lover had been the cause of her Sheriff's capture and Sookie's almost rape. She was carrying that guilt like I had been carrying the guilt of my mothers passing and, like me, it wasn't her guilt to carry. How was she to have known her human lover would have betrayed her in such a manner?

Looking to Sookie I could see a woman now – she'd been a young girl before but the supernatural world had forced her to grow up quickly. She'd grown so much over such a short period of time, and she was handling it far better than most. I could see the stubbornness, the thin layers of insecurity buried at the bottom, slowly crumbling as the man she sat beside made her feel better about herself, taught her how to love herself. Her bravery and dedication, loyalty and willingness to do anything to save another set her out from the rest of the women I had ever met in my entire life. In Eric I could see the calm and collected Sheriff, the political mastermind, the plotter and the strategist. I could see the soft underbelly to him though, the little area where Sookie had nestled herself into. I could see the warrior, the fighter and the man at war with his emotions. I could see him embracing some emotions, holding back on others for the time being. I could see the man behind the 'monster.'

Finally I turned to look at my Godric, my bonded, my chosen companion for the rest of eternity. In him I could see the survivor too, the man who had seen far more than any man should. I could see the small layer of sadness, the desolation he had felt when he had been up on that rooftop, willing to burn. I could see his closely guarded nature, his well thought out choice of words and his honor towards promises and those worthy of such a gift. I could see the man who had beaten the odds, flourished when he should have died, embraced his new life rather than detested it. I could see the vicious and cold killer, the vampire who had murdered and maimed for thousands of years, and yet I wasn't put off by it in the slightest. It was all part of him, all of these layers, just like they were a part of everyone else in the room.

Turning back to Pam, I wondered for a brief moment what she saw in me, what they all saw in me, but I realized that it wasn't for us all to know. We weren't meant to know ourselves so well, because then we would never surprise ourselves, and those were always the best kinds of surprises. It was like riding a bike. You haven't been on one in years and yet the moment you get back on the saddle you can remember perfectly well how to ride it, and yet it still surprises you. Offering Pam a smile, I laughed quietly. "There are many layers to each of us, more to learn about one another. I have a theory that perhaps, maybe, our blood bonds are enabling us all to understand one another better, to get to know how one another ticks. I think it will be important over the next few days." I admitted quietly. The room fell into silence once again for a few minutes, and my bonds with everyone present were alive and manic, emotions and thoughts flying everywhere. Eventually everyone settled though, and I could focus solely on my own emotions and myself. Analyzing them, I found something that surprised me.

"I'm frightened, Ata." Sookie confessed, causing us all to turn and look at her. She was curled up against Eric, buried into his side, and the worry on her features more than likely matched my own. Eric was soothing her with softly spoken terms of endearment in his native tongue, and the way his hands ghosted over her hair, stroking her to soothe her, even helped soothe me.

Deciding to be more forthcoming with my secrets, because if they were out in the open they could no longer hurt me – and I could be supported with them as Sookie had been supported when she had spoken out about her uncle – I took a leap of faith. "So am I Sook. So am I."

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**A/N Translations**

_Jag skulle älska ingenting mer, min son (Swedish) = I would love nothing more, my son_

_Gratias vobis ago (Latin) = I enact thanks to you all_


	57. Not Strong Enough

**A/N Uni is mental! My timetable is so incredibly full this semester that it's unreal! I'm squeezing in chapter writing where I can for you guys though; I will NOT abandon this story! I know its been at least month since my last update, and I could give you every excuse under the sun, but all I'll say is this: I came down with a serious case of freshers flu and went through 12 big boxes of Kleenex, and it lasted for three weeks, I have 17 lectures a week, 4 major essays due in at the end of this month and it's difficult in halls to find somewhere to be alone so I can write (my hall mates have taken over my room as a sort of common room for our floor)**

**However, I thank you all for sticking with me this long and for reviewing/messaging/favouriting this story!**

**I also dedicate this chapter to Nyssa, one of my beautiful hall mates, who has been reading this story over the past few days and has been telling me her thoughts on it as she goes!**

**Once again I'm so sorry for the delay, and it'll probably be a fortnight or so for another update but I'll try and get one out quicker! It's my birthday on Tuesday however and then Samhain on Wednesday so I'll be busy then, I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY THOUGH!**

**Enjoy the chapter guys, and please R&R – maybe it'll motivate me to write quicker! :)**

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_I'm not strong enough to stay away.  
__Can't run from you  
__I just run back to you.  
__Like a moth I'm drawn in to your flame,  
__Say my name, but it's not the same.  
__You look in my eyes, I'm stripped of my pride.  
__And my soul surrenders, and you bring my heart to it's knees.  
__And it's killin' me when you're away, I wanna leave and I wanna stay.  
__And I'm so confused, So hard to choose.  
__Between the pleasure and the pain.  
__And I know it's wrong, and I know it's right.  
__Even if I try to win the fight, my heart would overrule my mind.  
__And I'm not strong enough to stay away  
__~ Not Strong Enough, Apocalyptica_

It had been a long night, which was the easiest way to put it. I shared my secret with Ata, and she hadn't run away screaming. Although my secret was bad, as ones relative shouldn't think such thoughts about someone else from their bloodline, Ata's had been far worse. I couldn't imagine living with the guilt of killing my mom for 2000 years, only to have all of that guilt shattered, and to realize that it was in fact a vampire who had killed her.

We'd once again been attacked by Were's, and I'd been able to defend myself reasonable well, until I'd depleted of course. I'd been so frightened the moment I'd hit the floor, it was as if the world had turned black, however it hadn't stopped me from hearing snippets of conversations that were occurring around me. Although blacked out, I'd been able to hear Eric asking Ata if he could be her Childe too, and although I was unable to respond I was smiling internally. I could see Eric as Ata's Childe, as a Childe of both Godric and Ata.

We'd all sat together and chatted quietly for a while about the VRA passing party after Ata had ended her phonecall with Bubba and Oscar, after we'd watched the recording and after Ata had voiced her secret. I was proud of her for it, and now I could understand how she felt about me whenever my powers became that little bit stronger, whenever I managed to develop one of my new fairy skills a little further. Ata had sent Oeri and Riei out to a costume store to procure outfits for the males of the group for the following nights event, even going so far as to buy little Hunter a top hat.

Padding back towards the bedroom I shared with Eric, my Viking refused to let go of my hand. He'd been rather protective this evening, holding me closely and refusing to let me leave his side. I couldn't say I could blame him, especially not after hearing about Bill's connection to Russell, and Felipe's for that matter. I didn't wish to leave Eric's side, but unfortunately he wouldn't be there for me in the day, and I couldn't just sit around and wait for him to wake up for all the time that the sun was in the sky! Once we were stowed away in our room together, I stripped down to my bra and panties, not really feeling in the mood for anything frisky. Sensing this, Eric too stripped down, though my vampire was far more comfortable with his physique and therefore went down to his birthday suit.

Clambering in to my side of the bed, Eric slid in on the other side, automatically wrapping his arms around me to position me half over his chest. His deft fingers unhooked my bra and he threw it aside casually, and I was unable to stop my groan of appreciation as my bra was removed. Taking off my bra after a long day was the second best feeling in the world, the first was of course having my vampire buried deep inside of me. "Can I take off these silly little panties too, lover?" Eric's husky voice swept over my eardrum, and I sleepily nodded my consent. Seconds later I too was naked, strewn over my vampire as he clutched me to his chest. I was saddened by the fact that although my ear was over his heart I could hear no sound coming from it, but I was use to it a little by now. Instead I focused on the vast expanse of his perfectly sculpted chest, covered in a light dusting of blonde hairs. With one arm flung over him, I felt like a barnacle clinging to a whale, especially given our size differences. The thought caused me to laugh quietly.

One of Eric's large hands came up to brush through my hair, moving the stray blonde strands from my closed eyes. "Eric, can I ask you something?" I murmured quietly, nuzzling up into the crook of his neck. His stroking actions slowed a little and became far more methodical, his hands sweeping down my back on the down stroke.

"Of course, min kärlek." His accent slipped through with his words, and I didn't bother to hide my smile. Eric had perfected a neutral accent, making it difficult to trace him back to any one country, but when he was angry, excited, turned on or content he would on occasion slip back into it effortlessly.

"Why did you ask Ata if you could be her Childe too?" I questioned, moving my fingers to trace patterns on the exposed skin over his ribs.

"You could hear us?" He avoided my question for a moment, and I wasn't surprised by it in the least. If there was one thing I knew for certain about my vampire it was that he would steer the conversation off on a tangent for a moment while he collected his thoughts regarding the initial topic, so that he would be able to give a more accurate answer.

Nodding my head, I hummed my answer, but Eric didn't ask any more of me. It wasn't uncommon for those who had blacked out, or for those in comas and such, to still be able to hear the things around them. Gran had once told me that ones hearing was the last thing to go before they passed into the afterlife. Eric fell silent for a moment longer, and through our strong second bond I could feel him working through the answer in his mind.

"She loves Godric." He stated, knowing full well I already knew that too. His hands continued to brush through my hair, but he shifted us a little so one of my short legs ended up sprawled over his long ones. "I have never in the 1000 years I have been a vampire seen him so taken with someone, I've never seen him act the way he has been. The thought of her pulled him back from the edge of suicide around two years ago, and after 2000 years she still loves him and welcomed him back into her life with open arms. I've figured that people like her do not come around very often, and I understand that she has not chosen to have any true children of her own through natural conception and birth. She'll never be able to have children with my Maker, but perhaps I might be able to fill that gap, if only a little." He explained in a soft tone, his accent continuing to lace his words as he spoke to me.

"I admit it is slightly selfish on my half. For 1000 years I have only had a father, and though I love Godric with all of my being I miss having the love of a mother. I've seen how she dotes upon her boys, and upon Oscar, and though it may make me sound weak, I wish to be doted on in such a manner too." He confessed quietly, sighing unnecessarily at the end of his sentence.

"It doesn't make you sound weak, Eric." I shifted to look up at him, capturing his cerulean orbs with my own. "It makes you sound human, normal even, and though you may think that being more like your human self is a weakness I can tell you now that it isn't. You need to be in touch with your emotions, because people without emotions don't always make the best decisions, and they aren't really living." I pointed out, maintaining his gaze.

"You forget, lover," the corner of his lips quirked upwards a little, "that I'm not technically alive and therefore am not living anyway." He tried to outsmart me, but I raised a hand to cover his lips. Finding a burst of energy from within me I used my new little popping trick to straddle him properly, using the speed my popping gave me I grasped his hands and pinned them above his head before he even had time to comprehend my move. I could see, within the space of a few milliseconds, the confusion on his beautiful features, and then the anger, before he relaxed completely. "I thought you'd left me again." He murmured as he more than likely felt my curiosity through our bond as to why such emotions had crossed his features.

"I never left you before, Eric, I was taken from you. I'm never going to leave you." I promised him quietly, giving his wrists a gentle squeeze to remind him that I still had him pinned down. His head tipped back as he observed my small hands wrapped around his thick wrists, and I could feel the lust starting to build up inside of him. I waited patiently for the sexual comment that was bubbling up inside of him to leave his perfectly plump lips.

"Your hands should be wrapped around something else, my love." Ah there it was. Shaking my head, I restrained myself from laughing, though I was unable to hide my smile. I remembered then why I had used my new ability, and why I was currently straddling him. Quickly I let go of one of his wrists to land a hard smack on his chest. Of course the blow was hard for me, but it barely scratched the surface of his alabaster skin. I didn't have time to think before I was flipped over, with a very amorous vampire covering my entire body as I sank into the plush mattress. "You should never hit a vampire." He murmured playfully, dropping fang as he offered me his trademark smirk. I was no longer frightened of his fangs, especially when I could feel his mirth through our bond.

"That was for saying that you aren't alive, that you're not living. You're here with me, right now, talking to me, smothering me with your heavy-ass body. I can feel you in our bond and I can feel the contrast between your cool skin and my warm skin." I explained my actions as he supported his weight with one hand, the other finding its way to my body, tracing along the contours of my exposed frame. I shuddered at his touch, and I wanted to smack the small, triumphant smile off of his beautiful face.

"I'm still a vampire, Sookie. I'm technically undead." He reminded me in a whisper, brushing my hair from my face for the umpteenth time this evening.

Grasping gently at his chin, I tipped his head so that my eyes could find his once more, and I refused to let go of the beautiful blue orbs as I spoke. "I don't care what the government, or anyone else for that matter, classes you as. To me you are alive and living, every single night. You can do everything a human can do, apart from sunbathe of course, but you're not radically different to them. So what you can't go out in the sunshine, so what that you need my blood to survive. It doesn't make you any less of a person. You only see yourself as a vampire, Eric. You need to start seeing yourself as a man first. The man I'm very much in love with."

I couldn't remember what time it was exactly that Eric and I had eventually decided to call it a night at. After my little speech, my Viking had all but pounced on me, and had ravaged me until he'd started to feel a little tired as the sun made itself known to our side of the world. I waited until he'd slipped into his day rest before I'd allowed myself to slip into slumber. With my body sufficiently rested, my eyes slowly opened, and I was met with the usual darkness that accompanied the sleeping quarters of a vampire. Bringing one of my hands up to my eyes, I rubbed the sleep from them, yawning a little as I stretched. I couldn't stretch too far though, as I was met with the large, cool frame of my beautiful vampire, wrapped around me. I smiled as I remembered the better parts of the night before – when Eric had taken care of me, when he had asked to be Ata and Godric's Childe, when he had spoken so openly with me and, of course, when he had reminded me why no other man would ever enter my bed for the rest of eternity.

Turning over, I lay facing my sleeping vampire. Bringing one of my hands up, I caressed the side of his face, taking in every little detail of his features that my human eyes could make out in the darkness of the room. There were times when vampire senses would be useful, and now was one of them. Lost in the beauty of the man before me, I missed the brain signals from the other side of the bedroom door until I heard a light knocking noise. Throwing my mental net out, I captured the excited, bubbly internal chatter of the young boy outside my door. _"Give me one second Hunt." _I mentally informed him, pulling myself out of bed. Dressing quickly, I pulled the sheets up to hide Eric's nude form, though I did allow myself some pleasure by leaving his chest bare.

Knowing the hallway was windowless, I had no problem in opening the door, my eyes instantly dropping down to the young boy stood in front of me. "Auntie Sookie!" Hunter grinned, not bothering to keep his voice down. I was about to hush him before I remembered that nothing would wake Eric or the other vampires in the penthouse during the day, unless I disappeared off to Faery and suddenly came back again. The memories of Faery started to play in my mind, but upon looking down at Hunter who wore a confused expression I threw my shields up, not wanting to expose the boy to the cruel power play going on within our race. "Is Uncle Eric sleeping for the day?" Hunter asked innocently, looking around my body to the bed. The light from the hallway light had thrown a golden glow over my vampire, highlighting his already bright blonde locks and the soft dusting of hairs across his chest. "Wow! Is that how vampires look when they sleep?" Hunter exclaimed, and before I had time to stop him he'd whizzed past me and was clambering onto the bed to get a closer look at Eric.

I panicked suddenly, unsure as to how Eric would feel with Hunter seeing him in his day rest with him being so vulnerable. There was little Hunter would be able to do to Eric, and he was a good kid, but I had a feeling it was ingrained in Eric not to trust humans to be around him during his day rest, which was why I always felt honored to be allowed to sleep beside him. The moment the panic took me over the sheets shuffled slightly, and I watched in a combination of shock and curiosity as Eric's eyes opened slowly. "Good morning Uncle Eric!" Hunter cheerfully greeted him, grinning from ear to ear. He'd placed himself on the sheets next to Eric, facing him, cuddling a spare pillow.

"Sookie. Panic." His husky, sleepy voice cut through the air, and I could see him struggling to get out of bed, as if he were about to come to my aid.

"No no, I'm fine!" I quickly quelled his protective nature, dashing to the bed where I all but forced him into laying back down. "I just wasn't sure if you were okay with Hunter in here." I explained in a murmur as I lent down to place a kiss to his exposed temple.

"Families fine." Eric muttered as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Hunter's face lit up as he was grated permission to be in Eric's presence during the day, and I was a little stunned. Eric had always struck me as a sort of lone wolf, preferring only the company of Godric and Pam, so for him to accept my human family so readily and embrace them as if they were his own was completely endearing, and I found myself adding another point to my list of reasons why I was completely and utterly in love with the man before me.

"See Auntie Sookie, Uncle Eric doesn't mind me being here." I was half expecting my young nephew to stick his tongue out at me, but I should have known better.

I could tell that staying awake in the day was a struggle for Eric, especially considering the fact that he refused to feed from me the night before, deeming me far too weak from my depletion blackout. I could feel him, through our bond, mustering his energy. Raising one of his large arms, he grabbed Hunter, hauling him down onto the bed beside him before he threw his arm around the brunette boys frame. "Uncle Eric! I don't sleep in the day!" Hunter giggled, but that didn't stop him from snuggling in against my vampire, who was sporting a humorous smile. I could feel Eric's affection for Hunter through our bond and, looking at the pair of them curled up in bed together, I couldn't help my small sense of melancholy. Hunter was as close to a biological child as I would ever get, and the way he interacted with Eric, without an ounce of fear or worry, made me imagine what it would be like if I were to have a child that was half of me, and half of my Viking.

"Growing boys need naps though." Eric yawned, and I could feel him starting to slip back into his day rest. Hunter snuggled closer to Eric, closing his eyes as he curled up against my Viking's cool, motionless chest.

"I'm going to sleep here with Uncle Eric for a while Aunt Sookie. I'll take care of him." Hunter mumbled, and I could feel his mind starting to tire. Hunter's statement caused Eric's emotions to flare to life, and the amount of care that he had for the little boy under his arm caused me to gasp as I grabbed onto the nearest steady surface. I felt Eric's love for me fill the bond too, and then suddenly his emotions cut off as he slipped into his day rest once more. It was only a matter of seconds before Hunter fell asleep too, his brain becoming silent as he drifted into his nap.

I smiled fondly at the pair of boys asleep on the bed, and without making a sound I left the room, ensuring the door was firmly shut behind me and that no light would get to my snoozing vampire. Padding down the corridor, I entered into the living area where Ata and Jason were sat together having breakfast. Felicia was cooking up more food, piling up the plates. There was enough food spread over the table to feed an army, and I found myself salivating at the prospect of getting to eat it all. "Morning Sook." Ata called out to me, not even bothering to turn around as she picked up on my mental signature.

"Hey sis!" Jason greeted me through a mouthful of pancake. Momma had always told him off for his bad table manners, and Gran had told him on numerous occasions that he would never find a suitable wife if he was always so rude. The thought of Jason marrying was as far fetched as seeing a pig in a Sunday dress dancing around the front yard. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, I smiled at my brother and cousin, taking a moment to note their appearances. I hadn't bothered to look in the mirror before I'd come out of the bedroom, so I had no idea what state I was currently in after the rough love making session Eric and I had engaged in. Ata was in a cream dressing gown, the initials _A.C_ embroidered on the pocket in beautiful golden lettering, and her blonde hair tumbled in natural waves around her face. Her face was makeup free, as the vast amounts of vampire blood in her system stopped her from having to use any. Turning to look at Jason, I took in his battered sweatpants and tatty t-shirt. Although Jason didn't have lots of spare money kicking around, I frowned at the thought that he hadn't even gone out and bothered to buy new clothes when his old ones had pretty much fallen apart.

The moment my bottom touched the seat, Felicia had placed a huge plate of breakfast down in front of me. The pancakes and fresh berries smelt incredible, and the freshly baked softness of the croissants was enough to make me almost drool. I was famished. Tucking in I remembered my manners, unlike my brother. "What's the plan for today?" I asked Ata and Jason as I finished my mouthful. I was able to feel Ata throwing her mental net out, and could feel her mind as she located Hunter snoozing with Eric, before she checked on all of her boys until she finally landed on Godric. Her mind stayed with his as she finished her mouthful.

"Well the VRA party is this evening, but I was thinking before that we could go and soak up some sunshine for a while before we go up into the training room and work on your skills a little more. After the attack last night and your blackout, I don't think it's safe for us to leave the penthouse until our bonded's are awake. That goes for Jason and Hunter too." Ata informed me, sparing a glance to my brother, who was too busy shoveling in his food like a pig to realize he had been mentioned. At the mention of Hunter I too threw out my mental net, capturing Hunter's sleepy brain in the bedroom. For curiosity value I moved from each sleeping vampire to the next, and simply through his or her brain patterns I was able to tell which vampire was which. I enjoyed the fact that each vampire now had a brain pattern. Voids were pleasant but daunting at the best of times with their vast nothingness.

I found Pam sleeping beside Ari, with Khai in the same room. Riei and Oeri were sharing a room together, as were Egor and Agmund. Isabel was with Egor and Agmund, and of course Eric was back in our room with Hunter. Godric's brain pattern threw me for a moment, as I sensed another beside his, but after a brief second I was able to determine that it was Ata simply from the feel of it, but I could also feel Ata's mental signature in the kitchen – she had two!

"_How on earth are you doing that?" _I directed the mental question to her, allowing her into my mind to see what I had come across.

Ata's mental laughter was girlish in response. _"He's my bonded, and it's my subconscious you felt. My subconscious can latch onto his and stay with it thanks to the bonds we have, both vampire and fae. Think of it as our subconscious minds snuggling" _She explained as she popped a fresh strawberry into her mouth, an impish smile on her lips.

Taking a bite of the croissant that Felicia had placed before me, I pursed my lips in contemplation as I chewed. _"Can I do that with Eric? And does Godric's subconscious have a form like yours?" _I asked as I swallowed, taking a sip of the orange juice that had magically appeared in front of me.

"_You and Eric are bonded, so you should be able too, though it may take a little bit of practice. Yes, every subconscious has a form. Godric's is a polar bear." _She mentally smiled, and I had to stifle a laugh at how much it tickled.

"_Why is it a polar bear?" _I requested. Although I would have just accepted Ata's explanation I found myself wanting to know more, purely because it was fascinating, something I had never come across or known about before.

"_As you know mine is a cat, and a persons subconscious is a reflection of their conscious self. For example, my subconscious says that I'm independent, I see the unseen, I protect and love others, I have the ability to fight when cornered and I can allow others to dream my dreams. They are all factors about myself that, to some degree, are true. Godric's, being a polar bear, shows that he prefers solitude and is an expert swimmer through emotional waters. It shows that he's found his way back from the brink and has strength in the face of adversity. The polar bear represents death and rebirth, transformation even, and shows he is fiercely protective." _I could hear Ata respond. I was fascinated with the explanation, and Ata's insight into the subconscious of those around us.

"_What are mine and Eric's?" _I asked out of curiosity.

"_Yours is a crow, and Eric's is an owl. The crow is the guardian of the place before existence; they honor their ancestors and act in an ethical behavior. Crows are the carrier of souls, they take them from the darkness to the light, and they work without fear in the darkness. They can move freely in the void and shift shape to blend in. Owls are known for their stealth and secrecy, they move silently and swiftly with keen senses. They can see behind people's masks and are the link between the dark, unseen world and the world of the light. Owls are comfortable with their shadow selves, bearers of moon magick and are known for their freedom." _Ata answered my question, smiling at me over the breakfast table.

"What's the plan for today then guys?" Jason broke through our mental conversation with his loud voice as he chewed on his food, his mouth open, giving us a horrendous view of his mashed up food. Trying to hide my disgust, I rounded my eyes to Ata, searching for an answer to Jason's question.

Finishing her mouthful, Ata dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin that was placed beside her. "I was thinking today that we would work on a few of your new powers Sookie. We'll try knocking a few things over and try the teleporting trick you've acquired. We'll even teleport ourselves to somewhere hot and sunny so you can tan quickly and rejuvenate yourself. You can come too Jason. Any requests on where you would like to go?" Ata offered as Felicia took her plate away.

I was nervous about leaving Eric alone in the day, especially considering the fact that the Were's had tried to get Ata and I only yesterday. I was also worried about Hunter. I didn't want to wake him and force him to teleport with us but at the same time I was afraid to leave the young boy alone. "We hired guards for the party this evening, they're already in the building right now and there are hundreds of them. I called in all of the Were packs from this half of Nevada, so everyone up here will be safe. Not to mention the protective charms around the place and on the bedroom doors." Ata eased my worries with her practical thinking. I figured that because I couldn't physically see the protection around our vampires and Hunter that it wouldn't be enough, but Ata hadn't let me down, and she'd always been honest with me, so I allowed her words to wash away my worry.

"Can we go somewhere near Europe? Momma and daddy were saving to take us there but they died before we could go." Jason requested as he finished his plate, smiling gratefully at Felicia as she took it away to clean it. His eyes turned to me and caught mine for a second before he looked to Ata. I remembered the little jar momma and daddy had kept in the sideboard, it had been filled with all the extra money we had – savings for our first family holiday outside of America. We'd only been $100 short when they'd died.

"Can we go to Egypt, please?" I picked up the slack from Jason, making a decision. I wanted to go and visit Paris, Rome and London – all of the big cities – however I wanted to see them with my vampire, I wanted to spend time there with him as my guide in the night. I watched my cousin's face as a sense of melancholy passed over her features, and I felt Godric's void spike into alertness at Ata's strong emotions. Keeping my shields down, I paid attention as Ata soothed Godric from afar. She used their bond to send him her reassurance and love, a vast quantity of it that even I could feel through our tie, and used her mind to stroke his, to calm him like he were some kind of wild animal. It only took a few seconds before his brain pattern straightened out, and I could tell he had slipped back into his day rest.

"Of course we can. I've not been home in a while. I would take you to Alexandria, the place I called home 2000 years ago, but I feel like it's something I must do with my Godric." Her eyes took on an apologetic expression, so I used the tie we had created a few days ago to soothe her pain.

"We don't mind none Ata, we understand that there are some things ya'll need to do as a couple." Jason's sudden sympathy was unexpected, but not unwelcomed. I couldn't help but be proud of my brother for his shift in attitude. Jason hadn't always been the brightest crayon in the coloring box, but his heart had always been in the right place, and Gran had always told us that was all that mattered.

"We could go to Luxor instead if you'd like? It's in the south of my homeland, right on the coast of the Nile." Ata offered as a substitute. Jason and I nodded in agreement. "Go change into clothing appropriate for the sunshine and heat then, and meet back here in five minutes." Ata grinned, sliding off her stool. She was off like a whippet, racing through the apartment towards the bedroom she shared with Godric. I could feel her excitement to go back home, but also her nervousness about returning after so long.

Heading back towards the bedroom where my vampire and nephew lay sleeping, I was careful to enter quietly, to move around quietly so as not to disturb them. Going to the wardrobe I pulled out my white and red polka dot bikini, which I slipped on, keeping my mind locked on Hunter's so I could monitor him. Looking through the rails of clothing, I grabbed a pair of yellow shorts too. _"Ata, can I borrow a pair of sunglasses please?" _I mentally threw the question to my cousin, keeping my mental voice to a whisper just incase Hunter could hear us. I'd never had the problem of listening to people who were awake when I was asleep, as I'd perfected my shields so they would hold in my slumber. I was unsure if it was the same for Hunter though.

"_That's fine. I'll bring all the essentials so you just change and bring yourself." _Ata responded in a mental whisper too. Leaving the wardrobe I moved to the bed, where I perched on the edge closest to my Eric.

"I'm going to get some sunshine today. Ata and I are going to teleport, with Jason, to Luxor, in Egypt. I kind of wanted to stay here, to watch over you and Hunter during the day, but I won't get any sunshine then. I'm useless to you if I deplete again, not to mention the fact my skin will smell like sunshine, and I know how much you like that." I murmured to my Viking, brushing the stubborn stray strands of blonde hair out of his eyes. I felt our bond spark with sudden lust, and watched as Eric's eyes cracked open ever so slightly. Confusion was painted on his face, and I had a feeling it was on mine too. That was twice he'd woken in the day, either by my feelings or my words, and I had a funny feeling it wouldn't be the last time either. I'd never seen him awake in the day before, and he'd only mentioned it once to me as our bond had flared so suddenly back into life when I had returned from my yearlong trip to Faery.

"_We'll be fine. The house is warded. Eagle claw." _I heard Eric mentally reassure me. I was unused to him being awake in the day, especially more than once, but I could tell it was taking a lot of energy from him to stay awake and talk to me. Looking to his bedside table, I found his eagle claw necklace, and I slipped it over his head so it rested against his chest, protecting him from potential harm. Although I was unsure if it would work, I removed Gran's pearls and placed them on Hunter. The spell had been created for me, but Hunter was my nephew, he was of my blood, he was an extension of me. I had no need for it with Ata by my side. I had no doubt that she would be able to take care of everything. _"Have fun, be safe."_ I heard Eric mentally whisper before he fell back into his day rest. Biting on my lower lip to stop my smile, I poked around in his mind for a minute, trying to figure out how to latch my subconscious onto his in a similar manner to Ata.

Closing my eyes, I slipped into his mind. Although I hadn't witnessed either of our subconscious, like I had Ata's, I still had a rough idea of what they would look like. After all, crows and owls all looked very similar. Burying myself deeper and deeper into his mind, I stumbled upon numerous parts of his mind I had never come across before. I skirted around his deepest, darkest secrets, unsure I would like what I would probably find there, and I avoided his wants and hopes too, as I didn't wish to ruin any surprises. I took a quick peak at his emotional response range and was pleasantly surprised to find it overflowing. Vampires were not known for their kinder emotions, they were conditioned out of them by their Maker's, but of course Eric and Godric were no ordinary Maker and Childe, and both were fighting to regain their lost humanity, including their emotions.

While I searched these deeper parts of his mind, I came across a white feather, and as my curiosity got the better of me I followed it through his mind. The trail took me deeper into his mind. I hadn't even dared to venture this far into someone's thoughts and memories in my entire life, for fear of what I would find or what would happen by being there. The trail started to thin out the deeper I went, until I eventually ran out of feathers altogether. Looking from the floor, where the feathers had been, I caught sight of a beautiful snowy owl sat before me. The tips of every feather were jet black, contrasting the beautiful clean white of the other ¾ of each feather. The creatures' eyes were bright and alert, a beautiful shade of deep yellow. The bird sat tall and straight, and dare I even say majestically, and watched me with what I could only describe as an amused expression.

"I don't believe we've met, fair maiden." The heavy Nordic accent came from the birds mouth, and I thrown through the loop for a moment as I expected some form of owl hoot instead. I remembered quickly however that Ata's subconscious had spoken out loud too; in a language I could perfectly understand. I couldn't stop my smile this time as I realized the heavy accent was Eric's usual voice, and that he forced an American accent on himself to blend in with the rest of the people and vampires he was surrounded by.

"What a terrible shame that is, my dear knight." I responded in my southern drawl, knowing that my Viking was a sucker for it. It was very strange to be conversing with his subconscious, and I had to force myself to keep my physical eyes closed, so that I would remain submerged in this world. I was aware that I was a part of the outside world, but I felt like I was in my own little bubble, a safe haven away from the rest of the world. The owl moved towards me, slowly and surely, until we were millimeters apart. Leaning forward, Eric's subconscious nuzzled mine and I giggled at the contact, feeling it physically in the real world as well as in the subconscious world Eric and I had created together.

"Why are we birds, min kärlek? How are you here, and where exactly is here?" He asked me with the tone of curiosity he so rarely used in the real world.

"Our subconscious minds are apparently birds. There are deeper meanings to them but I won't bother you with that now. I'm here because I was doing a mental check of the area and found there was another brain pattern next to Godric, I asked Ata and she told me it was her subconscious, that it had latched onto his and they were staying together while he rested. I decided to come and give it a go, see if I can latch onto you and stay with you today while Ata and I go and soak up the sun in Egypt. We're going to use my new ability to teleport. Will you be okay holding Hunter? There will be plenty of guards here and I'm sure Felicia will remain here until we get back a little later on, so if he wakes he should be fine." I filled Eric in with whatever information I could, unsure as to whether or not he would be drifting into his day rest once again, or if his subconscious could remain awake during the day.

"You will be safe, my Sookie. I know that you are strong enough to take care of yourself, and I trust Ata to take care of you should anything happen that you cannot deal with yourself." Eric eased my worries. "Hunter will be fine with me, I won't let any harm come to him." He vowed, before he nuzzled me once again. "You go and enjoy the sunshine, and when I rise for this evening I will enjoy scenting every part of your body, inhaling the smell of the sun." He started to nudge me with a bit more force, encouraging me to leave him.

"Eric, how do I keep my subconscious here with you?" I asked in a panic, unsure if by simply leaving I would be gone altogether. I wanted to remain in his mind, as the distance between us would be great and I would be crossing several time zones. The owl of Eric's subconscious wrapped a wing around me, sheltering me underneath the feathery blanket. "Open your eyes, you'll stay with me." He whispered in my ear.

"But my eyes are open." I pointed out quietly, worried about leaving him.

Eric's gentle chuckle broke through the air, and the smile he gave me was a fond one. "In the real world. Force yourself to open your eyes." He instructed me gently, tightening his hold on me.

I wasn't sure if I was going about it correctly, but suddenly I could see again, I was back in the real world. However it felt like a part of me was missing, not in a cliché 'I was without Eric' kind of way, but it physically felt like a part of me was missing. "So fucking strange." I whispered under my breath, scowling in confusion. It was then I felt a warm sensation in my brain, and seconds later I felt overcome with love. Digging my nails into the bed sheets due to the force with which the feeling hit me, I turned my eyes to Eric, trying to piece together if it was him or not sending me such a feeling. Usually the feelings from Eric would appear in our bond, which I had discovered was located quite near to my heart, but this feeling started in my mind and travelled down the rest of my body from there. The experience left me with more questions than answers, and as I gathered up my few belongings I wondered if Ata would have the answers to them for me.

Ensuring the bedroom door was properly shut behind me, I made my way back to the living room, aware of the empty feeling in one corner of my mind. Ata and Jason were already in the living room together. Ata was in a black bikini trimmed with golden edges, a large floppy hat on her head and black Chanel's on her nose, and Jason had donned his old, trustworthy board shorts that Gran had bought for him a few years back. He wore them all the time when he was working on the road crew and they were fixing roads near the lakes, he always liked to go for a swim at lunchtime in order to cool down, even though there were huge gators in the water.

"You ready to go?" Ata offered me a smile, clutching onto a large bag, which I could tell contained numerous goodies used for sunbathing, such as towels, sunscreen and glossy magazines.

Nodding my head, I looped my arm through Ata's, knowing she would be able to take me wherever she wanted to go through touch alone. I didn't need to have any knowledge of where we were going, though I promised myself mentally that I would ask about it upon our return back to the penthouse. I wanted to go to at least one place where I knew I would be safe, where I knew Ata would be able to find me, and tell Eric, should something go horribly wrong in the future. Watching observantly, Jason took Ata's other arm, linking them together in a gesture that made my cousin look like one of those tacky pimps that have an appearance in all of the cringe worthy gangster movies, filmed in black and white.

"Close your eyes." Ata instructed us, and I screwed my eyes shut, the sensation of teleporting taking over me. I could remember the feeling well from our training session, and the moment the spinning, pulling sensation ended I automatically opened my eyes.

The sun was blinding, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness. Keeping vampire hours meant that I rarely saw the sun, which of course had led to my depletion the night before. With my eyes adjusted, I took in my surroundings. The vast planes of golden sand glistened in the sunlight; the warm sand between my toes tickled my feet and the heat! The heat was just incredible. I was use to the Louisiana heat, but here in Egypt it was fierce, unforgiving and powerful. I turned my head, taking in the awe on my brother's face. Taking a quick dip into Jason's mind, even though I'd promised that I never would, I was happy to find him shocked by our location, stunned by the ease of our travel, and curious about my powers. Turning my head to look at my cousin, I watched her as she tipped her head back, closing her eyes to relish in the sunshine. "Home." She whispered, her eyes snapping open a moment later as she looked off into the distance.

Following her line of sight, I saw a giant pyramid before us, and I frowned at the fact that I hadn't realized it straight away. I wasn't stupid, and it most certainly hadn't been there before. "Concealment spell. I've had witches hide this place from the rest of the world for 2000 years. You needed my permission to see it, to enter this space, and I've granted it." Ata answered in a murmur, dropping her bag to the sandy dunes. She extended her hand and brushed her fingers across the ancient, weathered stone.

"What is this place?" Jason asked in awe, now that he had picked his jaw up off of the floor and sorted out his thoughts and questions.

"My family tomb. It's in the perfect place for sunning all day long. Re wouldn't have it any other way." My cousin smiled as she dropped her hand. Turning to her bag she pulled out two towels, handing one to me and keeping the other for herself. Jason removed his towel from his own bag, and the three of us spread them out on the sandy floor at the base of the massive monument. Settling onto our towels, I covered my eyes with the spare sunglasses Ata had brought with her, not wanting to risk damage to my eyes.

"Who's in there?" I asked quietly as we all fell into a comfortable silence, the suns rays beating down on us. Jason had always tanned well, his work on the road crew had meant that he'd spent nearly every day out and about, sweating away, and I'd always made time for sunning myself. Gran had told me that I should wear sunscreen or else I'd end up with skin cancer, and for a while I'd listened to her, but the light golden tan that took over my body after sun exposure had been too good to give up. I could never, and would never, be as pale as Ata. She was like a china doll, and it would never suit me.

"Mut, Itf and Caesarion. Anubis and Osiris are guarding their souls in Aaru, and I take care of their physical bodies in this world." My cousin explained as she stifled a yawn.

We fell into a comfortable silence for twenty minutes, and I relished in the feel of the sunshine on my skin. It was a strange sensation, as I could almost feel my energy levels rising back up again. I felt stronger, much better than I had before, and I felt more confident in my fae abilities, even though it had been some time since I had last used them properly. "We'll have to take time out of every day to do this, Ata. I feel so much better already." I commented quietly as Jason started to snore beside me, having fallen asleep in the Egyptian heat.

"It's incredible what nature can do for us. I say we create a routine when we get back, start planning our days properly." Ata responded. She was still with me, her brain signature told me that, but she sounded distant.

"You're checking in with Godric, aren't you?" I teased my cousin, tipping my head to the side to look at her profile. A smile ghosted across her lips.

"Of course. I never want to leave his side, just like you don't want to leave Eric's. Say, have you checked in with him yet?" Ata's head tipped towards mine, and her eyelids slid back to reveal her eyes, which looked an even brighter shade of blue in the dazzling sunlight. "I can tell you figured out how to leave your subconscious with him while he rests for the day, there is a piece of your mind missing. You should check in with him, you'd be rather pleasantly surprised." Ata hid behind a knowing smile before she tipped her head back to its previous position, hiding her eyes behind her eyelids once again.

"How do I check in with him?" I questioned quietly, wincing at how loud Jason's snores were becoming.

"Let your conscious mind wander down the path you took with your subconscious mind. You'll still be able to hear things going on around you, so don't worry about that, but they'll seem miles away and you'll feel as though you're in a meditative state." My cousin explained to me. Putting all of my trust into her, I closed my eyes and buried around in my mind for the path I had taken earlier on. I found it with ease and continued down it until I was back in the same room I had been in minutes before. Eric's subconscious was still there, and turned to look at me as I entered the space.

I gasped in shock at the blood tracks running down his cheeks, and quickly I made my way to him, cradling his head in my hands. Before I could ask him what the matter was he spoke. "It's beautiful." His thick accent was back, and if it weren't for the fact that blood was rolling down his cheeks I would have been turned on by the sound.

"What is, Eric?" I asked softly, soothingly running my fingers over his cheeks, just as he had done moments before he'd been forced to bite me thanks to Russell.

"The sunshine, the pyramids, the vast open space. For 1000 years I've been in the dark, and yet with you I've been in the sunshine twice, and now I've dreamt of it." His voice contained a tinge of awe, something that sounded so strange from my ancient bonded. "When you were looking at the pyramids, when you opened your eyes in Egypt, I could see everything you were seeing. It's like a dream, like I'm seeing the world through your eyes. Go back, open your eyes, and show me more!" The excitement glistened in his eyes, and I found myself unable to deny my vampire anything, let alone the chance to see the world shrouded in sunshine.

Not bothering to try and hide my smile, I lent forward to kiss away the tear tracks down his cheeks, as I had done during one of the many blood-induced dreams I'd had about the mighty Viking before me. "I love you."

The excitement on Eric's features vanished, and in its place sat only a look of love and adoration. "As I love you, my Sookie. Now go back and play in the sunshine, relax and rejuvenate, and explore this new part of the world." He took my hands from his face, cradling them in his own before he lent in to give me a tender kiss, eventually letting me go so that I could return back to my conscious state.

My entry back into the conscious world wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, and with a gasp I opened my eyes, blinking back the suns rays as I orientated myself. "Welcome back!" Ata's cheerful voice caused me to look at her, and I was captivated with her beauty in the sunlight. If only Godric could see her, back in her homeland, her blonde hair loose, tumbling over her shoulders and down her back, her blue eyes sparkling brightly in the sunlight. I could see now why the fae were sun-seeking creatures. The sunshine definitely enhanced their beauty.

"Why didn't you tell me that Eric could see everything I could?" I spluttered, reaching for the bottle of water that Ata was holding out to me.

Her grin could've rivaled even that of a fat cat getting the cream. "Surprise! It's the best thing about being bonded to someone. Your mind filters your surroundings to your subconscious, which is of course nestled with Eric's and therefore the images are filtered through to him, thus becoming dreams as he's in his day rest." Ata explained as I took a sip of water. The sip wasn't enough however and I found myself downing ¾ of it. "Remind me never to take you out on the town for the night, you'll be an expensive date." My cousin teased me as she watched me nearly finish the bottle.

Grinning sheepishly I screwed the lid back on, popping the bottle into my bag for later. "Eric wanted to know if we could explore a little please? He wants to see more of the world in the sunshine." I asked, unsure exactly what the plan would be for the day.

"Tell you what, we'll sunbathe here for an hour then go down and play in the Nile for a while. If we finish up at about 9pm here we can go back to Vegas and train until our vampires wake for the night. How does that sound?" Ata suggested, and I was more than happy to go along with her suggestions. "I have the camcorder to record our day, and we could even swap our subconscious? You can be with Godric and I'll be with Eric, that way our vampires will be able to see us in the day through the eyes of the other." Ata's suggestion caused my bond with Eric to suddenly ignite into life, and I was bowled over by the excitement and happiness gushing into our bond. As soon as the feelings took over though they were suddenly shut off, leaving me gasping for breath.

"Eric. He agrees." I coughed, regaining my breath. Grabbing the bottle of water I finished it off, chucking the empty back into my bag. Ata chuckled, rummaging in her bag before she produced another bottle, which she handed to me. Gratefully taking it, I cracked it open and took another swig.

"You'll get use to that, I promise. It took me a while to get use to feeling my boys so strongly, and now that I can feel Godric too it can be a little overwhelming at times. You'll soon discover how easy it is to filter through emotions and block the stronger ones so they don't affect you so much though." Ata shrugged her shoulders, gracefully falling back onto her towel. Her eyelids slid shut and I noted her brain signature start to haze a little. Following suit, I too collapsed onto the towel, closing my eyes. The sunshine was glorious, blissfully warm on my skin and rejuvenating at the same time.

I fell into a dreamless slumber, and at some point in time I felt myself being rolled over to even out my tan. I was asleep moments later though.

Sometime later I woke to the sound of laughter. Rubbing sleep from the corners of my eyes, I rolled back over onto my back, opening my eyes a crack to give them a moment to adjust. Slowly sitting up, I was greeted with the sight of Jason and Ata. In Jason's hands was the camcorder we used to record our days, and Ata was sat opposite him, laughing at something. I had no idea what was funny, but judging by Jason's smile he had told one of his many jokes.

"Hey sleepy head!" Jason turned to me, whipping the camera around. Instinctively I buried my head in my hands.

"No Jase! I just woke up, I look terrible!" I squealed, trying to ensure that none of my face would be on show.

Ata laughed again, shaking her head. "You look lovely, cousin. Besides, we've all seen you covered in blood and gore, at least you're clean." She teased me, poking her tongue out a little. Unable to restrain myself, I returned the childish gesture, forgetting that Jason was filming our whole exchange.

Ata was up on her feet in record speed, racing off into the distance, and I found myself pausing for a moment as to how she was able to move so quickly. Was it a fae trait? A combination of the fae and vampire blood in her system? Or was she taking some of Godric's vampire traits from him via their connection? Unsure as to the answer, I hauled myself up; deciding the best course of action would be to follow her. However the moment I was up on my feet I felt queasy, and a tugging sensation inside of me caused me to double over, my body aching with the pain. "Ata!" Jason screamed out for our cousin, dropping the camera to rush to my side. Gently grabbing hold of me, he helped me as I sank down into the sand, clutching at my chest.

Ata was infront of me seconds later, removing my hands from my chest. "Bonding sickness." She stated quietly, placing one of her hands over my chest. The pain was slowly ebbing away, and then Ata's hand started to glow a soft green colour, and the tugging sensation in my chest disappeared at a quicker rate. "Looks like you can't be away from Eric for more than a few hours, especially at such a distance as this." She commented.

"How come you're not suffering?" I croaked as the pain started to subside.

"I was, while you and Jason were asleep. My boys and Godric rose from their day rest due to my pain and sent me their healing magic through our bonds, along with their comfort and assurance. Your bonds to the other vampires in our nest aren't as strong as mine are, so the only one who can help you is Eric. He woke and was sending you some of his healing magic a moment ago." Ata explained to me as the pain disappeared completely.

"How do you know Eric woke an' helped Sook? Jason questioned, moving my hair from my slightly sweaty shoulders.

"I could feel the magic in his blood helping her." Ata responded somewhat cryptically. "How are you feeling? You need to cool down, come to the river."

Doing a mental check of my body I found myself fine and no longer in pain. "I'm good." I answered, using both Ata and Jason as leverage to get up onto my feet, having sank into the sand a considerable amount. A playful smile crossed Ata's lips before she ran off in the direction of the Nile once again.

Feeling back to my strength, I sprinted after Ata and I could hear Jason running behind me, his days as a track star making the run effortless for him. Of course ever since I had been submerged in the supernatural world I'd found myself doing more and more running, and therefore I found the trek effortless too. We climbed up a sandy bank, and the moment we reached the peak I found myself gazing at what could only be described as paradise.

There were bright white sailing boats on the deep blue, crystal clear water, families and couples enjoying the day on the water. Young children were playing in the water on the other side of the river, squealing and shrieking with happiness. Ruins from a time long forgotten lay on the other side of the vast expanse of water, they stood tall and proud, an everlasting testament to the power of Ata's people. The sunshine bounced off of the smooth glasslike surface of the water and threw beautiful colours across the white sails of the boats. The sand was warm underfoot and the sky clear of any clouds.

Glancing down to the bank of the river on the side I was stood on, I caught sight of Ata diving straight into the water. The feelings coming through our bond were nothing short of happy, if not a little nostalgic. "It's beautiful Sook." Jason commented from beside me, and I turned to look at my big brother. He'd abandoned filming and was simply holding the camera in his hand, allowing it to capture the world before us. His features were relaxed, as was his posture, and his mind was full of nothing but positivity and awe. "There's so much of this world we've never seen before." He murmured, turning to look at me. His free hand sought out mine and they locked together easily. "I promise Sook, when all of this is over we'll take all our savin's and go travellin'. I know I ain't always been the best brother in the world to ya, but we's all that's left now, an' I won't let ya go." Jason looked on the verge of tears, and without caring about anything else around us I pulled my big brother in for a cuddle.

"We have Hunter, and Ata, and Eric and Godric. There's Pam, Ari, Khai, Riei, Oeri, Egor, Agmund, Oscar and Isabel too. Our family has never been bigger Jason." I reminded him gently, pulling back to offer him a reassuring smile.

Jason studied me for a moment, and I purposefully stayed out of his mind to allow him some privacy. "Most of our family are vampires, Sook." He murmured sadly, turning to look out over the river.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Jase." I pointed out, removing all traces of annoyance from my tone. When Jason had joined the Fellowship I'd wanted nothing more than to batter him with Gran's old broom to try and get some sense into him.

"I know that sis." He turned back to me for a brief moment, before he looked out over the Nile again. "We just don't get to share moments like this with them."

Jason's words saddened me, and I was reminded of the cruel truth that Eric would never get to walk in the sunlight with me, unless of course our third bond enabled him to daywalk. The sudden remembrance of that tiny nugget of information caused me to grin like an idiot, and I sprinted off in the direction of Ata and the Nile. The amount of Eric's blood in my system meant that I never missed my footing as I headed down the sandy bank, and Jason never missed his either as he tailed me with the camcorder. Ata was lounging in the water, floating on her back, eyes shut as the sunlight shone down on her. Unsure if she could hear my approach, I flung myself into the water, creating ripples, which threw her off balance.

Squeaking, Ata was submerged in the water for a moment, but she popped up seconds later, grabbing me and pulling me down with her. I had enough time to take a deep breath though, as I had witnessed her plan in her mind already. Ata's relaxed state meant that her shields were down, and I was privy to every little aspect of her life. I'd respected her privacy though and not snooped, but some thoughts were stronger than others and came through against my will. I took the opportunity, while underwater, to open my eyes and capture the sights. The water was crystal clear, and swimming in the depths was a multitude of fish, ranging in colours and sizes. I could name the tiger fish, lungfish, catfish, mudfish, the globefish and the eels. It was an underwater tropical paradise, which rivaled that of the world above.

Popping up to the surface as Ata did, I wiped the water from eyes, grinning happily towards Jason who was filming us from the shore, his feet submerged in the cool water. "Swap subconscious with me?" Ata begged, treading water. She grabbed my wrist, and without knowing what was about to happen I felt a tugging sensation in my mind, and then a ripping feeling spread across my whole body. I wanted to cry out with the pain but found myself unable to do so, as seconds later it had stopped completely, and I felt whole again. "We've just swapped over, so your subconscious is with Godric and mine is with Eric. I recommend you don't go to check however while we're treading water." Ata chuckled as I drew in deep breaths, having been caught off-guard.

"You could warn me next time." I scolded under my breath, unsure as to whether my cousin had heard me or not. The smile on her lips told me however that she had.

I was unsure as to how long we played in the water for, but as the sun started to dip behind the horizon in Egypt, we exited the cool river. Jason had paddled for a while with us, but had remained dry in order to film our day. Neither Ata or I had bothered to tell him that our vampires could see our day through their dreams, I assumed it was a secret between vampires and their bonded's, so Jason found himself with a camera in his hand for most of the day, but his mental thoughts informed me that he enjoyed being a cameraman, and that a small part of him relished in the fact that our vampires would get to watch our daily antics when they rose for the night.

We were silent as we returned to the hidden pyramid, and the silence continued as we all dried ourselves off and packed our bags for the quick trip home. The silence between the three of us was far from uncomfortable though, and even though I was miles away from home, in a foreign country with only my brother and cousin for companionship while my bonded and nephew lay sleeping in what was fast becoming a danger zone, I felt strangely at ease. "It's mother." Ata murmured as she shoved her towel into her bag. "My mother always had this calming, relaxing energy around her. When she passed it moved into the pyramid structure itself. There are so many tales about the power of the deceased being passed into their tombs upon their passing, waiting for the next worthy person to come along. I come here to think, reflect on things. Keep a mental picture of this place, or a proper photo in your pocket at all times, as this has got to be the safest place in the world, what with all of its protection and concealment charms." Ata's voice softened as she spoke of her mother, and her eyes glazed over a little as she ran her fingers across the ancient stone one last time.

Feeling a pull to copy my cousin's actions, I slid a hand over the rough surface. A stinging sensation in the palm of my hand caused me to hiss in a manner that I was sure Eric would have proud of, and I instinctively yanked my hand back into my body, palm up so I could inspect it. Right down the middle of my palm sat a perfectly straight cut, bleeding steadily. "Fuck." I cussed under my breath, raising my hand to my mouth to lick the wound clean. Before I had time to place my lips upon the cut however I felt my hand being tugged downwards. Looking up I captured my cousins gaze, her eyes wide with an emotion I couldn't quite pinpoint despite our relatively new bond.

"Don't clean it! Wait until we get back to the penthouse. Not only do we not know what has been on that rock over the years, and therefore we have no idea what germs are on your hand, but that's a sacrifice, the cutting of your hand upon a holy resting place." She explained quickly, her tone a mixture of concern and awe, and I found myself confused as to which emotion I should be concentrating on.

"Jeez Sook, it's a good thing you have a vampire on tap, what with the number of times you end up hurt!" Jason shook his head, having come over to inspect the damage. Ata had disappeared off, and now returned with a tissue that she pressed to the wound, placing my other hand on top of it in order to help stop of the blood flow.

"Thanks Jase, but it ain't always my fault I end up getting hurt." I rolled my eyes, holding the tissue to my new cut. I'd lost track over the past few years of the number of injuries I'd sustained. I'd been clumsy before, but I'd never been to a hospital or needed to see a doctor. Heck the worst that end ever happened physically to me was a paper cut!

Ata gathered our belongings together, slinging bags over her shoulders as she went. Jason helped her out and left me to hold the tissue to my hand. I felt useless, and wished I could help out, but the moment I went to grab a bag my brother shot me a stern look, one he hadn't used on me since before Gran died. Sighing in resignation, I resigned myself to doing nothing for the time being. It was then that a rush of nausea flooded my system. It felt like my lungs were being crushed and I gasped, trying to pull as much air as possible into my lungs. Ata's head lifted up, the panic etched onto her features, and before either Jason or I could question what was going on we were teleported back to the penthouse. The three of us landed on the ground with a thud, and I instinctively felt the need to get to Eric. He would know what to do. He would look after me.

Crawling along the floor, I clenched my jaw together to try and take some of the pain away. It was useless. It was then I felt a pair of cool hands haul me up off of the floor, and I felt the gust of wind that signaled a moving vampire before I felt the softness of a duvet beneath me. I felt the need to curl into the fetal position, which is exactly what I proceeded to do. A pounding sensation had taken over in my mind, and my bones felt like they were aching, breaking. Crying out in pain, I tried to force my eyes to open but to no avail. It was then I felt the snap of my subconscious connection to Godric, and I was half expecting my one with Eric to return, however it didn't. In pain and feeling alone, I didn't even acknowledge Ata's hand on my forehead, or the cool hand on my cheek. I didn't acknowledge the two sets of soothing words of comfort as the darkness swirled in my mind. I tried to fight it for as long as I could, but I was tired, afraid and in pain, so much pain.

The cool hand on my cheek disappeared, along with the words spoken by the owner of the hand, and yet Ata continued to soothe me. After what felt like an eternity I gave in, I accepted my fate, and I allowed the darkness to consume me.


	58. Showtime

**A/N another month and a half without an update, I know! I'm sorry! Exams and essays are being flung at me from all directions, but rest assured that from December 22****nd**** I have nothing, in the sense that not only is it the holiday so I'll have plenty of time to write but also in the sense that I go from 17 lectures a week to 5 lectures a week next semester, so more writing time! :D**

**Major thank you to everyone who has stuck with me so far, who continue to read and await new chapters, you guys are my muse and I find myself wanting to continue this story for you, even though my passion for it is slowly dying! (blame it on the lack of ASkars on my TV right now!)**

**I've been filling my True Blood void with Blade, and all I can say is...TRUE BLOOD, YOU STOLE THIS SHIT. The Authority? Stolen. The killing of The Authority leader? Stolen. I'll forgive you though because I'm nice like that, and because you gave me my Godric ;)**

**Oh, do I have any Danish readers!? Have any of you seen You and Me Forever? My baby is in it and I wanna see it! Is it any good?**

**Three POV chapter for you because I couldn't decide who I wanted to have this chapter! Oh and I stole a plot point from the books at the end of this chapter, simply because I can :3**

**ENJOY, REVIEW, STAY HAPPY! :D**

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_I've got something to tell ya, I've got news for you  
__Gonna put some wheels in motion  
__Get ready 'cause we're coming through  
__Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now  
__Happiness is just around the corner  
__Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now, we'll be there for you  
__The Vengabus is coming and everybody's jumping  
__New York to San Fransisco, an intercity disco  
__The wheels of steel are turning and traffic lights are burning  
__So if you like to party, get on and move your body  
__We like to party, we like, we like to party  
__We like to party, we like, we like to party  
__~ We Like To Party, The Vengaboys_

One moment I was lost in the world that my Sookie was showing me, the beautiful and bright world where the river shimmered, where the sand looked far more golden than I could ever remember sand being, and where Sookie was so lost in her happiness. Locked away inside of Ata's mind I watched the world as she did, and I never lost sight of my bonded as she frolicked with her cousin in the water, carefree now that she was thousands of miles away from any danger. Should the situation become too dangerous for her to be in the US I would insist on Ata teleporting her back to Egypt, and although it would hurt me to say it I would tell Ata to ensure Sookie always wore something made of iron, to block her popping ability. I wouldn't want her returning to me if things became tough here. I would deal with everything with Pam and Godric by my side and then I would contact my bonded, beg for her forgiveness before inviting her back home. I would only beg for her forgiveness though because I was well aware, already, as to how badly she would take it if I were to send her away and force her into hiding. It would take a lot for her to forgive me, but I would do it anyway and suffer the guilt and verbal abuse I would no doubt receive for my actions if it kept her safe from harm.

The next thing I was aware of was my bonded's immense pain. It scorched through my system, igniting my blood as it coursed through my veins. Gasping I sat bolt upright in bed, my internal body clock informing me that the sun was still high in the sky. I shouldn't be awake, the sun should be forcing me into sleep, and yet I had to get to my Sookie, I had to help her. Hunter was no longer at my side, and I could only assume that he had woken earlier and was now with Flo. Although I was starting to care for the teacup human, getting to my Sookie was more important.

Not caring with clothing, I forced my feet onto the floor. They felt heavy, and I could feel the sun trying to pull me under, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to succumb to it. Sookie needed me. Reaching the bedroom door I yanked it open, stumbling out into the windowless corridor. Dragging myself towards the living area, the wall supporting me all the way, I cared none for the sunshine as I entered the living room. The daylight hit my skin and I hissed at the pain as I started to burn. The remainder of Sookie's blood in my system, coupled with our bond, was slowing down the burning process, but I was still sizzling. My eyes caught sight of Sookie's form on the floor, and I could tell she was trying to crawl towards our bedroom. I didn't have time to gush over the fact she was trying to get to me as our bond was screaming out with her pain, and my pain was combining with it as I slowly burnt. Grabbing Sookie I mustered as much strength as possible before I vamped back to our bedroom. Exhausted from my small burst of energy I placed her on the bed, falling down beside her.

Scenting Ata in the room seconds later, I was relieved that someone was there to help, but I couldn't voice my relief. Sookie curled into the fetal position at my side, sweat forming on her brow, rolling down her pasty skin. Ata's hand went to Sookie's forehead and I pressed mine to her cheek, praying my cold skin would help cool her down. Suddenly Ata's other hand was in front of my face, a wound on her wrist was open. "Take." Her instruction brokered no room for argument, and I didn't have the energy to argue with her. Tentatively I placed my mouth over the wound, taking several mouthfuls. I could feel my burn wounds healing much quicker than they would have without the help of Ata's blood.

"Thank you." I rasped, healing her wound for her. For a moment she caressed my face before her attention returned to Sookie, and soothing words tumbled from her lips. I followed suit, fighting against the pull of the sun. I could feel Sookie fading, and I was powerless to help her. I was fading too, the sun was too high in the sky for me to fight, and with worry for my bonded at the forefront of my mind I was yanked back into my day rest.

The next thing I was aware of was the night. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and my eyelids snapped back, my first thought being Sookie. Turning to my side I found that Sookie was missing, and my panic set in. Darting from the bed, I took a second to spare the sensibilities of the others in the house and pulled on the first pair of pants I could find, not caring if they were from the night before. I could shower and change once I was sure Sookie was safe. I followed our bond into the living room and froze the moment I located her. Ata was sat on the sofa, her feet propped up on the coffee table, and a beautiful black cat on her lap. She was running her fingers through the cats fur, and the creature was content until it noticed me in the room. Within seconds the cat was up off of Ata's lap and running towards me, and I had no time to comprehend what the hell was going on before a very naked Sookie had thrown herself into my arms, wrapping herself around me. Instantly my arms went around her frame and I pulled her close to me, burying my nose in the crook of her neck to inhale her scent. "What happened?" I croaked out as I continued to hold her close to me, relieved she was no longer suffering the immense pain I had felt coming from her earlier, and yet I was now worried about why she was as naked as a baby.

"I became even more of a freak!" She sobbed into my chest, and I held her tighter, using my large frame to hide as much of her naked frame as possible. I was aware of Godric, Pam and Ari entering the room, but I was too consumed with concern for my bonded.

"Sookie." Ata's stern tone cut through the room, and I felt the power shift as Ata rose to her feet. "You are not a freak, not in any sense of the word. You received your first fae gift today and that is something to be celebrated. You received the gift of shape shifting Sookie, and there is only one fae in the entire span of our existence who has received such a gift. It's a rarity, something only bestowed on the most privileged of our kind. You can become any creature you want to at the drop of a hat." Ata informed us all, though her eyes never left my bonded who had turned her head to face Ata. Her sobs had turned to sniffles and she raised a hand to wipe at her eyes.

"You have no idea how useful that gift could be in the future." Ari chipped in, offering my beloved a reassuring smile.

I was baffled by the news of her new gift. I'd known that Sookie was due to receive some fae gifts but I had never expected her to be able to shape shift. I had always given Merlotte stick for being a shifter, and yet now my beloved had the ability to do the exact same thing, and yet she still smelt like fae, she was still a fae. Looking down to Sookie in surprise, I could feel the same emotions coming from Pam and Godric, who too were looking at Sookie in surprise. "Why couldn't I have just gotten rid of my telepathy, that would have been a more useful gift, then none of this supernatural bullshit would follow me around." Sookie wailed from my arms.

"Niall gives us our gifts based on how useful they will be in the future. Niall must know that you will need this gift in the future, so please embrace it cousin." Ata begged as she approached, slowly sliding her cardigan off which she wrapped over Sookie's shoulders. I was still in shock over her gift and what it could possibly mean. Sookie would need to shift into some form of animal for some reason, and thousands of reasons for it were whizzing through my mind. I was brought back to reality as Sookie's embarrassment crashed over me. Eyes dropping down, I watched as her face turned bright red, a squeak escaping her lips as she realized that she was standing completely naked in a room with four other people present. Her embarrassment caused me to laugh, and the tension in the room from the revelation of her gift disappeared.

"What other creatures can you change into min kärlek?" I enquired as I wrapped Ata's jumper tighter around Sookie's frame, hiding her away under the soft cashmere garment.

"Hunter asked me to become a puppy, so I did. I didn't like it though, it didn't feel right." She confessed with a shrug. "I preferred being a cat, I felt at ease when I was one of them." She added, turning her head to look up at me with a small smile. "Ata had a meeting today with some Were's from the area so I went down with her by her side." She stated with a grin. Though I was horrified at the idea of her leaving the safety of the penthouse without either myself or any other of our nest for protection, especially to see some Were's, I could tell she was just waiting to finish her story. "At first I was the black cat you saw earlier, but I wanted to try something new and a little scary, so I changed into a tiger Eric! A tiger!" She seemed so happy with herself that I couldn't help but be happy for her, and yet I still ended up quirking an eyebrow.

"And what a wonderful tiger you were." Ata complimented, a soft smile on her lips as she gazed at her cousin from the other side of the room. She had drifted over to Godric while Sookie and I had been conversing, and had planted a chaste kiss to his lips in greeting.

"Well, at least Eric can have every type of pussy under the moon now." Pam's comment left her lips before I had any chance to intercept it.

"Pam!" Sookie admonished, a blush crossing her features once again. I simply shook my head and rolled my eyes at my Childe. After 100+ years in her company very little that came from her mouth could surprise me.

"If I recall correctly, aren't you the one with the insatiable appetite for pussy, Pamela?" Godric arched an eyebrow at my Childe, and I cringed as the word slipped from him. Usually little bothered me, and little made me cringe, but the word sounded so foreign and strange coming from him, given his aversion to intimacy and fucking to his hearts content over the past 1000 years.

It was Ari's turn to torment my Childe, and he did so wonderfully. Pressing his larger frame behind her, I noted his hips flexing forward as his voice dropped, his lips in-line with Pam's ear as if telling her a secret. "Oh I believe I have weaned her off of that." He breathed, nuzzling the side of her face before he gave a sharp forward thrust of his hips. "She has an insatiable appetite for something else now." He teased, causing my Childe to screw her heavily painted eyes shut, a strangled groan leaving her pink lips. I could feel her lust barreling through our bond, but she was quick to compose herself and put a lid on it.

"Oh come on Ari, I don't need to hear about your antics, I'm your mother!" Ata groaned, dropping her head into one of her hands before she gave it a shake.

"It's not like we get peace and quiet from you though." Riei's voice floated through the room as he appeared in the doorway leading to the sleeping chambers on the other side of the penthouse. He leant against the left side of the doorframe as Khai leant against the right.

"More. Please. Harder baby, faster, bite me, fuck me." Khai mimicked Ata's Egyptian lilt perfectly, and the mortification coming from her through our weak bond had me howling with laughter, along with the rest of the vampires in the room, my Maker included. I could feel Sookie's sympathy for her cousin, but that didn't stop her from sniggering behind her hand. Ata's features were now sufficiently red, the first time I had witnessed her blush ever since our arrival. Grabbing Sookie's hand, the Egyptian fairy pulled her from my grip as I continued to laugh over Khai's perfect imitation.

"We're going to get ready for tonight in my room, no one else is allowed in! You can all change elsewhere." Ata stomped off, taking a sniggering Sookie with her.

Once the two women had left the room, my laughter along with that of the other vampires subsided. "Sookie pulled me from my day rest today." I told the vampires in the room, aware that all of my brothers were now present, along with Isabel. My words sobered them all instantly and I was hit with a bombardment of curiosity and surprise from all the new bonds that had been formed between us. Pam quirked an eyebrow and Godric looked on in surprise. "She woke me this morning too, before she left with Ata to go and explore Egypt in order to replenish herself of sunlight." I tacked on to the end.

"They went to Egypt today?" Oeri questioned as he took a seat on the sofa. "Ata hasn't been back there in over 2000 years."

"Yes, I assume they teleported. Ata was able to tag my subconscious to hers so that I could witness Sookie in the sunshine. Hunter came in with Sookie this morning and rested beside me for some time but when Sookie and Ata returned from Egypt, with Sookie in extreme pain, Hunter was no longer beside me." I informed the others quickly. "Her pain woke me and I pulled her out of the living room and into our bedroom where she continued to cry out in pain." I forced myself to talk with an even and unattached tone, but the vampires in the room knew me well enough to know that I was anything but unattached. I'd been a wreck when I had been yanked from my day rest, Sookie's pain thundering into my system.

"My subconscious was tagged to Sookie's, but the moment I felt her pain I broke off our connection. I wasn't woken in the day, but I was aware of what was going on." Godric added as he took a seat on the sofa opposite the door Ata had left from, his eyes drifting to it every now and then.

"I was able to see Sookie in the sunshine." I informed Pam with a grin, and my Childe simply rolled her eyes at me, though I could see the corner of her lips quirking upwards.

"I saw Ata in the sunshine too, for the first time in 2000 years." My Maker's voice was wistful as he continued to glance towards the door that Ata and Sookie had escaped through.

"Uncle Eric!" Hunter's excited voice filled the room as the youngest member of the Stackhouse bloodline came bounding down from the training room with Jason close behind him. Turning to face the young boy I crouched, grinning with my arms open as he launched himself into my embrace. Scooping him up I cradled him close, giving him a hug in greeting.

"Good evening Hunter. How are you?" I asked the young boy as he ended our hug, instead playing with the eagle claw around my neck now that he was sat in my arms.

"I'm very well thank you. Uncle Jason just read me a story. Thank you for letting me sleep next to you earlier. I didn't stay very long; Flo was cooking some yummy cakes so I helped her. Auntie Sookie and Auntie Ata came out of your room earlier and Auntie Sookie was this pretty cat, I didn't recognize her at first! She has this power to turn into any animal she wants so I asked her to be a puppy, but she didn't like it." Hunter frowned, letting go of my necklace to run his hand through his hair in a fashion similar to the way I did the exact same action. "She preferred being a cat, and I heard that Auntie Ata is the ruler of cats, which makes sense because when I plaited her hair earlier she started purring and fell asleep." Hunter grinned.

"It sounds like you've had quite a busy day little one." Godric commented with a small smile in Hunter's direction.

"Hi Uncle Godric!" Hunter beamed happily at him before he squirmed out of my grasp. Placing the young boy down on the floor, he moved to the sofa and sat beside Godric. "How was your sleep?" He asked politely, and I ruffled the boy's bangs before I moved to the other sofa, placing myself down on it. My family took seats scattered across the room.

"My sleep was very good thank you, how was your nap earlier on?" my Maker responded politely, giving the boy an adoring smile.

"It was really nice, Uncle Eric gave me cuddles." Hunter turned to flash me a smile and I couldn't help but return it. This cute little teacup human would be the death of me.

"Hunter? Come and get ready little man!" Jason called out as he descended the staircase from the training room, grinning as he noticed all of us were now awake. "Evening fellas!" He cheerily greeted us as Hunter bounced over to him, grabbing his hand before he dragged him away into one of the spare bedrooms, presumably to get dressed for the evening.

"NO! I am not wearing that! No way!" my acute sense of hearing picked up on Sookie's shouted rant, even though there were numerous doors and walls between us. I could only surmise that the bedroom door hadn't been closed properly.

"Do you want to bang a certain Viking this evening or not?" We all heard Ata sigh in exasperation. I could just picture her face now, pure exasperation. I had been patient with Sookie, aware that she had been thrown into all of this supernatural bullshit without any warning or guidance, but it seemed her cousin was more of a fan of tough love.

"I don't need to wear a scrap of red lace to get laid, Ata!" The mention of red lace had my fangs running down without me realizing it, and it was only when Pam started to snigger that I realized I must have looked like a lovesick teenager, whose main emotion was that of lust.

"Let us go and deal with them, before they kill one another, or give you blue balls." Isabel shook her head, trying to contain her own laughter as she rose to her feet. Pam followed, but not before Ari had pulled her in for a chaste kiss.

"Play nice." I heard him whisper in her ear as she pulled away, and if vampires could blush I had a feeling my Childe would be doing so right now.

"I never play nice." Her purr of a response resonated throughout the room as she sauntered off with Isabel in the direction of Ata and Sookie. Their departure left us boys alone in the living room.

"You are aware that you two are dressing up too, right?" Riei broke the silence, glancing between Godric and I. I had been aware of the dress code, and yet I hadn't planned anything for it on the off chance that I could get away without dressing up. I had no problem in it, I regularly partook in all of Fangtasia's costume parties, but it had been incredibly short notice.

"I was aware, but we don't seem to have costumes." I tried my hardest to keep the glee out of my voice, and 1000 years of practice really does make perfect.

"Good job we went shopping for you then, isn't it?" Egor chipped in, offering me a smirk.

"Brother, your consideration knows no bounds." I teased, relaxing back into my chair. I could no longer here the girls. Isabel and Pam must have shut the door behind them. "I guess it's time we change then, yes?" I sighed dramatically, well aware of the show time theme of the party. Godric rose to his feet at the same time I did, and together with my brothers we made our way to the side of the penthouse that Sookie and I slept in. Ari slipped away from our group for a moment but I thought nothing of it as I was greeted with the scents in my bedroom. I could of course scent myself, along with Sookie and Hunter, with an undertone of Ata. The fragile members of my family had all been in my room, and though their strong scents were a reminder that they were still with me it also caused my dead heart to constrict – they could die at any second, and I would never get to breathe in their scents ever again. Feeling my sadness and worry through our bond, Ari pushed reassurance to me as he entered the room, carrying a load of garment bags with one hand, a large bag slung over his shoulder.

"We have clothes and shoes for you all." He explained, placing the bags onto the bed. Although he never once mentioned the reassurance he had sent towards me I sent him gratefulness in return, and the smile ghosting over his lips as he unpacked our clothes informed me he had received it. Riei, Oeri and Khai all took garment bags, along with shoes, before they whizzed off to their respective rooms. Egor and Agmund followed suit, leaving Godric, Ari and I in the room. "The girls selected outfits for you guys earlier, so don't stake me if they're not to your tastes." Ari chuckled, handing Godric and I garment bags before he grabbed his own, heading towards the door.

"You're not going to be staying and changing with us?" Godric asked, turning to face my brother as he left the room.

Stopping in his tracks, Ari turned to face. If it weren't for our weak bond I would have missed his nervousness. "I thought you might like some father and son time, it's a rarity these days." He offered in way of reason, plastering on a dazzling smile that no doubt caused all women in the casino to swoon every time it made an appearance.

"You are my son too, Ari, so shouldn't you join in with father and son time?" My Maker quirked an eyebrow in question as Ari's eyes flickered to me for a moment. Realizing that he didn't wish to feel like he was intruding, I shoved reassurance through to him, tingeing it with acceptance. I had no problem with my new brother staying. If his current situation with Pamela continued then I could see him becoming part of my nightly life anyway.

"I don't wish to impose." Ari shifted his weight onto his left foot, shuffling on the spot.

"Stay with us." I ordered softly, giving my brother a reassuring smile. It was out of character for me to offer reassurance to anyone, let alone another male vampire, but my brother was in need of it, and he was family. It was difficult for me to come to terms with the fact I now had a huge family. I could live with brothers, as during my human days the men I had fought alongside of had automatically become brothers to me. I had their backs and they had mine. It was second nature to accept Ari into the family, along with his vampire brothers. It was difficult for me to accept Ata as a mother figure though, not because I disputed her relationship with my Maker, as it was painfully obviously they were very much in love with one another, but because I had never had a female role model. Growing up during my human years I had always been surrounded by men and had always mentored by my father, and subsequently in my vampire life I had been mentored once again by a male. I had Pam but there was nothing motherly about her, she was cold and heartless, just the way I loved her. It would take some getting use to, thinking of Ata as the female head of the family, and it would be harder still to refer to her with the same name that my brothers used. True she was my mother too, if her blood in my system that had entered during my turning had any say in the matter, but I was yet to think of her as my mother, yet to love her as much as a son loves there mother. I had some affection for her yes, but it was nothing like the unconditional love between a mother and child.

Almost shyly Ari moved back across the room, depositing his stuff on the right hand side of Godric's. During this time Godric had unzipped his garment bag, and the moment he caught sight of the white fabric he groaned. "How did I know I would have to go without a shirt?" He muttered under his breath as he removed the white shorts from the bag. The belt of the shorts was covered in brightly coloured gems, swirled patterns having been stitched on. Continuing his exploration of the bag he soon produced two white beaded armbands, both of which had the same coloured gemstone and swirl pattern on. The final item he removed was a string of white beads, which I assumed were for around his neck. "All of my ink will be on show…" he commented quietly, as if he had only just realized that. I'd realized that the moment he'd mentioned the lack of shirt.

"Ata picked it out, and she's always loved your markings. I remember her asking me once how someone had them marked you with them. I had to try and explain to her. I ended up asking the scholars who looked into it for me. She was fascinated with them." Ari commented as he unzipped his own garment bag, removing a pair of black shorts that had a gold waistband to them, a gold and blue strip of fabric was stitched to the front, which looked very similar to a loincloth.

"She's still as fascinated now." A ghost of a smile wove its way across my Maker's lips but it vanished seconds later. "Traditional Egyptian dress?" He quirked an eyebrow as Ari removed a gold, black and blue neck collar from the bag, along with matching wrist cuffs. He also produced a gold and black head dress, very similar to the ones I had seen in all of the movies regarding the Ancient Egyptian world.

"There's nothing else I would rather wear." Ari's response was short but spoken with passion. I could relate considering that Scandinavia would always be home to me no matter where in the world I travelled to, no matter how old I lived to be. I just hoped I would be able to make it to be as old as Godric and Ari. Deciding to take the plunge I opened up my own garment bag, rummaging around until I found a pair of dark green shorts. Pulling them out I wasn't surprise to see they had a loincloth attached that was very similar to Ari's, but mine was orange and decorated with embroidered waves and tribal symbols. Continuing my exploration through the bag I found no shirt either, and tried to contain my smirk at the thought of Sookie deciding she wanted me shirtless. I found a pair of arm and leg cuffs that matched the loincloth exactly, and even removed a headband made of the same orange material, though the orange and green feathers sprouting from the top of it had me grimacing, much to the delight of my father and brother. The final item was a neck collar, and I realized how we were all matching. Godric had his own collar tattooed on, but now Ari and I bore our own too. Staring at my outfit, it took no time at all for me to discard the headband. I would deal with Sookie's pout and feet stomping if I had to, but there was no way that orange and green mess was going to sit on the top of my head all night in front of Thor knows how many people!

Given our ages, and the fact that we had all lost any resemblance of modesty hundreds of years ago, the three of us had no bother in stripping down and changing in front of one another, and soon we were all adjusting our costumes, adding the final pieces to it and slipping on the various forms of sandals that had been included with them. Although it was never exceptionally cold in Nevada, unlike my home country, the fact I was vampire meant I wouldn't feel the cold, and therefore sandals were an acceptable form of footwear all year round. I often wore them in the club, along with my tracksuit, on my nights off. It was more comfortable than any leather and denim.

It was my Maker's next actions that caused my brother and I to frown, as he removed a black box from the pocket of the pants he had been wearing. Turning to us, I could see the apprehension in his pale blue eyes, and the thought of my Maker being worried about anything not only shocked me, but it frightened me. "Can I ask the pair of you, my sons, an important and serious question, one that you can't tell Sookie and Ata about?"

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_Girls they want to have fun, o__h girls just want to have  
__That's all they really want , some fun, w__hen the working day is done  
__Girls - they want to have fun, o__h girls just want to have fun  
__Some boys take a beautiful girl a__nd hide her away from the rest of the world  
__I want to be the one to walk in the sun  
__Oh girls they want to have fun  
__Oh girls just want to have  
__~ Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper_

Having removed Sookie and I from the living room, for fear that I would die of embarrassment, I set about getting Sookie ready. I already knew what I was wearing and how much time it would take for me to change, but I had a feeling Sookie was one of those women who enjoyed getting dressed up just as much as she enjoyed the actual event she was attending. There was no denying that I enjoyed dressing up too, but I preferred to get it over with quickly so I could enjoy the event for longer, plus I never liked to keep any of my boys waiting for me.

Once Sookie and I were in the bedroom, I moved to the wardrobe, removing our outfits for the night. I'd placed them in the room earlier on in the day, to keep them away from the boys. I'd even taken the liberty of placing a note on the wardrobe door, warning my Godric not to enter on pain of an affection ban. I wasn't sure at the time if I would be strong enough to ban all forms of affection between us for a set amount of time as a punishment towards him, given that it would in reality be a punishment to us both, but it had been the only string I had thought of that I could pull. Seeing him though when he had entered the living room this evening I had realized that I could never ban affection between us, I always seemed to gravitate towards him, and he to I.

Laying out my costume on the bed, along with Sookie's, I picked up the little Victoria's Secret's bag from the wardrobe, delving inside to remove the red lace thong from the packaging. Returning to the bedroom I threw the garment at Sookie. "Put those on, you won't have a VPL with them and they are ultra sexy." I gave my cousin a wink, hoping to appeal to the sexual side of her. The fae were known for their sensuality, and I was praying Sookie would come out of her shell a little more. I had no idea what her private time was like with Eric, but I could only assume that she had so much more potential locked away. The scrap of red lace I had just thrown to her would certainly turn up her vampires' temperature a few degrees later on.

"NO! I am not wearing that! No way!" Sookie practically screamed at me from across the room as she examined the underwear I had tossed to her. Why did she always have to be so difficult? It was underwear, yes it was probably a lot more risqué than she was use to but it would do its intended job and get her laid this evening. Sighing in exasperation, I shook my head.

"Do you want to bang a certain Viking this evening or not?" I questioned, quirking a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"I don't need to wear a scrap of red lace to get laid, Ata!" Sookie threw the offending item at me, but the vampire blood in my system meant I was able to catch it before it hit me, or the floor. I didn't have time to respond, to try and convince her to wear the damn thing, as Pam and Isabel decided to enter at that moment and diffuse our little disagreement.

"What's this I hear about a scrap of red lace? You had Eric positively drooling outside you know, he had the control of a newborn. Fangs down, eyes glazed with lust. You get the picture." Pam waved her hand through the air as she sauntered over to me, taking the garment from me. "Oh come now Sookie, would you deprive my Maker of the sight of you in these little beauties?" She waggled her eyebrows at my cousin, leering at her. Although I could tell Sookie was very much turned off by Pam's come-hither look, I could sense she was about to relent and give in, if only because Pam mentioned Eric loving her in them.

With a frustrated sigh my cousin held her hand out towards Pam, shaking her head. "Give me the damn things then." She caved. Silently I cheered, sparing a glance to Isabel, whose eyes I'd felt on me ever since she entered the room. I'd never felt uncomfortable with others looking at me before, Isis knows for the past 2000 years people had stared at me, but something about the way Isabel was looking at me put me on edge. Turning back to Sookie, to avoid the feeling sprouting inside of me, I watched as my cousin stomped off towards the bathroom to change into her underwear, muttering under her breath about stupid vampires and their 'rampant Viking hormones.'

The moment Sookie was out of the room Isabel was behind me, her hands on my shoulders, leading me towards the vanity table. "You need to look incredible this evening, jaw-dropping and utterly edible." Her Spanish accent flowed into my ears as she sat me down.

"Don't I always look jaw-dropping and edible?" I teased with a laugh, though the nervous edge to it was pretty obvious. Pam was by my side instantly, moving strands of my blonde hair from my face.

"But you're going to have the eyes of the world on you this evening, Ari mentioned there being news crews from all over the world at your party this evening." Pam started work on the left side of my hair as Isabel set to work on the right. I had no idea what either were doing, but I was willing to go along with it so long as they continued working at a humans pace.

"I've had the eyes of the world on me before, remember?" I pointed out, reminding the female vampires of my human years, when Egypt had been the powerhouse of Europe.

"Yes, but not like you will this evening." Isabel responded, flashing me what I assumed was a reassuring smile in the mirror. I felt anything other than reassured though, and as Sookie left the bathroom my eyes darted to hers in the mirror.

"_Do you have any idea what's going on this evening? Isabel and Pam are acting weird." _I mentally asked my cousin as she removed her clothes from the garment bag. It came as no surprise to her given that she had been there for the fitting, but she still smiled when she saw it. Removing her red and black corset first, she kept her back to Pam, Isabel and I considering her lack of bra. Fastening it, Sookie quickly swiveled it around and concealed herself inside the silky garment.

"_I have no idea. My bond with Eric has been closed a little too, so I can't get a mental message across to him to ask him if he has any idea." _I watched through the mirror as Sookie frowned, just as Isabel and Pam finished curling my hair.

"_They don't know about what I have planned do they?" _I asked in a panic, not wanting the surprise to be spoilt.

"_They were dead for the day Ata, they wouldn't know a single thing." _Sookie reassured me as she pulled on her black and red matching tutu.

I was suddenly very concerned about what exactly was happening.

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_She likes whiskey with her water  
__She starts dancing when the stars come out  
__She ain't your typical preacher's daughter  
__She'll leave you dreamin' yeah there ain't no doubt  
__There's a little bit of devil in her angel eyes  
__She's a little bit of heaven with a wild side  
__Got a rebel heart a country mile wide  
__There's a little bit of devil in her angel eyes  
__A little bit of devil in her angel eyes  
__Saturday night she's rockin' out by the bonfire  
__Flirting from that tailgate and crankin' up the dial  
__Come Sunday mornin' she'll be singing with the choir  
__Drivin' me crazy with that kiss and smile  
__~ Angel Eyes, Love and Theft_

Having spoken to two of my sons, I made quick work of speaking with my other Children, ensuring that all of them were aware. Khai needed some convincing of my plan, my second eldest Childe didn't seem particularly swayed at first, but the mention of his mother and her happiness had him agreeing with speed that could even outdo Pam on one of her shopping trips with Eric's Amex. Everything was perfect and in place, there was only one piece of the puzzle missing, and hopefully that would fall into place later on.

It took no time to dress, and soon my sons and I were sat back out in the living room, where Jason and Hunter were already seated, dressed up in their own costumes. Jason's outfit was simple, a pair of blue pants blue beads around his neck. There were black marks across his body, and judging by the size of them Hunter had been the one to paint them on him. Hunter was sat next to him, dressed in a pair of tailored black pants and a white shirt, which he wore underneath a red and gold jacket. A top hat was placed on his head and in his hands he was clutching a megaphone. "Auntie Sookie said I could be the ring master for the night." He beamed happily at Eric and I as we entered the room. Jason turned to look at his nephew, laughing quietly at his happiness over such a title, and it came as no surprise to me the moment Eric scooped up the young human and placed him on his lap as awaited the females of the nest. I had watched Eric from a far for a few days before I had decided to offer him the gift of immortality, and although I had not seen him with his children during that time I had know, even back then, that as well as being a warrior he was the perfect father figure.

We all sat in silence, none of us needing words to communicate how we were feeling. Our bonds were all flowing freely, and I could feel anticipation and acceptance from the sons I had gained the moment I had found my Ata, and from Eric I could feel his nervousness, acceptance and anticipation for the evening.

Isabel was the first of the four females to join us, and upon her entry my sons and I rose, as custom once dictated. Isabel's costume was a nod to her heritage, and the thought caused a smile to cross my lips. Dressed in a pair of leather pants with the matching corset style top, she looked every part the vampire seductress, her fishnet tights and stilettoes adding to the effect. Over the top of her black corset top she wore a traditional jacket, used by the matadors, and the red colour matched the sash around her waist, and the large Spanish flower in her hair. There was no denying her heritage. "You look very lovely, Isabel." Khai was first in with the compliment, offering my old nest mate a soft smile. Graciously she took the hand he had outstretched, thanking him for the compliment as she moved to his side. It had been decided, prior to this evening, that both Ari and Khai would escort Pam and Isabel to the party, while Eric and I took care of Sookie and Ata.

Pam was next out of the bedroom and her costume received a round of laughter from my Children and I. "Why not play up the stereotype eh?" my grand-Childe flashing us a wink as she gave a twirl on the spot, the net ruffles of her skirt fanning out with her movements. Dressed in a corset too, Pam's costume held a slightly more gothic theme than Isabel's. Pam's pastel clothes were reserved for when she was at home. The moment the corset hit her waist, Pam's shirt flared out in layers upon layers of netting, ruffles and silk, stopping near the top of her thighs, leaving little to the imagination. Fishnet tights hid parts of her pale legs and black stilettoes boosted her up a few inches. Around her ankles she bore red silk, tied with a bow, and the silk matched the choker she wore, from which a gothic pendant sat pride of place, resting between her sharp collarbones. Around her neck she wore a black collar, connecting to the corset, drawing attention to her cleavage. On her head sat a top hat, the netting covering her heavily lined eyes, and black leather clothes covered her hands, extending up to her elbows. Placing a hand on one hip, her best vacant expression on her features, Pam gave us a pose. My connection with Ari allowed me to feel him restraining himself, and I could almost feel his gums aching with the need for him to drop fang. Fangs were strange things for a vampire, not in the sense of feeding; they were very practical for that as well as for scaring off others, but in the sense of lust. A vampires fangs were only ever present when they were experiencing strong emotions, such as anger and lust. It was a sure fire way to tell whether a vampire, who was with a human, was clearly into it. Should fangs make themselves known during sex, then strong emotions were involved, the situation would undoubtedly involve lust, or maybe even love in the case of Eric and Sookie, and Ata and I. If there were no fangs, then the human on the receiving end was clearly just for a feed and fuck. They were there as a means for carnal pleasure and sustenance, before they were glamoured and returned back to their normal lives. It was a sad but true fact of my kind.

It was Eric's aching gums that I felt a second later as Sookie followed in after Pam. I could almost feel how uncomfortable the young fae felt in her costume, but the moment she was bombarded with my Viking Childe's lust I felt her confidence pick up a little. It had always captivated me how humans, and evidently human/fae hybrids, could react to the emotions of others. Dressed in a black and red corset with a matching red tutu, decorating with black lace edging, I could understand my Childe's lustful feelings. There was no denying Sookie's beauty, though of course I would always favour her cousin more. Sookie wore thigh high black stockings, the tops trimmed with red ruffles that matched her tutu skirt, around her neck sat a black and red choker, something that would have hidden fang marks had my son been an inconsiderate vampire. I had raised him better than that though. Her hair was swept up, exposing her neck and allowing the sweet perfume she wore to mingle with the air surrounding her, blending with her fae scent to create an aroma that had my Viking boy chomping at the bit. Adorning her head sat two red feathers, which curved over her head, adding a splash of bold colour to her blonde locks. "I do believe I like this look on you lover, I like it very much indeed." He gave her a lascivious wink, using his vampire speed to his advantage as he moved towards her, towering over her petite frame. Even with her 5" black heels on Sookie was still short in comparison to my 6'4 of a giant Childe. "Those colours would look wonderful on the bedroom floor." He continued, his eyes roaming her entire body in a manner that I was sure the Southern belle before us would have found offensive only a few years ago.

"Well, maybe we'll get to see if they really do later on," Sookie batted her eyelashes towards my Childe, leaning forward as if telling him a secret, "if you're good that is." She added on her own wink, and the deep growl resonating from Eric's lips at the prospect had me desperate to clap eyes on my Ata. Leaning in, Eric stole a kiss from his bonded, his lips moving to brush against her ear where he spoke in a low voice, making sure none of us in the room could hear him – vampire hearing or not. The blush that swept across Sookie's features, highlighting her cheekbones, was enough of a signal that perhaps none of us in the room really wanted to know what was said between them.

My Ata didn't disappoint. I felt her nearing seconds later, and finally she entered the room. My complete attention shifted to her, and I didn't care for the others in the room as I allowed myself to drop fang. It was the highest compliment I could think of to give her at the moment, until my voice would start working again of course. Her black dress was short and fitting, a sinful amount of leg on show. The ends of her dress had been cut into jagged strips, similar to the shape of stalactites. The fabric looked soft, with glitter woven into it, which captured the light at every angle. There was a plunging neckline, and my beloveds' ample chest ensured a very generous amount of cleavage was on show. Around her wrists sat white cuffs, tied with black cufflinks, and around her neck she wore a huge blue sapphire, set into a diamond encrusted sun design. I could see why she would purchase the piece – the blue matched her eyes and the sun represented her kind. On her head sat a black top hat, a black feather poking out of the back, and her blonde curls tumbled over her shoulders and down her body. "Too much?" My Ata asked quietly as she approached me. I could feel the eyes of everyone else in the room on me.

"Just perfect my darling, perfect." I reassured her now that I had managed to pull myself together. Her eyes were framed with kohl, just like they had been during our human years, and her lips were painted with gloss, something I knew Isabel liked to use too. Planting a chaste kiss to my bonded's lips, I noticed her eyes wandering over my almost bare form before she turned her attention to the rest of the group, scattering sincere compliments to everyone. With my bonded distracted, I glanced to Pam and Isabel, and mouthed a silent thank you to them for playing their role in my surprise. The two ladies exchanged a glance before looking back to me, smiles on their lips that suggested they were hiding something from me.

What did they know that I didn't?

As a group we left the safety of the penthouse, entering into the lift that would take us down into the foyer. All of us were silent on the trip down, our bonds enabling us to feel one another without the need for words. Hunter was bouncing happily on the balls of his feet, and just as the lift came to a stop, before the doors opened, he reached a hand up to grasp hold of Eric. Silently asking him to hold his hand. My Childe did one better than that, and lifted the young human up, resting him on his hip, an arm around him to support him and keep him in place. Sookie watched the exchange with fondness, and I could sense that my son, and my no doubt soon-to-be daughter-in-law, were going to become new parents to the little boy who had suffered so much during the few years he had been on this earth.

Ata and I were first out of the elevator, and together we led our nest towards the Colosseum. Hundreds of people were milling around us, dressed in beautiful costumes that fitted in perfectly with the theme of the evening. Staff were dressed in smart suits, even the women, and were tending to all of the guests needs and requests.

Entering the Colosseum I took a moment to regard my surroundings, and I had to admit that it looked far more beautiful than the real Colosseum ever had. I could feel the pleasant surprise from Eric and even from Sookie. The tiered seating that had been taken out had opened up the space entirely, and hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people filled the space. Tables were arranged throughout the room, decorated with bright tablecloths and runners along with huge vases of exotic flowers, seven or eight chairs were dotted around each table and the guests had all seated themselves into their groups. The room was alive with chatter, the sound of champagne bottles popping for the gleeful humans in attendance with their vampire partners. Four bars were set up, one on each side of the room, and the queues weren't too long due to the efficiency of the staff. People's costumes ranged from minimal to extensive, huge feathers and wings on some of the ladies and bright, florescent body paint on the men. Blending with the chatter was the undeniable sound of music, pop music with underlying heavy basses. The stage was decorated with huge swashes of brightly coloured fabric, which hung from the ceiling, swishing and swaying to the center where the huge chandelier sat pride of place. A large TV was set up on the stage, the live news channel on in the background. I could only assume that this would be where we would all watch the news as the results were called. In front of the stage was a large dance floor, and there were plenty of couples, as well as individuals loosing themselves to the beat. From the corner of my eye I spotted numerous big, burly Were's in suits dotted throughout the room as security. I was pleased to see such a huge number of them.

"Miss Caesar! Miss Caesar!" I heard my bonded's name being called over the sound of the music, and I instantly located the source. A women dressed in a showgirls costume was approaching us, in her hand she was carrying a microphone, and close behind her was a man dressed like a circus master, carrying a video recorder, the sort the news used. I heard Ata sigh softly beside me, though her beautiful smile never once faltered.

"_This could take some time, if you all wish to scamper off and enjoy your evening then feel free to do so." _She directed her thoughts to the group. Her boys were quick to disappear, and Khai and Ari both took Isabel and Pam away with them. Eric decided it would be wise to leave too.

"Sookie, Jason, Hunter, how about we all go and get some drinks?" He asked with a smile, leading the group away before any of them could protest. Ata's bright blue eyes swung to me as the news reporter stopped before us, but with a small shake of my head my bonded gave the woman before us her full attention, as well as a full smile.

"Miss Caesar! What a beautiful venue for this evening, I suppose you're glad this place wasn't damaged during those horrible bombings. You weren't hurt in the accident were you?" I could see straight through the news reporters fake concern, and so could my Ata, but she powered on through anyway.

"I was away from the building at the time fortunately, though if I had of been here I could have perhaps been of more use. I returned as soon as I became aware of the situation though and put my best men onto the case. We managed to pull everyone free from the rubble and there were no casualties." My love breathed a fake sigh of relief. I knew she had been genuinely worried over lives lost, but she had to play it up to considerable levels for the camera.

"Have you caught the culprit behind the attacks?" The news reporter thrust her microphone towards my bonded.

"My private investigators and lawyers tracked down the culprit and we are currently dealing with the legal implications of the matter." I could feel Ata's patience wearing a little thin with the woman before us. She was asking us questions that were either incredibly obvious or were just plain stupid.

"And what will it mean to you this evening if the Vampire Rights Amendment is passed? It's well known here in Vegas that your business associates are all vampires." It was obvious the reporter was trying to keep her accusation out of her voice, but from the annoyance and anger flowing from my bond with Ata it became apparent that her thoughts regarding Ata were somewhat accusative.

"It will mean that my business associates will be able to hold shares of the company in their own names, they will be able to manage the business while I am out of town either business or pleasure, and they will have an equal say amongst the board of directors." My Ata switched into business mode, becoming the leader she had been born as.

"Would you say that you are close to your fellow business associates?"

Ata's smile faltered for a split second before she regained composure, switching her weight from both feet onto one. It was a move I had witnessed hundreds of times during our human years and symbolized that she was growing bored and impatient. The weight shift had often occurred when her mother and father had paraded numerous men in front of her, trying to entice her to marry them. Of course she had always been loyal to me, had never once accepted any marriage proposal until she had believed me dead, and even then she had only initially accepted the marriage because she believed it would do right by her mother. "My business associates and I are just that, business associates. They come into work in an evening, we go over accounts, discuss matters within the business, attend to any pressing issues and then they return back to their homes for the evening while I undertake the changes that need to be done. Current legislation does not allow for them to take a very active and public role in the running of the business, but the passing of the Vampire Rights Amended would change that. When the VRA is passed I hope to bring all of my associates onboard and expand. My boyfriend will become a member of the board to." Ata offered me a warm smile, which I had no trouble in returning.

"Boyfriend?" The news reporter seemed stumped for a second before she recovered herself, her eyes flickering to me for the first time since she had started the interview. "Mr.?"

"Nervii." I answered her politely, offering her a smile that I hoped would melt her and endear her to us. When I had been Sheriff of Dallas I had been forced to partake in numerous TV show interviews to try and boost the vote for the VRA, to try and encourage humans not to be scared of my kind, but to accept us and treat us as equals.

"Mr. Nervii, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been a vampire and where do you originate from?" Now it was my turn to play 20 questions with the woman.

"I am over 2000 years old and come from a place called Gaul, which would nowadays be considered as Belgium." I answered honestly, feeling there was no need to lie. If my age was out there for everyone to see, for everyone to know about, then no vampire in their right mind would try to hurt Ata, or her business. They would know that I could rip them apart with one fang.

A low whistle from the cameraman signaled that he was impressed, while the news reporter looked at me in surprise for a moment. Finally she composed herself and carried on. "And how long have you known Miss Caesar? If my history serves me correctly then you would have been alive during the time of Julius Caesar, did you ever meet him? It must be very strange to now be dating one of his descendants!"

I couldn't stop my smile at the thought of how long I had known my Ata, but I didn't wish to blow her cover and reveal her true nature to the world. I had no idea where this interview would be broadcasted and I didn't fancy every supernaturals roaming the earth to come after Ata for her talents. "It feels like I have known her ever since I was a young human boy." I answered, twisting my words a little to suit our purpose. Ata's gentle squeeze on my arm, which was now linked with hers, was all the encouragement I needed to carry on. "I was alive during his time and I did meet him. He was a wonderful man despite what you might hear and he gave me the greatest gift of all." I offered the woman a smile, letting her make her own mind up as to which gift that was. In truth it was the gift of Ata's affections, but I would allow the news reporter to think that I was talking about my immortality, or something else entirely for that matter. "It does seem strange to be dating one of his descendants, but there is no one else for me, only my Ata." I pushed my love for her through our bond and received plenty of it in return. The news reporter cooed over my words, and I could detect the sincerity underneath it. Clearly she held some prejudice against women who threw themselves at everything with fangs, but had respect for those who had devoted themselves entirely to only one person with fangs.

"Well I wish the pair of you the very best of luck this evening, and for the rest of your lives!" She ended the interview. With a polite thank you and goodbye Ata and I left the woman to round up her news report. Moving my hand to Ata's lower back, I helped her navigate through the crowds of people, but she would stop frequently to briefly ask someone how they were and if they were enjoying themselves, or to dish out compliments to some of the ladies present. All were given in complete sincerity and the attention she paid to her guests reminded me of why she would have been the perfect Queen.

Approaching the bar, where Jason, Sookie, Hunter and Eric were currently situated, I placed my free hand on Eric's back, alerting him to our presence even though our bond would have done so much earlier on. "Drink?" Eric offered as he turned to face Ata and I. He had already taken care of the needs of the others present. Both Sookie and Jason were sipping Champagne and Hunter appeared to be consuming a carton of orange juice. Although a drink would have been the social norms I declined my Childe's offer, knowing that no matter how good quality the synthetic stuff was, or even the real thing, it would not compare to my bonded's blood.

"_You can have a drink you know."_ Ata's mental voice filtered into my mind. Eric ordered a glass of champagne for Ata and I noted how no money exchanged hands. My bonded was funding all of this for free, for everyone? Glancing quickly down the bar I realized my assumption was correct. No one was handing over any money.

"Nothing compares to you, it all tastes bland to me now." I murmured as I nuzzled the side of Ata's head, kissing her temple as Eric handed her a glass of champagne, which she politely thanked him for.

"Careful, or you might become an addict." My beloved teased me as she took a sip of the fizzy alcohol our Childe had handed her. I noted from the corner of my eye the way Jason stiffened at the mention of being an addict, and recalled the incident at my nest back in Dallas, when Eric had confronted the Stackhouse male about his addiction right after I had spoken to him. It had not been the most tactile move of Eric's, given vampire hearing and the number of vampires present in the building, but it had been an effective way of ensuring the boy would never touch another drop again. From what I could smell he had ingested some blood recently, but it was direct from the source, from a female. Perhaps the Stackhouse male had found himself a vampire lover too.

"I went 2000 years without you, I'm addicted to everything you do, everything about you and every inch of you." I dropped my voice, whispering in her ear. Nibbling on her earlobe I felt her knees almost give way beneath her, and relished in it with a deep, breathy chuckle. My grip around Ata's waist tightened as we turned to face the rest of the room, leading Eric, Jason, Sookie and Hunter to our table at the front. Hunter had reached up to grab onto Eric's hand with his free hand, and together they walked to the table, looking every bit like father and son. Jason and Sookie walked together behind them, and I got the feeling that the siblings had spent very little time together over the recent years. This trip, should we not end up being attacked or killed, would probably do them some good.

We stopped before the largest table, in the center of the room. It was unoccupied thanks to the reserved sign in the middle. As we reached the table Ari, Khai, Riei, Oeri, Egor, Agmund, Pam and Isabel joined us. The whole nest was present apart from young Oscar. Sookie seemed to pick up on his absence too. "Where's Oscar?" She lent over to whisper towards Ata as Eric pulled out a seat for her. Mimicking his actions I pulled out a chair for Ata, who sat herself neatly down on it. Pushing her in I took the seat beside her, and Eric took the seat beside Sookie. Ari and Khai were true gentlemen too, pulling out chairs for Pam and Isabel, pushing them in also.

"He's supposed to be arriving with Felipe, along with Bubba, though when the King will make an appearance is beyond me." My bonded shrugged her slender shoulders, her eyes firmly fixed on her cousins as she slipped her hand under the table to rest it on my thigh. Her body heat seeped through the flimsy material, caressing my cool skin. The contrast was delicious.

I could hear a heartbeat approaching, and scent the mixture of cheap perfume and sweat before a redheaded woman approached, dressed in the uniform of the receptionists in the lobby of the hotel. "Miss Caesar?" She asked timidly as she approached.

"Claire," Ata responded with a warm smile, turning in her seat to face her employee, "what's the matter?" Ata's smile dropped as she realized how on edge the girl seemed to be.

"I-I just received a phone call, from the King's mansion. His secretary asked me to tell you that he won't be able to attend your party this evening as he's attending another party elsewhere." Claire shuffled on her feet, and we could all tell there was more to this story.

"And where is this other party?" Ata asked. I could feel the tightness to her voice, and her hand clenched a little, grasping my thigh.

"A-Arizona, Area 24." Claire informed us in a whisper, sweat beads rolling down her forehead. I noted how Ata's boys tensed at the information. My perfect memory allowed me to recall that Celina was the Sheriff of Area 24 in Arizona, that her area bordered Ata's and that the two were constantly locking horns.

Ata forced a smile, though I could feel her inner turmoil. "Thank you for informing me Claire. Have a drink and enjoy your evening." She dismissed her employee, who looked more than happy to run away from the conversation. I got the impression that anything relating to Felipe or Celina wasn't something employees liked to bring up with Ata.

"I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars decorating this damn place and hiring E(E)E to make the King look good and he doesn't even fucking show up. He's not even in the same fucking state." My bonded hissed under her breath. On the outside she looked to be holding onto her emotions, but because all of us at the table could feel her we knew otherwise.

"I do believe I heard you discussing my company." The slick voice of the Were Tiger settled over our table. I noted how Ata's smile remained forced, and how even Sookie forced a smile as she took in the appearance of the man who had joined us. It had been a few years since I had last seen Quinn, he had been attending a supernatural council meeting to discuss the issue of the Were's coming out now that vampires were well known and widely accepted. He still looked the same, 6'5 and muscular, olive skinned and covered in scars from his years in the pits paying off all of his debts. His baldness was hard to miss, as were his pansy purple eyes. I'd always enjoyed mocking his eye colour whenever he had been out of earshot. It was so unnatural that it was a wonder the humans hadn't locked him up yet and experimented on him. Unfortunately though he had an air to him, not of arrogance, but that whenever he was in a room people seemed to notice him. I often thought of him as a womanizer, especially with the way he seemed to refer to every woman as 'babe.'

"Yes, I was just discussing your high price for the service this evening." My bonded didn't bother sugarcoating her words as she turned her bright blue eyes to the tiger before us. I had to admit that it was rather disgraceful of Quinn to hike his prices up simply for the VRA passing when it was a step towards the reveal of Were's, his own kind. He unfortunately seemed to have the monopoly with catering for the supernatural community, but if costs were an issue then I was more than willing to dip into my own pocket to help my bonded pay. After all, what was mine was now hers.

"_I love you, but that won't be necessary, thank you." _Ata's tender tone flooded my mind. Placing one of my hands over Ata's I gave it a gentle squeeze, a show that I understood.

"What can I say, I'm in high demand. Might as well claim the benefits while I can babe." He offered what I assumed was supposed to be his most charming smile to my bonded, but I could tell she wasn't impressed – with his smile or the nickname. Quinn's purple eyes flitted around the table taking in everyone present, until he reached Sookie. Stopping he gazed at her for a moment longer than the rest of us, his eyes dropping down to take in her attire, the corner of his lips quirking up in a small smirk. "I don't believe we've met Miss…?" he went for the charming approach, and everyone at the table apart from Sookie saw right through it. Her Southern upbringing had taught her to be polite to the man, even though he was a stranger. I could feel Eric's emotions starting to shift into something negative.

"Sookie Stackhouse." My Childe's bonded answered happily, putting on what I had heard Eric and Pam refer to often as her 'Crazy Sookie' smile. It saddened me that people had thought her mentally unstable in her childhood, had tormented and bullied her for it. There was no need for that in today's world, there was nothing wrong with being different, having an advantage over everyone else. I was glad my Viking Childe supported her and that he was there for her all the time. I had a feeling Sookie had very few people who understood and accepted her ability in her life.

"I do not appreciate the way you are looking at my bonded, tiger." Eric's Sheriff voice came out to play as Quinn had been slowly appraising Sookie. Eric's words snapped the purple eyed player out of his lust-induced daze and a scowl set onto his features.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing tying herself down to one of them?" He questioned Sookie, ignoring the fact that supernatural etiquette suggest he ask Eric for permission first before speaking to Sookie, considering the fact he thought her human. There was a hierarchy within the supernatural world – the Ancient One, Fairies, Vampires, Were's and then Shifters. Quinn had been following proper etiquette when he has spoken to Ata first earlier in the conversation, especially considering the fact she was the oldest in the nest. The elder of the group was usually addressed first should a nest be made up of the same type of supernatural beings.

"Whom my bonded decides to spend her time with is of no concern to you, tiger." I could feel Eric's patience running thin. He'd never liked the tiger, always threatening to skin him and create a rug to go in front of his log fire in his cabin back in Sweden.

"Yes well, I thank you for being here anyway. The humans present seem to be enjoying the food on offer and none of the Were's have killed one another yet. The vampires seem content with the blood selection too." Ata figured it was time for Quinn to leave, and it wasn't a moment too soon. My beloved was as polite as always with her dismissal and, sensing that he was no longer needed nor wanted at our table, Quinn left to further harass someone else.

"Miss Ata!" All those sat at the table turned in the direction of the voice as Bubba and Oscar came bouncing into view, both dressed in carnival costumes. Bubba's face was painted though to conceal his identity, but his greeting was enough for our nest to identify him. Ata was out of her seat in seconds, rushing towards Oscar. Arms outstretched, she scooped up the baby vamp, holding him closely. He may have been in his early 20's when he'd been turned, but he was reverting back to his childlike self. I got the feeling that his own mother hadn't cared much for him, which was why he had taken so strongly to my bonded.

"My boy." I heard Ata murmur as she clutched Oscar to her, his own arms locked around her in an affectionate gesture. One of Ata's arms came out as she pulled Bubba into the embrace too, holding them both close. "You're both safe." She breathed, as she pulled back to look at them both, the smile on her lips warm and affectionate. These past few days I had been left baffled by the amount of love and tenderness my bonded was capable of showing. I had always known she was the definition of kind and caring, loving and gentle, after all she had been that way with me when she had been a princess and I had been nothing but a slave. What impressed me was how, after 2000 years, my Ata was still as joyous and kind hearted as she had been. She gave her love freely, and though she didn't expect it in return she earned it without even having to try.

"Come." She led the pair back to our table, letting them settle into the two seats that were left.

"How are you Squirt?" Pam addressed Oscar with the faintest hint of a smile. She'd finally managed to remove her hands from Ari's body long enough to engage in conversation with the rest of the table. I loved my GrandChilde dearly but she was a fool if she thought that none of us had noticed the way her hands had always wandered to any vacant patch of Ari's skin that she could find, that we'd missed the way she would lean in to him, whisper in his ear so quietly that the rest of us couldn't hear their conversation.

"Feeling a bit better now thank you Pam, lemons and I clearly don't get along." The young vampire laughed, though of course the situation had been less than funny at the time. "What about you?"

Giving the baby vamp an indulgent smile, Pam nodded her head once, her eyes shifting to Ari who didn't bother to hide his smile. "I'm very well indeed." Her response had more than one meaning to it, but the young vampire took it at face value, looking pleased that Pam was okay.

"Hi I'm Hunter!" Hunter smiled brightly at Oscar, offering him his hand, completely at ease with the fact he was sat with a baby vamp. The young human would need to be taught vampire customs if he were to be around them a lot, but for now his innocence was enchanting. It was rare to find an innocent human these days.

"I'm Oscar, night to meet ya Hunter!" The baby vamp grinned, giving Hunter's hand a polite shake.

"I'll de-brief you two later on this evening, more important matters are at hand." My bonded spoke to both Bubba and Oscar before she gestured around the room with a smile. I could feel her ease at the situation, especially now that she had the final two members of our nest with us. Both Bubba and Oscar nodded before Oscar and Hunter fell into conversations. There were still many years between them, but Oscar was the closest person to Hunter's age at the table. Jason picked up conversation with Bubba, and I could almost see the glint in his eyes at the fact he was conversing with Elvis. Such simple things made humans so happy.

"Ata, may I suggest we go and mingle with the crowds?" Ari lent over the table to address my love, who sighed heavily.

"Yes I suppose we shouldn't, wouldn't want our guests to think we were neglecting them." A smile wove its way onto my loves lips as she pressed them to mine in a chaste kiss. "I'll be back soon." She bid me farewell for now, rising to her feet. Ari gave Pam the same treatment, leaving her with a small kiss before he held out his hand for my bonded, who took it with ease. Moving her hand, she slipped it through Ari's arm, linking them together. Heading off in the opposite direction first, my bonded and eldest Childe went to entertain the masses.

"Well I for one fancy a dance." Isabel's eyes rounded on Khai, who shifted in his seat for a moment before he relented to her wishes, grudgingly rising to his feet before he offered my Spanish companion his hand. Taking it, the pair were off to the dance floor together just as a Michael Jackson song started to play through the huge speakers dotted around the room.

"I do believe that it's time for a dance Viking, show me your moves!" Sookie was up and out of her seat too, moving her way backwards through the crowd of people on the dance floor. I watched with a smile as she crooked her finger at my boy, daring him to come and join her. The low growl that reverberated from his chest meant only one thing – Miss Stackhouse would be getting as good as she gave.

"I do love them together." Pam finally spoke to me as Eric left the table, following his bonded through the crowd of people.

"He's good for her." I agreed. Sookie was helping Eric uncover his lost humanity; she was transforming my Childe into a better man, a better vampire. When I first found her, flat on the floor with Gabe forcing himself upon her, I had been angered and ashamed. Gabe had no right to treat a lady that way, and the anguished cries from Sookie as she had tried to escape his clutches had given me a nugget of information – that she was use to men trying it on with her. When I found out she was a waitress it had all slotted into place. The rednecks that frequented the bar she worked in wouldn't think twice about hitting on her once the beer started flowing, but it wasn't that which had worried me and led to me snapping Gabe's neck. It was her fear. She was frightened of a man forcing himself on her. Over 2000 years I had become a good judge of character, and her reaction had screamed out to me that someone had once tried to harm her in such a manner. I'd spoken to Eric about it when we had returned to my nest, told him that something had happened to her that had caused some trauma. My Childe, still denying his feelings for the young fae had simply nodded and sauntered off. The second his blood had entered her system, after the bomb had exploded in my living room, I had felt her. She was a little hum, deep inside my bond with Eric. It was why up on the roof in Dallas I had asked this little fae woman to take care of my mighty Viking Childe. She had a hold over him that very few had. I was just glad, and proud, that she had finally acted on that hold and claimed him as her own, as he had claimed her. There was nothing I liked more than seeing my Childe happy, and Sookie radiated happiness. I had a theory it was a fae trait. My Ata seemed capable of making me happy whenever things got tough.

The thought of my bonded had my eyes wandering around the room, locating her as she spoke with a couple more news reporters, a smile painted on her lips, laughter tumbling from them. She was completely at ease, hanging off the arm of our eldest Childe. I was proud of her, of the empire she had built, the empire she had been denied in our human years. A smile crossed my lips as I watched her wander off with Ari, heading in the direction of some of the other Sheriffs of Nevada. My perfect memory allowed me to pinpoint them exactly. They all greeted one another like old friends, respectful kisses being placed on my bonded's hand and bows given towards Ari. I was worried about my surprise, whether or not it would be taken well. There was little that could surprise my bonded, but I hoped that my surprise would bring a smile to her face. "Don't worry about it, it'll be fine. She'll love it." Oeri lent across the table to offer me support, a smile on his lips. Riei nodded from his side, as did Egor and Agmund.

"What will Miss Ata love?" Bubba enquired, his eyes turning to me. I wanted to tell the loyal vampire, knowing how much he adored my bonded, but I couldn't risk the other vampires in the room hearing. I didn't want Ata to have any suspicions.

"You'll find out soon enough." Pam responded with a smirk, something she had obviously picked up from Eric over the years. My Childe was a good Maker, but a bad influence.

For an hour couples danced while Ata and Ari mingled. Eric and Sookie retuned the table every now and then when Sookie was in need of a drink, or when she needed to rest her feet. Isabel and Khai never once returned, lost in one another on the dance floor. It was interesting to watch the whole thing from the sidelines, to see Sookie so relaxed with Eric, acting carefree. Pam's eyes kept moving to Ari, a wistful look on her features that she quickly schooled every time she saw me looking at her. Riei and Oeri were flitting around the room, complimenting costumes and offering advice on all aspects of vampire living. Egor and Agmund even joined Eric for a drink at one of the bars for a while, and I could tell that Eric was perfectly at home with the men he had grown up with.

Watching my Viking Childe so carefree, enjoying himself with the men he had fought alongside of many years ago, I missed the sound of the heartbeat behind me until my vision went black as two dainty hands covered my eyes. Inhaling deeply, I treasured the sweet scent that flooded my nostrils, my hands instinctively reaching up to caress the ones over my eyes. "Meus dilectus" I breathed as Ata's hands left my eyes, wrapping themselves around my neck as she lent over me. She went to press a kiss to my cheek, but with a quick turn of my head I captured her lips with my own, planting a tender kiss on her. Her lips quirked upwards into a smile, and I couldn't help but grin as I felt her smile against my lips.

"The vote is about to be announced. Come on." My bonded whispered in my ear as she straightened herself up, offering me her hand. Taking it, I rose from my seat, following her up towards the stage. All of those in our nest followed us, clambering up onto the stage with us. Ari was already there, clipping a microphone onto his costume. As my bonded moved towards her Childe I let go of her hand, knowing that she needed to stand beside our son. With a polite cough and a gesture towards the DJ for the night, the music slowly faded out and Ari put on a brilliant smile, the cameras facing him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Ata and I welcome you to our humble home, Caesar's Palace, and hope you have enjoyed your evening so far. As you are aware tonight is a very big night for our kind. Tonight America will decide whether or not we, the vampires of this great nation, will become equals with our human counterparts. I am sure that, as you are all here, you are hoping for it just as much as I am. I have walked this earth for over 2000 years and there is nothing I would love more than to be accepted by society, which I am sure can be said for all of you present. Our kind have been the focus of society for hundreds of years, there have been many tales of our kind, the most famous of which is of course Bram Stoker's Dracula. Well, let me tell you that Dracula does exist, but none of us like him very much, he's a bit of a pain in the neck." Ari threw a wink to the crowd. The humans roared with laughter at his joke, and even a few of the vampires cracked smiles. My bonded's smile lit up her features as she watched our son enchant the crowd.

When the laughter subsided Ari continued. "To the humans present and those watching all over the nation who have voted I thank you for taking the time to vote. It is people like you who are the ones making advancements in the world, paving the way for a better nation, and building strong relations between our species. Most tend to forget that we too were once human, that we understand you. So once again from the bottom of my heart, and from my partners, we thank you. If we all work together, we can build a stronger, better America, where our children – both human and vampire a like – can be accepted by society, have access to education, legal protection, the right to our own homes and much more. This evening is just the beginning. The world will follow in our footsteps; the eyes of the world are on us now, so lets show them exactly what makes America such a great nation." My son finished with a flourish, offering the crowd of people a warm smile. The humans burst into applause, the excitement from them almost palpable. The vampires present applauded Ari too, but they were much better at hiding their anticipation for the evening.

Unclipping the microphone from his jacket, Ari slipped it into his pocket as the giant screen showed a woman sat behind a desk, a smile on her lips. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, my name is Elissa Martis and this is CNN. This evening I am broadcasting live from Los Angeles on the Vampires Rights Amendment. The votes have come in from all over the nation and I can now announce the states that have passed the right. The Vampire Rights Amendment will enable vampires in America to vote in general elections, to own both private and commercial property in their names, to marry humans, the right to own firearms, to adopt children with their human partners, to own businesses in their names, to have the protection of the US government, the rights to benefits and healthcare, the rights to loans and mortgages, to be recognized as American citizens and to have the protection of the US legal and justice system, both in the US and while abroad. The state of Vermont has already accepted the VRA and many vampires have been travelling to the area with their human counterparts in order to receive the full benefits. In those states with over a 50% acceptance rate the VRA will be put into action immediately. In today's world equality is vital, we no longer live in an era where there are those beneath us. If America can pass the VRA then there is hope that vampires will receive equal rights the world over, and our co-existence will continue to be a peaceful one." The news reporter spoke to the camera. All eyes were focused on the screen as Elissa was passed a piece of paper by her colleague.

"I can announce, with great happiness, that the following states have voted in favour of the Vampire Rights Amendment." She paused for effect, and I could hear the erratic heartbeats of the nervous humans, and the anticipation from my bonded was pulsing through our connection. I wanted to reach out and grab her, hold her close, but I knew full well that she needed to be standing with out boys, that the cameras were focused on her. The humans of Las Vegas would want to see her reaction.

"The states that have accepted the VRA in the first round are: Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Louisiana." The news reporter read out the results, and almost instantly I felt the pure joy radiating from Eric and Sookie as he grabbed her, pulling her into his arms for a fierce hug before his lips descended on hers, not caring that the cameras were capturing the moment.

"Congratulations." I heard Sookie whisper up to Eric with a smile on her lips after he finally finished kissing her. The grin on my Childe's lips was so wide that it almost touched his ears, and I could feel how happy he was. My Childe would now be considered an equal member of society in his home state; he would receive all of the benefits that our kind had been deprived of since the start of time. Looking to Pam I could see the relief etched onto her usually stony features too, and in a move very unlike myself I held my hand out to her, which she took, giving it a gentle squeeze. Pam felt emotions much more than humans, as was the way with all vampires, but she was usually very good at controlling herself, as she was now.

"Now onto the west of the nation." Another piece of paper was passed to Elissa and all eyes returned to the screen. Eric was still holding Sookie close to him, wrapping her up in his arms, a grin on his features, happiness pulsating from him.

"The second round of states that have passed the VRA are: Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas," At the mention of my former home I glanced to Isabel, who was positively beaming with glee in Khai's arms. Catching her eye, I nodded in her direction, offering her a smile. My Spanish friend looked close to tears, and I was proud that she had helped push the VRA through Texas. She deserved to be an equal member of society; she'd worked so hard for it. "Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, California and last, but by no means least, Nevada." The moment Nevada was mentioned the whole room burst into loud cheer and shouts of victory, but my eyes were fixed firmly on my bonded. Her emotions were charging through our connection, her happiness, relief, excitement and pride were all so powerful. A hand came up to her face, hiding her mouth and nose as she smiled happily, on the verge of tears before she grabbed our boys, pulling them all in for a group embrace. Oscar ran towards my bonded, flinging himself at her and into the group embrace, causing my little family to laugh happily.

"We did it." I heard her whisper in a shaky voice. The others in the room were preoccupied with their other halves, or their friends, as everyone continued to congratulate one another. "We did it." Ata repeated, as if she still couldn't believe it. All of the Children I had gained when I entered Caesar's Palace had a hand on my bonded, all of them resting their foreheads against some part of her body – her head, her shoulder, her back. I could feel their relief, their pure joy at now being equal members of society. I was proud of them, proud of the campaign they had fought, proud that they had won. Ari raised his head, having rested it against Ata's, and I could see the single red streak down his cheek from a lone tear. With Khai blocking the camera's view, Ata leant in, licking the blood away in an affectionate gesture before she turned her head to look at all of our boys. "First thing tomorrow morning I'm putting all of your names on the deed for this place, finally I can give you the empire we all built together." She murmured to them all, glancing between them. The moment her eyes left Ari he glanced over to me, giving me a nod, the signal I needed.

Approaching the group my boys parted to allow me in, and instinctively I took Ata's hand in my own, pulling her into my embrace. "I'm proud of you, so proud. Congratulations." I whispered in her ear before I claimed her lips in a soft kiss. Our boys, aware of the plan, had moved aside to allow the cameras to capture Ata and I. My surprise would be broadcasted for the world to witness; I wanted them all to see it, to understand what it meant.

Pulling back to look at my bonded, my other half, I could see the wet streaks down her cheeks from her tears and I kissed them away, earning myself a melodic laugh. The burst of strength from all of our Children, including Eric, had me reaching into my pocket for my surprise. Their strength quelled my nervousness, and thanks to it I found the ability to sink down onto one knee before my bonded. The room fell silent instantly, and I could feel every set of eyes on Ata and I. My bonded's confused expression was adorable, and had it been any other moment I would have loved nothing more than to laugh and tease her, but now was not the time. Extracting the box from my pocket I held it up towards my love in an offering, and the second her eyes caught sight of the 'Harry Winston' embroidered onto the fabric on the top of the box realization dawned on her features. I could already see the tears welling up in her eyes as one of her hands moved to clamp over her mouth, her shock flooding our bond. I could feel her love too and it nearly bowled me over. I'd purposefully kept our 2000 year past out of my speech, but my bonded would know exactly what I was referring to in each of my statements.

"The first time I laid eyes on you I was captivated by your beauty, so surprised by the feelings that blossomed inside of me for the first time in my existence. I remember the way you looked at me, the way your smile lit up your face, the way you indulged me and chose me over every other person in the room. You enchanted me then, and you've continued to do ever since. We've shared so many wonderful times together, created so many memories and each one I treasure, as I treasure you; our trips to the river, our walks through the city, the nights we simply spent holding one another. Each one is just as special as the next because I shared those moments with you. You've taught me how to be a better vampire, a better man. You've taught me how to love, the importance of giving oneself to another so completely. You have all of me, you always have, and you always will. I no longer tire of the night. Each night is a new adventure, an adventure I get to share with you, my darling. There is nothing I love more than to wake to your bright smile, to feel the depth of the love we share, the amount of care we have for one another. For 2000 years I have been empty, a piece of me missing, and the moment I walked into this building I found that missing piece. You're my missing piece, the last part of my puzzle, and with you I'm now complete. I love everything about you, every little thing you do. I love the way you ball your hands up into these little fists and rub your eyes when you're sleepy, I love the way you crinkle your nose when you disagree with me, the way you roll your eyes while wearing a beautiful smile every time I do something silly and the way your tummy makes those cute grumbling noises when you're hungry." My beloved flushed in embarrassment, though I could feel her mirth through our bond, and it caused me to smile. The humans in the room laughed lightly before falling silent once more.

"I love the way you care for me, tend to any injuries I sustain, draw me during my day rest. I love the way my clothes smell now that they hang in the same wardrobe as yours, the way my pillow carries your sweet scent. I love the sound of you breathing, the comforting, reassuring sound, and the way you smile in your sleep. I hope it's me you're dreaming of my angel, that I'm the one bringing such a beautiful smile to your lips. I love the feel of your heartbeat, strong and steady, as we curl up together just before sunrise. I can feel it, resonating through your chest and into mine, bringing back my humanity. You're restoring me; taking me back to the man I use to be. Your heart is so huge, you have so much love that you give so freely to everyone you meet, and I am so honored to be blessed with your love, so proud of you. You give everything to everyone you meet and expect nothing in return, well now I want to return the favour, I want to share with you everything I have, everything I am. I am yours for eternity if you'll have me. There is nothing I would love more than to be tied to you in every way possible for the rest of time. You are my life, my Ata, my reason for being, and every second we are apart I miss you, your laughter, your smile, your touch. I can't imagine a single night without you and I will devote the rest of my existence to you, to your happiness and wellbeing. My angel, my companion, my sunshine, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Not once had I taken my eyes off of my bonded, whose cheeks were soaked with the tears falling from her eyes. I'd spent hours fretting over my speech and when I'd finally been happy with it I'd spent hours more memorizing it, reading it while my bonded slumbered beside me in the early hours of the morning.

Ata's emotions were all over the place, but it was her deep love that was all the confirmation I needed, though I gave her time to sort herself out. Seconds later, as everyone awaited her response, my little fae sank to her knees before me, her hands capturing my face before she pulled me in for a kiss filled with her raw passion and laced with her love. Pulling back, her beautiful smile took pride of place on her features as she nodded. "Yes, I would love nothing more." Her voice was firm and strong, and with her answer came the whistles and cheers from our audience, both human and vampires alike. Taking an unnecessary breath I laughed in relief, extracting the ring I had designed for her from the box. With her left hand in my own, I slid the band onto her finger, letting it sit next to her promise band. It had taken me a few hours to design and the moment the jewelers at Harry Winston had seen my drawing they had set to work immediately. A beautifully clear, round cut 5-carat diamond sat in the center of the platinum band, which had been micro paved with ¾-carat diamonds. The center diamond was framed with even more ¾-carat diamonds, which sparkled and reflected the light. I'd chosen such high carat diamonds for the sparkle, they way they reflected the light. They reminded me of the sunshine. I'd also indulged myself with the design, wanting to drape diamonds all over my bonded. I was well aware of how much she enjoyed the finer things in life, but I knew she wasn't as materialistic as other women. She liked nice things and that was that. I wanted to gift her with this piece; a piece I had designed specifically for her, to remind her every time she looked at it that I wasn't going anywhere, that I was hers.

With my ring on her finger, my bonded looked down to her hand, her smile infectious. "My fiancée." I breathed, testing out the word we had never been able to use for one another in our human years. I could hear the news reporters in the room going mental, reporting everything that was happening, but I didn't care about them in that moment, the only person that mattered was on her knees with me.

Ata's eyes shifted to the crowd before she looked to Sookie, whose smile was as wide as my fiancées. Sookie nodded to my bonded, and I had a feeling I was missing something.

Ata reached for her thigh, pushing her dress up to reveal a scabbard strapped to her. Frowning in confusion, I was unsure as to what was occurring until Ata pulled the blade free. The golden handle was the colour of sand, decorated with rich blue sapphire stripes and ornate detail. The blade was flat and made of bronze, dulled as it was more for ceremonial purposes than anything else. The vampire symbol had been forged into the blade and it was then I realized what my beloved was holding.

The vampire pledging knife.

I could hear the vampires in the room murmuring to one another, the humans whispering their confusion to one another over the object in Ata's hands. Pledging between a vampire and a human was so incredibly rare, and how my bonded had managed to get her hands on the blade was beyond me. With a shy smile my Ata offered it to me. Stunned and surprised by the offer she was making I found myself forcing back my blood tears. If I were to take this from her she would be mine completely, no one in the whole of the vampire world would be able to take her from me without the penalty of death. She would be my wife by vampire custom. "I would love nothing more than to be tied to you in every way possible for the rest of time." Ata repeated my earlier words back to me. Without a second thought I took the blade from her, raising it to my lips were I pressed a kiss to the bronze blade. I would keep hold of the blade for the rest of time, unless some other couple wished for it. If Ata ever asked for it back our pledging would be over, and we would no longer be married by vampire custom, but I knew my new wife well enough to know she would never go through with this if she didn't want me to stand beside her forever.

Understanding that the humans and the baby vampires in the room would need an explanation, Ari turned to the crowd. "Ata Caesar and Godric Nervii are now pledged by the knife, a very rare bond has been forged. They are now married according to vampire custom." His explanation caused the humans in the crowd to break into aw's and coo's, before bursting into more applause. The vampires in the room exchanged knowing glances, all understanding the sacred bond that had just been made and their duty to ensure that no one would part them.

My Ata laughed happily as she grabbed me, pressing another kiss to my lips which I readily returned. "My husband." She whispered, stroking the side of my face.

"My wife." I spoke her new title, cherishing the way it sounded as it rolled off of my tongue. Offering her my hand I helped her up just as our Children, all of them including Eric, dropped to their knees in front of us, bowing their heads in a show of loyalty. I noted that even Pam, Bubba, Isabel, Oscar, Jason, Hunter and Sookie had all done the same. We were the leaders of our nest, and our nest approved of our union.

Ari was first back onto his feet, helping Pam up. "I present to you Ata and Godric Caesar-Nervii." We were introduced to the crowd, and to the world through the cameras watching us, with our new name. Ata's shocked expression as she looked to me made me offer her an indulgent smile.

"You didn't think I would make you rid yourself of your family name did you? I know how much it means to you." I gave her hand a squeeze as she flooded our bond with love. The intensity caused me to close my eyes and bask in it.

The party picked back up as humans and vampires a like started to celebrate the win for Nevada, and I had a feeling the wedding chapels in the city would be fully booked for the new few nights. Of course by custom I was allowed the first dance with my wife, but throughout the night she changed hands many times, dancing with all the members of our nest, including little Hunter. Even the Sheriff's of the other areas danced with my bonded, approaching me afterwards to congratulate me and offer their assistance should I ever need them for anything. It seemed like my beloved had charmed everyone over the years.

Still with a few more hours until sunrise, Eric, Sookie and I found ourselves alone, heading towards the bar as Sookie was in need of a glass of water. I could tell, from the way that Sookie had been fawning over Ata's ring the moment the party had picked back up again, that she too wanted to wear one, and I had spent the night throwing my Childe hints, hints which he tended to miss. He would get it eventually though, of that I was certain. Standing at the bar, Eric ordered a glass of water for Sookie and I ordered one for Ata, able to feel her thirst through our connection.

It all happened too quickly for me to react, which was a feat given my vampire reflexes. Eric, Sookie and I were stood ordering drinks when Sookie stiffened, her eyes widening. "STAKE!" She screamed, moving to put herself between Eric and his wannabe attacker just as the wooden instrument came plunging down. Eric's wannabe attacker didn't have time to change his course of action, too consumed with his need to end my Childe that the weapon he was going to use to kill Eric with ended up in Sookie instead. It pierced her side, and her bloodcurdling scream of pain captured the attention of everyone in the room. The scent of her blood hit the air and I knew if we didn't get her out of the room soon we would have a massacre on our hands.

Ata was by my side instantly, as were our boys, ensuring no one could get to us. Ari had hold of the human who had tried to harm Eric and, with a flash of fangs he disappeared out of the room with the man, presumably to lock him up downstairs. This wasn't how I'd wanted our evening to go, but I'd learn recently that many things didn't go according to plan. "Get her out now. Oeri, call Ludwig!" Ata started barking orders, and Eric didn't need to be told twice. Lifting Sookie, even though she howled out in pain and he winced as he felt it through their bond, he vamped them to the elevator. "I'm putting you in charge, glamour humans if needs be, keep everyone happy please!" Ata begged Khai, Riei, Egor and Agmund, who all nodded before they disappeared off to conduct damage control. Pam and Isabel were before us now, concern on their features.

"What can I do?" Pam asked frantically, looking between Ata and I.

"I know you probably won't like this, but I need you to stay here and look after Jason and Hunter. I can't have them in the penthouse. Hunter might be frightened and Jason, as sweet of a brother as he is, is going to be pain in the ass the moment he finds out Sookie is hurt." Ata explained to both women, who nodded in understanding. It was then Jason came barreling through the crowd, Hunter tagging along behind him.

"Sooks hurt!? Let me get to her, I need to see her!" He demanded, but Pam and Isabel were quick to step in and the pair of them started to try to calm him.

"Mum! Dad!" Oscar's voice broke through the loud and hectic crowd as he approached quickly, Bubba close behind him. "What do you want us to do?" The baby vamp asked frantically, looking between us. It was then I realized that he'd called us mum and dad, and for a brief second I allowed myself to smile and accept the compliment, before I remembered the situation that we were in.

"I need you two to go down and guard our prisoner until I can get down there and deal with him, okay?" My wife took over, giving out orders. It was completely inappropriate but watching her boss others around and take charge of the situation was turning me on. Feeling my lust, Ata's eyes turned to me and an exasperated sigh left her lips. "Insatiable man!" she scolded playfully before she rolled her eyes, smiling. Grabbing my hand she pulled me towards the elevator, which had already carried Sookie, Eric and Oeri up to the penthouse.

"This wasn't quite what I envisioned our wedding night to be like." I commented as we waited together for the elevator to arrive. The pledging knife was still tucked firmly in the scabbard Ata had worn, which she had given to me once we had left the stage together.

"What did you envision it to be like?" My wife looked at me with a sly smile, waggling her eyebrows as the elevator doors slid back. Roughly pulling her in, I had her pinned to the far wall as the doors slid shut. My hands moved to her chest, where I palmed her breasts through her thin costume, my lips attached to her neck, nibbling and licking, as I flexed my hips to press my erection against her.

"Filled with very naughty deeds." I breathed against the creamy skin of her neck as she moaned, her eyelids fluttering shut as the scent of her arousal hit in the air.

Oh yes, once Sookie was safe I would most certainly be claiming my wife before sunrise.

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**A/N **

**Meus dilectus (Latin) = my beloved**

**ps; if you want to see Ata's ring, google 'Harry Winston Belle engagement ring' :)**


	59. Crazy in Love

**A/N Happy holidays guys! I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year and stayed safe! **

**I want to thank you all for the wonderful reception to the last chapter, it was always my long-term goal to allow A and G to finally marry – even if it's only by vampire custom so far! I loved how many of you enjoyed the whole family being together, and I even smiled when I read that a few of you shed a couple of tears during Godric's little speech.**

**To my guest reviewer Pat, who helped me out with the laws regarding amendments to the constitution, thank you so much for the insight! As someone living in the UK writing this story is so difficult because I have no idea about anything in America, so your information was really helpful! I usually end up spending hour's googling stuff only to get conflicting information. When I go back and neaten up this story I'll be sure to count and have over 75% of states agreeing to it ;) Oh and I run on 15 week semesters, so I don't get another break now until the summer! :(**

**I'm using Creole in this chapter to represent Ancient Egyptian. I know some of the Ancient Egyptian language but not nearly enough to write full on paragraphs in it! I find Creole beautiful and quirky, the same as Ancient Egyptian! As per usual, translations for all languages used will be at the bottom of the chapter.**

**Oh and I'm seriously looking for a Beta, or two. I don't mind! I've worked with the first 30 or so chapters of this story but I know there are still errors all over the place, so if someone would be willing to go over it then PLEASE let me know. It would be great to get this story bang tidy! :)**

**Enjoy guys; I've loved exploring Sookie's mentality in this chapter! **

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**SOOKIE'S POV**

_I look and stare so deep in your eyes  
__I touch on you more and more every time  
__When you leave I'm beggin you not to go  
__Call your name two, three times in a row  
__Such a funny thing for me to try to explain  
__How I'm feeling and my pride is the one to blame  
__Yeah, cause I know I don't understand j__ust how your love can do what no on else can  
__Got me lookin' so crazy right now, y__our love's got me lookin' so crazy right now  
__Got me lookin' so crazy right now, your touch's g__ot me lookin' so crazy right now  
__Got me hoping you page me right now your kiss's, g__ot me hoping you save me right now  
__Lookin' so crazy your love's got me lookin' g__ot me lookin' so crazy your love  
__~ Crazy in Love, Beyonce_

I woke feeling groggy, and certainly not myself. I could still feel the remnants of the day's pain in my system, and it was with great effort that I managed to drag myself out of bed. We'd been enjoying our time in Egypt and now this, whatever this was, had to come along and ruin it. I sighed in frustration, as was becoming a common occurrence in my life, when I noticed I was as naked as a jaybird, and muscles I hadn't even realized I owned were aching. Dressing slowly, I took care of my human needs before I left the safety of the bedroom, after having slipped on my Gran's pearls. I wasn't foolish enough to think I was in any fit state to fight someone should we be snuck up on today.

Padding into the living room I was greeted with the sight of Ata on the phone, Jason and Hunter watching Spongebob Squarepants on TV and Flo busy cooking in the kitchen. The moment Ata saw me however she muttered something in a language I couldn't understand down the phone before she ended her call abruptly, a small smile on her lips as she drifted over to me. "Evening Sook." She greeted me softly, and I was thankful for her gentle tone. My head felt like it was on fire and I was seriously considering crawling back into bed with Eric and telling the world to go and stuff itself for a few more hours. Duty called however and I knew that I was in need of some answers.

"Hey Auntie Sookie." Hunter greeted me politely from the couch, turning to look at me but not moving from the spot, his tone just as soft as Ata's.

"Hey Sis." Jason followed suite before the two of them returned their attention to the television. I dropped my shields for a moment to find Hunter mentally absorbed in the show, and while Jason was too I was able to locate a fuzzy spot. Turning my eyes to my cousin I raised an eyebrow in question.

"_I won't apologize for it. Jason was a nightmare after he found out the seriousness of your condition and every few seconds he was thinking of going into your room, shoving Eric out of the way and running off with you. He thinks all this supernatural stuff is getting too much. I only glamoured him into complacency, nothing more." _My cousin explained with a delicate shrug of her shoulders as Flo placed two plates of strawberry cheesecake down on the counter, along with two glasses of water. "Eat up, you must be hungry." Ata swept to her own seat, pulling herself up onto it. I sat on the other one, albeit a little less elegantly.

I wasn't sure what to make of Ata glamouring Jason. True my brother was a pain in the ass most of the time, but he was still my brother and I still loved him, it was in his nature to be protective and possessive. On the other hand though, glamouring Jason into complacency had obviously made Ata's day a little easier, and I was sure that her glamour could in fact be undone if I set my mind to it. Then again, a more complacent and less irritating older brother could be a bonus given our current situation. I decided, for now, that glamouring Jason had been a good idea. I already had an over-possessive 1000-year-old Viking boyfriend to deal with, so I didn't need to add my brother to that as well. Eric was possessive and protective enough to be the equivalent of 100 Jason's.

"How long have I been out for?" I started with a simple question, grabbing the fork by my plate to break off a piece of cheesecake as Ata did the same.

"About six hours now, which is less than I would have thought. We ended up back here pretty earlier for some reason, usually the time zones would have put us here in the evening but it seems we jumped a few hours." My cousin frowned as she popped a piece of cake in her mouth, and it didn't take being a telepath to know that this was unusual for her.

"And what exactly happened to me?" I asked once we had both finished our mouthfuls. With a light sigh Ata placed her fork down, taking a sip of water before she spoke again.

"You received your first fae gift today Sookie. That was Niall on the phone and he's informed me of what your gift is." Ata turned in her seat to face me, her eyes the picture of honesty as I put my own fork down. Gently my cousin took my hands, and I allowed her to, seeing the glee starting to build up in her. "Sook, you can shape shift! You can become any animal in the world so long as you have seen one before, be it in real life, in a book, on the TV, anything. There is only one other person who's received such a gift from Niall, so it's an honor for you to have it."

For a moment I was unsure what to say. I had gained my first fae gift, and it was nothing like what I was expecting it to be! I'd been hoping for me to lose my telepathy, or for me to have a way to shut it off completely without having to deal with these darn shields in the least! To say I was disappointed was an understatement. "I guess this makes me more of a freak then eh?" I forced a nervous laugh, my mind racing at 100mph as I tried to make sense of everything. I had my telepathy, a common fae gift, and now I had the ability to turn into any animal at whim, just like Sam. It was all too much. All I wanted to be was 'Crazy Sookie' the barmaid.

Ata's face darkened the moment my words left my lips, and all emotion vanished from our connection. I tried to prod it in the same way I'd done with my connection to Eric when we'd been having one of our many lovers' spats, but I was met with a solid iron wall. Knowing my cousin was doing this on purpose hurt. "Look Ata, I don't want any more gifts. I've spent my whole life being tormented for being telepathic, for knowing everything that's going on in everyone's heads. I know everyone's secrets and those who aren't afraid of me think of me so badly. Can't you understand?" I sighed, pushing my now empty plate away from me.

"You're not the only one whose gifts have caused them grief, you know." My cousin's silence finally broke, and I swore there was a bitter tone to her voice, one that shocked me a little given her usually tender tone. "I grew up listening to my baby brother mentally beating himself because my mother's second husband wouldn't leave him alone. I've heard voices for over 2000 years, been left on this earth alone without any kind of fae kin to train me or help me for near enough that entire time too. I have had to glamour myself out of the history textbooks. I am a queen, and Egypt was my empire, and yet because of the length of our lives I've had to ensure that no one will remember me, I've had to stay in the shadows and pretend I'm a long lost descendant of the great Julius Caesar when in fact I am his only daughter by Cleopatra. I've had to spend my days with the most incredible people before I was forced to glamour them into forgetting me the moment sunset arrived. You don't have that problem, and at least your new gift will help get you out of bad situations. Mine only puts me in them." Ata was up off her feet before I had a chance to respond, leaving me in the room with a docile Jason, nervous looking Hunter and a sorrowful Flo.

"Miss Ata doesn't mean to lose her temper with you Miss Sookie. Today's a big day for her and her boys. She's so use to being alone too that she's unsure how to act with all this new company. She'll come around, I promise you." Flo reassured me, quickly tidying up the dishes Ata and I had left behind before she disappeared up the stairs behind the secret bookcase.

I guess in amongst all the chaos around us I had never really taken a moment to see things from my cousins' perspective. This was all new to her too, and she was finding it just as difficult as me to adjust. She suddenly had a house full of people who were for all intents and purposes her family, her long lost love was back in her arms after 2000 years apart and she had gained another son she never knew she had. Throw in Felipe wanting her for himself and it sounded very much like she and I were matched in the pity party department.

Sighing, I knew my cousin would need some time to cool off. We were very much alike and I often needed a moment after a heated debate to gather my thoughts. Sliding from the barstool I padded over to the lounge, placing myself down onto the sofa beside Hunter. "Auntie Sookie, can you really turn into any animal you want?" He turned to me, eyes wide.

A small smile passed over my lips at his childish glee and I figured there was no point in lying to my nephew. Giving a small nod I saw the cogs turning in Hunter's head. "Could you turn into a puppy for me, please?" he asked suddenly, tilting his head back to look up at me, giving me his own version of puppy-dog eyes.

"I can try. What kind of puppy would you like me to try and become?" I folded myself up onto the sofa, tucking my feet underneath me.

Hunter seemed to think for a moment before he decided. "A husky please. Momma said I wasn't allowed a puppy whenever I asked her for one, she told me that having one creature to look after is enough." The young boy before me shrugged though I could feel his pain at his mothers' lack of love. It angered me the way Hadley had treated Hunter, like he was a burden and a hindrance. As soon as all of this was over I would be filing Hadley's death certificate and adopting Hunter as my own, consequences be damned. He needed someone to look after him, to take care of him, and as Eric couldn't give me a biological child of my own, and we would probably end up adopting anyway, Hunter was as close as I would be able to get to the next generation of Stackhouse – or Northman – depending on Eric's view to on what Hunter's surname should be when filling out the adoption forms.

I was uncertain how to go about shifting, and there was no way I could ring Sam and ask, and Ata's mind was still blocked off from me. I'd have to guess. Pausing, I rolled my shoulders to loosen them up a bit before I rubbed my temples. Muttering a quick prayer under my breath I envisioned a small husky puppy that I had once seen on TV, gathering all of my light right into my core before I suddenly sent it shooting around my system. The sensation that followed was nauseating and I could feel myself changing into something completely new. It was a matter of seconds before I opened my eyes to find myself down on the sofa level, my world was suddenly plunged into a mass of different colours. Everything had been so bright and rich when I had been human, but now I was seeing the world as a dog would and everything wasn't as bright, nor was I seeing as many colours as I had before. I didn't feel right in this form though, I felt uncomfortable and off, awkward and physically itching to change into anything else. Scratching one of those itches I stopped as Jason laughed while looking at me. Turning to face the TV screen, which had now been turned off, I could see why he was laughing. I was a cute little husky, and my back leg was cocked up at an odd angle so I could scratch my annoying itch. "Auntie Sookie, can you turn into a turtle please?" I could hear Hunter's mental voice, though his physical voice was hard to distinguish in this form. I was aware of my clothes now on the sofa. That would be interesting when it came to turning back into a human again…

Pulling the image of a turtle from my mind I forced myself to change. Hunter, Jason and I kept this up for several changes before I started to feel the fatigue set in. It seemed I had mastered the ability almost instantly, but that it was taxing if constant shifts were required. All of the animals Hunter had me change into made me feel uncomfortable, until he asked me to become a cat, stating that they were more domestic animals and I wouldn't therefore look out of place in Ata's home. I decided to try and change into a black cat, similar to Salem Saberhagen from Sabrina. I'd loved that show as a child. The shifting sensation took over again and soon I was a little black cat, curled up on the sofa. I felt far more comfortable as a cat than any other form I had used. My comfort only increased the moment Ata swept back into the room, carrying her laptop. It was like a warm blanket had been wrapped around me, and I couldn't stop myself from purring in content against the sofa pillow I was sat on. My eyes had been half-closed, my pupils narrow and my tail still with my ears forward in contentment.

As Ata spotted me I felt our connection re-open, and the comfort feeling shift to one of love and adoration, but it was nothing like the love and adoration I felt from Eric. This one was almost motherly and I then remembered Ata's true identity within the Egyptian world as the feline goddess. "Yon chat kostim ou kouzen" She spoke softly, bending down to tickle my chin. If I were human I would have had no idea what she was saying, but it seemed my current form allowed me to understand her. I let out a happy meow in response, willing myself to tell Ata how comfortable I felt in my new form. The smile on her lips informed me that she understood.

Ata took the seat beside me and I rearranged myself so I was half sprawled across her lap as her laptop took up the rest of the room. "Jason, Hunter, could you do me a favour please and go and try on your costumes for me? If adjustments need to be made then we now have a few hours for them to be conducted." Ata offered the boys a smile, her mental walls still in place. I could tell it was her polite way of asking them to leave us alone for a while. Now that he was far easier to manage, Jason agreed before he took Hunter's hand, leading him out of the room. I would try to undo his glamour later.

One of Ata's dainty hands came down softly on the top of my head and she gave me a stroke. It felt like a mini massage and was utterly heavenly. "Mwen prezante eskiz sou pèdi tanperaman mwen avèk ou pi bonè. Mwen enkyete sou sa a aswè." My cousin sighed softly, giving me a tickle behind my ear before she opened up her emails. Turning my head I gave her a nudge, meowing my own apology to her. It was strange to not hear English leaving my mouth, but Ata understood me perfectly when a smile tugged at her lips.

"It's automatic for the fae to adjust to their gifts, and it seems you've picked it up very well. I didn't realize that I was using my glamour the first time it happened, when I was tricking the guards back home. It wasn't until my boys were turned that I realized what my gift was, and that it was uncommon for a fairy to receive it given its association with vampires. Of course Niall thought it fitted me perfectly." My cousin snorted, shaking her head with a smile on her features as she started to open up her new emails, many of which looked dull. We fell into companionable silence for a few minutes before Ata spoke again. "You'll find though that you'll soon run out of energy with excessive use of your gift. Your gift is taking from your light, which is of course powered by the sun. Though I suppose if you were outside in the daytime shifting then your power would be infinite, but then there would be plenty of witnesses for it. It's a double-edged sword really." She explained, once again using the beautiful language she had spoken to me in earlier. I was grateful that I could hear the thoughts of others, because even when Ata, along with Hunter and Jason, spoke English while I was in this form it didn't sound right to me. I could hear their mental voices though, which was how I had understood my cousin's conversation with my brother and nephew.

For another hour we sat together, Ata tapping away at her laptop, answering emails and adding last minute touches to the VRA party. I dozed in and out and was pleased to find that, unlike Sam, in my sleep I was able to retain my form. Every now and then Ata would scratch behind my ear. I wasn't sure if it was a comforting gesture from her or if it was quelling her nerves. I could feel them through our bond, bubbling away inside of her. This evening was important to me too, as it would help build my future with Eric, but it was even more important to my cousin. I gave her my silent strength knowing she was just in need of a companion right now.

Ata sat upright for a moment, her head whipping to the door before she smiled. "The Were security team for this evening are here, would you like to join me in speaking to them?" She asked, shutting the lid of her laptop. I'd been dozing happily but the mention of Were's had me alert instantly. Rising to stand on all fours I decided to sit, tipping my head sideways at Ata. "You can remain a cat if you want, I'm sure they'll pass on the chance to bark at you." My cousin teased with a light laugh.

Not feeling comfortable with Ata effectively going alone, with me as a little black cat for company, I meowed my dislike of the situation. I liked being a cat, I could handle it, but there was no way I was allowing Ata to go down there alone! Sighing quietly, my cousin seemed at a loss with what to do. "What would you have me do then?" She put the question to me. I mulled it over for a moment. We couldn't invite them in here, they'd smell all the vampires and know they were resting nearby, but at the same time Ata couldn't ignore them.

Then it struck me.

Leaping down from the sofa I padded to a fairly large empty space before I gathered my light inside of me once again, throwing it around my body. Opening my eyes I looked to my cousin, my enhanced vision allowing me to see my reflection in her wide eyes. "A 500lbs Bengal tiger. I so should have thought of that…' she mused, reining in her surprise which I could clearly feel. "Pearls!" Ata remembered, having been playing with her promise ring, the ring that doubled as her security measure against others. My cousin disappeared for a moment before she returned with my bracelet and a strip of silk. Slipping the bracelet onto the strip of silk, Ata fell gracefully to her knees before me, tying the silk around my neck. My current size meant that I wouldn't be able to wear my bracelet around my wrist, my paw even, so tying it around my neck at least kept it in contact with my new body. Sparing a glance to her hand I double-checked that her promise ring was still in place.

Together we left the safety of the penthouse, taking the elevator down onto the first floor. The crowds of people milling around stopped to watch Ata and I as we padded through the building, tourists pulled out their phones to take a photo of us, clearly not expecting there to be a tiger milling around. I stayed close to Ata's side, mainly because I didn't wish for us to part, but also because of the crowds of people. I didn't want any of them to feel threatened or uneasy. Moving through the casino, parts of which were still covered in tarpaulin from the bombing, we reached a door at the back of the room and placing her thumb on a small keypad by the door Ata was granted access. Entering the room behind her, I was surprised to see a beautiful office. The walls were painted a light yellow, the floor was made of wood and so was all of the furniture. It was modern but sturdy, long lasting and enduring. Ata's desk sat on a rug near the back of the room and to the left of it sat a seating area with multiple, comfortable looking, brown leather sofas. There was an archway behind the sofas, through which I could spot a huge bookshelf crammed with books and a long conference table. We were only in the room for a few minutes, enough time for me to have a good sniff around, before a knock at the door signaled the arrival of the Were's. Ata and Ari's scents were the strongest in the room and as I'd walked past her desk I'd spotted a framed photograph of Ata and all of her boys stood outside Caesar's Palace on the night of its grand opening.

"Do come in." Ata gestured for our company to enter as I padded over to the sofas, sitting myself down in front of the single armchair. Ata's scent was strongest here so I assumed it was hers.

Four male Were's entered the room, freezing in their tracks the moment they spotted me. "Miss Caesar, I do believe there is a tiger in your office." One of them pointed out. He was tall and well built, as all Were's were, but something about him was screaming out at me. Thankfully Ata was translating for me through our mental connection. English still sounded strange as a tiger too.

"And there is one in my bed too, but lets not get into that." My cousin effectively dismissed the conversation. If tigers could laugh I would have been. I was sure Godric would appreciate the compliment. "Can I get you gentleman anything?" Ata shifted into the hostess role, but all men shook their heads. Ata took her seat in the armchair, and I made sure to sit tall at her side, sizing up each of the men in turn. A part of me had an urge to growl at them and bear my teeth, but I knew Ata would be unhappy if I did. One of my cousins' hands came over the armchairs arm to land on the nape of my neck, which she affectionately scratched for me. Looking at the man who had spoken I scowled, sifting through my memories until I found his face. Colonel John Flood! He was the new pack master of the area? Last time I'd met him had been with Alcide back in Louisiana, when we had first found out that Russell was giving the local Were pack V in order to keep them under his control. At the time the Colonel had been thinking of running. Seemed like he'd followed through and settled on down in Vegas. I was happy for him.

Clearing her throat, Ata kept a secure hand on me. "So, security for this evening…"

Two hours passed as Ata spoke with the Were's regarding the security for the VRA party, and she was assured that nothing would happen. I didn't pay too much attention to the information being shared. Instead I spent my time throwing out my mental net, listening in on the thoughts of the Were's. Ever since I had been able to hear vampire thoughts, Were thoughts were clearer and a little louder. It was easier to block them out though, but I wanted to know every little detail. If something happened to ruin Ata's night I would stake someone, or at least hit him or her with a few silver bullets first. As the meeting drew to a close, Colonel Flood reached inside his jacket and produced a velvet package. Cautiously he held it out to Ata, a light frown dancing on her features as she took it from him carefully. "The lady with the all-seeing eye told me you would know what to do with this. She gave it to me yesterday knowing I would see you today."

Ata felt the weight of the item, pursing her lips together in contemplation before she nodded her thanks to the men, dismissing them. They all stood, leaving to deal with the final security touches for the party. Alone in the room with the door secure, I allowed myself to shift back to my usual form, grabbing the nearest pillow to cover myself. "There's a spare dress in the conference room." My cousin mumbled towards me as she continued to play with the velvet bundle. Awkwardly shifting myself into the conference room, for fear of flashing my cousin, I found her spare dress and hastily pulled it over my head. It was a perfect fit, salmon pink in colour with lace and frills. The plunging neckline helped me with the girls, who were no longer supported thanks to my lack of bra.

Returning to Ata, I took a seat beside her. "What's in the bundle?" I asked, feeling Ata's curiosity matching my own. With a shrug and a flick of her wrist, Ata pulled back the velvet wrapping to reveal an ancient looking scabbard made of bronze. Images of animals were embossed into the metal, and the ornate detail made it a beautiful piece. I could clearly see the bronze and blue handle of the blade hiding inside of the scabbard and I was captivated with the craftsmanship. I could appreciate well-made things. Granddaddy Earl had made a lot of the furniture in Gran's house, and you could tell he had put a lot of love into them.

"It's the pledging knife." Ata whispered, her eyes as wide as saucers as she turned the scabbard over, slowly withdrawing the blade. It was made of bronze too, but looked like it had been dulled over the years. I was sure that if it were wielded properly it would cause serious damage, but just by looking at it, it appeared harmless.

"What's the pledging knife?" I asked as my cousin slowly sheathed the blade. A soft smile passed over her lips as she snorted quietly, wrapping the scabbard and blade back up in the velvet packaging.

"The pledging knife is used between humans and vampires. It's what binds them, pledges them. Hence the name." My cousin stroked the velvet wrapping, and I could tell she was mentally working something out.

"Binds them?" I frowned, not quite following. Surely a blood bond bound a vampire and a human together, not a blade.

"Marriage – the most binding of them all. You're pledging yourself to one other being in the world, giving yourself to them entirely. The marriage created by a pledging is a sacred bond and all those witnessing the joining would be duty bound to protect the marriage." Ata answered me softly. I was aware of how wrong Ata's previous attempts at marriage had gone.

"The Ancient Pythoness gave that to you, the Were's were just the middle-men. Do you think…?" I trailed off, unsure if I was right in assuming that the old vampiress had witnessed the passing of the VRA.

"No." Ata's response was startlingly quick as she turned to face me, a soft smile on her lips, her eyes alive with the answer to her next sentence. "She's asking me if I'm ready to try again anyway."

* * *

The moment the VRA was announced to have passed in Louisiana I couldn't help but be proud of my home state. Even though we had a high concentration of people hating on vampires, as we were far less cosmopolitan than states such as California, New York and Nevada, we had still all pulled together to give them the same rights as humans. I was proud that enough of those in Louisiana had gotten over their hatred for fangs to help pass the VRA. I could feel the joy pouring off of Eric and before I had time to stop him his lips were on mine, his arms locked around my waist as he pulled me closer for a fierce hug. I was hyper-aware of the cameras on us, but I felt safe in his arms, treasured even, and there was no way I was going to let anything ruin this moment, his moment. "Congratulations." I whispered up to him as he released my lips, tipping my head back slightly to take in his entire 6'4 frame. Eric's grin was infectious and I couldn't be happier for him, or myself. Now we could legally adopt Hunter, we could buy a house together and get married… _Hold your horses Stackhouse! _I mentally admonished myself. Ata had spent the entire day talking about pledging herself to Godric, and getting married by human custom in the future. All of her marriage talk was starting to wear off on me. Sparing a glance to the usually impassive Pam, I could easily make out the relief on her pretty features. This was a big change for her too. Though she had spent less time in the shadows than Eric, it would still massively impact her.

I remained silent, holding onto Eric's hand tightly as the other round of states were announced, and as Nevada was called out last I felt all the stress and worry that had been on my cousin's mind evaporate into thin air. Seeing her embrace her boys made me feel nostalgic. Their bonds were much more than mother and child; they were one another's support systems, one another's foundations. Seeing them together made me miss Lafayette and Tara. I'd grown up with them and they were practically my brother and sister. If I had been without either of them growing up I would've probably been locked away in an asylum for life. I loved Jason and he was my sibling by blood, but nothing could damage my bonds with Tara and Lafayette. As the three outcasts at school we had all stuck together and the friendship that had transpired between us was much stronger than any of the other friendships my peers had made with one another. I still saw Tara and Lafayette on a daily basis but I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen, or heard, of J.B DuRone and Jason hanging out together at Merlotte's, or anywhere else for that matter. I wondered if Tara and Lafayette missed me as much as I missed them. I wondered what they were doing right now. Had Tara returned to New Orleans to be with her girlfriend or was she still comforting Lafayette over the loss of Jesus back in Bon Temp? I had no way of knowing without the risk of exposing them to my current situation. Too many people had either been hurt or killed because of me and I was not about to let my two best friends suffer in any capacity.

I watched as Godric approached my cousin, expecting him to simply offer his congratulations, so the moment he sank down to one knee before her stunned me. I found myself holding my breath, willing my body to be silent so that I wouldn't ruin the moment occurring before me. His words to Ata washed over me and, still listening to him proposing, I took the opportunity to think more on my relationship with Eric.

We had very few memories together, and most of them usually consisted of one, or both, of us being in a perilous situation and needing the others assistance. I'd ratted out Longshadow for Eric, I'd gone into the Fellowship for him and nearly been raped if Godric hadn't of come to my rescue. Eric sheltered me from the bomb in Godric's nest, getting his blood into my system too to start weaning me off of my unhealthy relationship with Bill. Then there was the whole sticky mess with Russell, the fang raping and the subsequent semi-burning that I thought had led to Russell's demise. Throw in Eric purchasing my house during my absence and restoring it to its former glory, along with his following bout of amnesia and the witches and it had seemed, over the years, that we had scratched one another's backs numerous times. Did he think the way Godric did? Did he love every little thing I did or said? Would Eric ever be the sort of man to get down on one knee and offer me a ring, commit himself to me fully until death do us part? He'd said before that he wanted to marry me; it was a topic he'd brought up a lot these past few days. When we'd been watching the videos of the day he'd questioned me about it, and then there was his bedtime confession that he wanted to put a ring on my finger and introduce me to everyone as his wife. Did I even want to get married?

I was snapped out of my daze as my cousin tumbled to her knees before the man she loved, the man she had spent 2000 years waiting for. Would I ever get to know a love like that? In 2000 years time would Eric still love me, would he still want me? I couldn't imagine the sort of love between my cousin and Godric. Their beginning hadn't been pleasant, but then the same could most certainly be said for Eric and I, and yet their happy ending didn't seem too far off. Would I finally get a happy ending? Could I have my little white picket fence country house, with a neatly trimmed lawn and pretty rose bushes?

Ata's eyes sought out mine as Godric slipped the band onto her finger, and I knew what was coming. I offered her a wide smile, feeling her happiness through our connection. My cousin deserved happiness after 2000 years apart, and if a third bond would allow her to give Godric the sunshine then she would no longer be lonely in the day. They could have one another 24/7. That was another thing – the third bond. Would Eric grow to resent that, feel too tied down by it? Ata mentioned that it was permanent, forever. I could give him the sunshine though; allow him to walk in the day after 1000 years of nighttime.

Nodding at Ata I pushed strength and reassurance through the bond we had formed when we had exchanged blood. It felt a little stronger recently, more secure, like it had finally anchored inside of both of us. I watched as my cousin offered the knife out to her bonded, and the moment it was revealed to the audience my mind was bombarded with the thoughts of all vampires presents.

"_How on earth did she get the pledging knife?"_

"_Shit, this means it's our duty to ensure no one breaks their bonds now."_

"_I think they're pretty cute together."_

"_Good girl. Ensure you are bound together tightly, it's the only way." _

The last voice threw me through the loop. It sounded like it came from a vampire mind and yet I couldn't be sure. Throwing my telepathy out I tried to pick up on the mental voice again but I couldn't locate it anywhere in the crowd. I took note of what I'd heard though, so that I could inform Ata later.

"_We must kneel before them when they rise, if we approve of their union." _Eric broke through my thoughts. Turning my head to look up at my vampire I nodded in understanding, wondering if our nest would ever kneel before us if we ever decided to pledge by the knife. My eyes returned to Ata as she was given her new title of wife. Our strong connection, that felt secure inside of me, was screaming out with glee. I'd spent my life wanting to see others happy, putting my happiness on the back burner, but seeing my cousin happy made me happy. It was as if, in some way, we were the same person. Moving towards Ata and Godric as they rose, I dropped to my knees with the rest of our nest, approving wholeheartedly of their union. My cousin even got to keep her maiden name.

The party picked back up and I moved straight to my cousin, grabbing her hand to inspect the rock upon her finger. It was beautiful, smothered in diamonds and perfectly befitting of her. It looked right on her finger, like it belonged there. Would a ring look good on my finger? Subconsciously I reached down to play with my ring finger. I'd never thought of marriage before the vampires came out of the coffin and I became involved with Bill. I'd resigned myself to growing old alone with hundreds of cats in Gran's house. Being in a relationship with a human had been out of the question. I didn't want to spend my life hearing them. There were of course others, like Sam, who were harder to read. Knowing now though that they were either Were or Shifter put me off too. Glancing across the room to Eric, who was stood with Godric, I tried to imagine what it would be like to marry him. He'd proven over the years I had known him that he was dependable, loyal, loving, yet with that fierce edge that had us clashing horns on occasion. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world though. He was magnificent the way he was.

He'd made no secret of his wish to marry me, to tie us together so tightly that no one could part us, and if I was being honest with myself there was no one out there I would rather marry. The other day, when we had been watching the video of the day I had spent with Ata, I had panicked over the concept of marriage, having resigned myself to live single for the rest of my life. Watching my cousin though, the way she blended with Godric, the way she was proud to be his and wear his ring, how she had handed him the pledging knife without an ounce of fear, it made me stop to think. Their marriage made them equals. They owned one another. That was my biggest fear, to be treated like an object to be coveted. Eric had thought of me that way at first, as I'm sure Godric had thought that way about Ata too, but his feelings had shifted, just like Eric's. He wanted us as equals. I wanted us as equals. Maybe marriage wasn't something to be afraid of; maybe it was just what I needed. It offered security, a sense of belonging, it would make Eric and I equals in the eyes of all supernaturals. More importantly though it would make Eric happy, and if I was being honest then it would make me happy too. I would get my dream of tying the knot to a man that was more than worthy of my love, a man who had proven that he would stand by my side no matter what was thrown our way. We'd face the world together. _Eric and Sookie Northman._

Accepting that I wanted to wed my vampire felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Ata's eyes moved to me as I looked back to her, having finally taken my eyes off of my vampire. A knowing smile crossed her lips as she raised her free hand, tapping the spot just above her heart that I had come to associate with the location of our bond. Sometimes it frightened me just how much my Egyptian cousin knew me.

It was a few hours later that I found myself at the bar with Eric and Godric. Ata was off dancing with the other Sheriff's, captivating the audience. She was graceful and nimble, raised to the highest of standards. I couldn't help but feel a little inferior in her company, but then she was born and raised royalty. I was born into the royal fae bloodline but not raised that way, and that was where the difference lay. Though everyone treated Ata like royalty, it was only Eric who treated me that way. I was more than fine with that though. The last thing I wanted was more attention. Eric was leaning across the bar, ordering me a glass of water. I had Godric on my other side, shielding one half of me, and Eric was shielding the other half.

"_End the blonde fucker he said, the scary tall one with the pretty blonde lady beside him. Fuckin' fanger needs to meet my stake!" _The manic, possessed voice broke into my thoughts, coming ever closer. There was only scary tall blonde in the room, and he was stood to my left. I stiffened instinctively, deciding rapidly to warn the whole room.

"STAKE!" I screamed, not caring for my own safety as I put myself between the crazed man and Eric. I wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Eric. I needed him, alive. The makeshift stake came down seconds after I put myself in the way, tearing through the side of my body. The pain was unbearable and I couldn't stop my scream of pain. Eric was fine though and that thought soothed me a little as I started to sob in pain. The next few seconds were a blur; my eyes screwed shut meant I couldn't see what was going on around me. I could hear Ata barking out orders and then I felt myself being lifted by a familiar pair of arms. I couldn't stop my howl of pain and I felt my Eric wince through our bond before a whoosh of air rushed over me.

We were in the lift, the wooden stake protruding from my side, before I opened my eyes a crack. Eric's beautiful face was looming over me, concern etched on his features. "You're safe." I croaked, my throat sore from my screams.

"My stupid fairy, that was a crazy thing for you to do." I heard Eric whisper, the red tears welling up in his eyes before he fought them back as the lift came to a stop at the penthouse. I was aware of another brain signature with us – Oeri – and I was pleased that the vampire 'doctor' was with us.

"I couldn't risk you being hurt, I love you." I croaked out, coughing a little as I tried to pull air into my sore lungs.

"As I love you." Eric's soft whisper of a response reverberated in my ears, and that was all that mattered. No one had harmed **my **Viking.

Staring up at the ceiling, I felt the hard surface of Ata's coffee table underneath me. It seemed to be becoming a trend for Ata and I, when we sustained injuries to be sprawled out over this piece of wooden furniture. "Out of the way vampire, let me tend to the girl." I heard Ludwig's unmistakable sneer nearby. Eric moved aside to allow Ludwig access to me, but he kept my small hand in his large one, the pad of his thumb rubbing over the back of my hand in a long, soothing motion. The side of my body in which the stake was embedded in felt numb, and I could feel my sticky blood on my bare skin, seeping through my costume, causing it to stick to me in the most disgusting of ways.

I heard the elevator ding once more and although Ludwig's eyes never left my wound as she examined it she still knew who had just entered the room. "Mr. and Mrs. Caesar-Nervii, congratulations are due of course but I feel that Miss Stackhouse's wellbeing is top priority at the moment." The old doctor spoke, pulling on a pair of latex glove. Tipping my head sideways I watched as my cousin knelt on the other side of me, placing a soothing hand on my forehead. She made quiet shushing noises, pushing and tugging at our bond, filling it with care and reassurance. Ludwig placed her hands on the stake in my side and I knew what was about to happen. Digging my nails into Eric, who was still holding my hand, as if we were doing something else, I screwed my eyes shut to brace myself for what was coming. I felt dampness on my fingers seconds later and the realization that I had drawn blood worried me for a moment, but I figured he wouldn't mind.

"Let go," I heard him advise me, and I loosened my grip on his hand. "No, not of me," I could hear the smile in his voice. "You can hold on to me as long as you want."

Eric's cheesy line was the exact distraction I needed. I didn't even see it coming. One moment the stake was lodged deep inside of me, and the next it was free and in the hands of the tiny doctor. Of course the distraction didn't stop my screams of pain, nor did it stop me cursing to the heavens, albeit not in English. "FUTUO!" I screamed between sobs, letting go of Eric to try and grasp at my side. His reflexes were faster though and he pinned my hands down before I could touch the wound.

"It could become infected, Sookie." He tried to rationalize with the sensible side in me. It hurt though, so much. It hurt more than when I had learnt of Bill's deceit, it hurt more than knowing that Bill was trying to kill Eric, it hurt more than the moment I had walked in to see Gran laying on the floor in a pool of her own blood after René, or Drew**,** killed her. My body felt like it was on fire and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in the corner and die.

"You can give her blood now Northman. I expect payment by the end of the week." Ludwig was gone before I could even thank her, but I figured the old troll disliked being thanked anyway. She didn't strike me as a people person.

I felt myself being moved and a second later Eric was pressing his wrist to my mouth. Feeling his blood on my lips I opened my mouth, latching on securely. Daring to open my eyes I squinted in the bright light, capturing Eric's eyes a second later. Blood tracks were evident down his face and there was pain in his stormy blue eyes. As his wound closed over I released his wrist. "What's the matter?" I croaked up at him, awkwardly reaching up from my position on his lap to touch his left cheek, my fingers trailing through the blood track I found there.

"I hurt with you. I bled with you - not only because we're bonded but because of the love I have for you." He whispered. Touched by his honesty I felt myself on the verge of my own tears, but a hand on my ankle drew my attention that way. Looking down, I spotted Ata at my feet, one of her slender hands on my ankle, a faint green glow around it. She was healing me, using her light and our bond to repair my side and my emotions. Allowing the gesture I noticed Godric lingering at my side, his eyes on my wound.

"Det kommer inte att läka, hon behöver mer blod och för att det ska vara förseglade." He spoke to Eric, who too looked to my wound before nodding.

"Kan en av er stänger det då snälla?" I mumbled, unaware that I was uttering in Eric's native language until his shock tumbled through our bond.

"Sookie, where did you learn my language?" Eric asked me, raising his wrist to his mouth to bite into it.

"She's hearing if from your mind, Eric. You usually think in your native language and then speak in English, translating as you go. She's learning from your mind." Ata interrupted my answer, not that I had an answer anyway. I had no idea I was even doing that.

Eric's wrist was back in front of my mouth but just before I latched onto it I looked over to Godric. "Can you seal it for me, please?" I begged him. With a nod my bonded's father was beside me, crouched over me. His tongue went to work immediately, licking dried blood away, his saliva acting as a disinfectant. I even felt a few drops of his blood hit my skin and I realized he was helping to heal me too. Taking Eric's wrist back into my mouth I sucked on the wound, taking long, deep pulls of his blood. I could feel myself starting to heal but I was tired and feeling light-headed.

"She's lost a lot of blood, the rapid repletion is wrecking havoc with her body." I could hear Ata in the background but she sounded far away, the edges of my vision were starting to blacken but I was determined to keep my focus on Eric's cerulean orbs.

Prying his wrist from my mouth, I whimpered at the loss of Eric only to feel the loss of Ata moments later as she let go of my ankle. I was still in pain, but she had alleviated most of it. I was grateful that she was allowing Godric to clean and heal my wound for me. I was aware of the magnitude of the gesture she was making. I felt her warm hands on my side when Godric's cool tongue left my body, and seconds later I felt a gust of wind as my clothes were taken off of me. What felt like a bandage was being wrapped around my torso and I forced myself to keep my eyes open and on Eric, not wanting to pass out for the umpteenth time since vampires had come out of the coffin.

"Let it take you, lover. I'll take care of you, I promise." Eric hushed me, stroking my hair and face in repeated, soothing motions. Unable to fight the darkness any longer I gave in, placing all of my trust in the one man I knew would keep his word.

* * *

**ATA POV**

_This is the end, hold your breath and count to ten  
__Feel the earth move and then hear my heart burst again  
__For this is the end, I've drowned and dreamt this moment  
__So overdue I owe them, swept away, I'm stolen  
__Let the sky fall when it crumbles  
__We will stand tall, face it all together  
__Let the sky fall when it crumbles  
__We will stand tall, face it all together  
__At Skyfall  
__~ Skyfall, Adele_

The moment Sookie passed out I breathed a sigh of relief. The fae healed quicker when they were either asleep or unconscious as our bodies didn't have to try and do everything at once, it could focus on healing itself, on using our light to mend any damage.

Falling back onto my haunches I ran a hand over my forehead, removing the light sheen of sweat from my skin. "I'm going to put her in bed." Eric's voice broke through the silence, though he sounded bleak and miserable. Doing nothing but nodding I let him go on his way, my gaze moving to Godric who was wiping his mouth.

"Ata I…" I could tell he was about to apologize for tasting her but I held my hand up to silence him, offering a reassuring smile.

"She's my cousin, she and I share a tie and you helped to save her. I am not angry in the slightest. Thank you, my husband." I rose shakily to my feet, feeling a little weak from the use of my healing light. Before I even had time to fall Godric was beside me, his arm around my waist as he led me to the sofa. Sookie's blood was pooled on the table and on the carpet. I would have to call in the professionals to clean the place in the morning.

"Take from me, my wife." My husband's bleeding wrist appeared in front of my mouth and I latched on, taking four deep pulls before I let go, not wanting to weaken him. Eric re-emerged a second later, his eyes on the pool of Sookie's blood on the table. I could see the hurt there, the worry and the relief that for now she was safe. He went to move to the kitchen but I beat him to it, using my teleportation skill.

"Let my boys do this before they rest for the day. I'll have cleaners come in and deal with the carpet during the day." I ordered softly. Eric's features hardened and I knew I would have a fight on my hands if I didn't stop this soon. Raising one of my hands I placed it against his cheek, stroking his cheekbone lightly. "Go and sit my son, let me clean you up." Eric's features softened at my words and he lent into the palm of my hand, nodding slowly before he shuffled back to the sofas, seating himself beside Godric. I wasn't use to seeing Eric this way and I was sure he had never acted like this before. His concern for Sookie and her wellbeing was gnawing away at him.

Taking a new cloth from under the sink I drenched it in water before I wrung it out. Padding back to my husband and Childe I took a seat on the other side of Eric. He turned to face me and I gently took his face in my free hand, using the damp cloth to start to clean the blood tracks from his face. "She'll be fine, min son. Do not worry. I'll take care of her in the day while you rest." I soothed him as I wiped away the blood on his left cheek. Eric lent into my hand, a low purr resonating from his chest. From the corner of my eye I spotted Godric placing one of his hands on Eric's knee in a reassuring gesture. With one cheek clean I moved on to the other.

"Thank you." I heard my blonde haired Childe rasp as I finished cleaning him up. Dropping a kiss to his forehead I went to move to the kitchen to throw the cloth away when I felt a cool hand on my wrist. Looking at the large hand I glanced up to the equally large man it belonged to. "I want to be your Childe, please, change me." He all but begged. I was lost with what to do. His request was so sudden and I couldn't help but wonder what was fueling it. I wanted to change Eric, make him the Childe of both Godric and I, but there was a party downstairs, it was my wedding night and Sookie was just seriously wounded. "You're married to Godric now, I want to tie us together tighter, as Maker and Childe." He answered my unspoken question. I knew all too well why he was doing this now. It was evident that Russell, Felipe and Bill were closing in on us, and Eric wanted all his ducks in a row.

Sensing my conflict, Eric's face dropped a little, but he put on a smile to try and cover it up. Seeing his sadness, the vulnerability he was showing, I took it upon myself to pull him into my arms.

"Come then, let me make you our son." I relented, instantly earning myself a grin from Eric. I was royally fucked. All Eric had to do was pull the puppy dog eyes and I'd cave. He was a mummy's boy indeed. I caught my new husband smiling happily and I offered one hand out to him, the other to Eric.

"_Boys, I'm about to give you a new brother so do not worry if I shut down our bonds to alleviate any pain you may feel. This shouldn't take very long so please hold the fort until I'm finished." _I threw out to all my Children, tagging an extra bit to Ari asking him to inform Pam of the changes so that she would understand where Eric's pain would be coming from.

"We'll need donor blood, there is plenty in the fridge." I informed Godric, letting go of his hand long enough for him to gather supplies before the three of us moved up into the training room. There would be plenty of time before sunrise, enough time to change Eric and bind him to us both, and time for me to be alone with my new husband too.

"_What of Oscar?" _Khai mentally interrupted me. I internally sighed at the thought of the young vampire. I was so fond of him but I didn't have the time or the energy to change them both now.

"_He will be done at a later date." _I responded nonchalantly, adding it as another entry onto my mental to-do list.

Up in the training room I sat in the middle, bringing Eric with me. He sat neatly before me, something I admired given his sheer size. "This will be painful, and there is no going back. Unlike with my other Children I won't have to drain you down all the way, instead I'm going to only go half way, so you are as much mine as you are Godric's." I explained as Godric sat beside me, placing the donor blood down in front of us. "I'm going to grab supplies, and I'm going to grab some empty donor bags to put your blood that we extract in. I'll keep it locked away in a compartment of the fridge for Sookie's use should she ever be injured in the day if you wish?" I offered, not wanting to waste his blood.

"I understand. I agree that is the best thing to do, knowing how much trouble she gets into." A smile crossed his lips and I couldn't help but laugh softly. Usually if a human were causing a vampire trouble the vampire would either end them or leave them, but Eric had stuck by my cousin through all the years, loved her unconditionally, and it was another reason why I had no qualms in having him as my Childe. He had been company for my Godric for 1000 years, and before that he had been company for my Egor too. He would blend straight into the nest – my family.

"The pain will begin when I offer you my blood and invoke the Ancient Ones to help change you. As you take from me I will take from Godric as he takes from the donor bags. In reality I'm half draining myself to change you, so Godric's blood is much needed." I informed Eric, glancing to my husband who nodded his understanding.

"When you made Ari your son this way, my darling, whose blood were you taking then?" Godric spoke up, frowning somewhat as he thought about how I had changed my first boy.

The memory of the night made me shiver. We had been in an old abandoned storeroom and it had been cold, bitterly so. I was feeling it more than my boys but we had been determined to do it. I had drained down Ari before I more or less gave him all of the blood in my body. I'd passed out from the blood loss only to find Ari feeding me a little of his blood to bring me around. I'd been weak for days but it had been the start of our deep bond. "Ari gave me his blood after I passed out from blood loss. It is why my tie with him is deeper than it is with the rest of our Children. His blood was the first to anchor within me, and mine within him. When his brothers were all changed the ties became muddled and confused for a while, but Ari's always stood strong." I answered honestly, having no need to lie.

Placated for now, Godric placed a hand on my knee in a fashion very similar to earlier when he had been comforting Eric. "Unfortunately, this pain could cause you to lash out so…" I trailed off, not really liking my suggestion.

"You will need to silver me. I understand. I couldn't bare it if I harmed you while you were doing this for me." My soon-to-be new son instantly understood and I was grateful for his willingness to be silvered for my safety. Flashes of his thoughts ran through my mind, the memory of him willingly accepting to be silvered and killed in the Fellowship church in order to save Sookie and Godric.

"I'll be back in one second." I excused myself, getting up to move towards the storeroom. This moderately sized room held everything I could ever want in it fir training, religious purposes or simply for relaxing. Grabbing several empty blood bags, a few sterilized needles and tubes along with a few thin lengths of silver. Returning to Godric and Eric I noted them having a silent conversation, which ended the moment I sat down. Placing all the items out on the floor I took one needle from its packaging, connecting it to a length of tube which I then connected to a donor bag. "Don't worry about the silver just yet." I pushed it behind me, knowing how with some vampires simply the sight of it would worry them. Of course Eric would never admit to being afraid of silver, but it was ingrained in everyone to be frightened of his or her weakness. Gesturing for him to lay down he did as I asked and it took me only a second to find Eric's vein in the crook of his elbow. I felt him clamp his bonds to everyone shut just as I slid the needle in. His hiss of pain was an automatic reaction, along with the dropping of his fangs, but he controlled himself as his blood started to flow through the once clear tube into the empty bag at the other end.

My husband sat on edge, ready to strike and subdue Eric at any moment should he lash out. I knew he wouldn't though, a part of me knew that because he had willingly accepted this then he would be fine. Shuffling across the floor I sat behind him, gently pulling his head onto my lap. Running my fingers through his blonde locks in slow, methodical strokes I could feel him starting to relax. "It's okay my boy, I've got you." I reassured him gently, poking at our now closed bond. "Let us in, let us help." I reasoned with him. Although his eyes were now closed and with his silent heart some may have mistaken him for truly dead, I could feel him opening our bond a fraction. His emotions came tumbling out but Godric and I were quick to scoop them back up and absorb them into us so they didn't fester and turn into something negative and disgusting inside our boy.

We sat in silence for 15 minutes and I could feel Eric weakening considerably with each passing minute. I'd kept my place at his head, soothing him as best I could while Godric changed over full donor bags for empty ones, zipping to the fridge and back to store the full ones. Reaching for the silver strands I pushed at our bond a little harder and Eric's eyes snapped open, they were hazy from his blood loss and I could see it was taking every fiber of his being not to loose control and drain me dry to sate his thirst. Showing him the silver I silently asked for permission, and the gentle wave of reassurance was all I needed.

Dropping the threads onto his wrists quickly, so as not to cause him any more pain than necessary, I heard him hiss out, cursing in his native language. I apologized profusely in his native tongue in response. My hands were shaking as I took a clean needle, attaching it to a new length of tube.

With Eric now half drained down I removed the needle from his arm, leaving the intravenous line in. Godric was by my side, his own fangs down from the feeling of Eric's pain. Glancing to my bonded, my husband, he nodded for me to go ahead. Offering the crook of my arm to him he licked, bringing up my vein, which I then jabbed the needle into, wincing at the sting. Before any of my blood could escape from the other end I attached it to the intravenous in Eric's arm, giving the tube a squeeze to encourage the blood flow. I didn't bother to suppress the toxicity, knowing that the moment my blood blended with Eric's the toxicity would be counterbalanced.

Knowing what to do Godric took a needle and attached it to another tube before he placed an intravenous line in my free arm. Hooking everything up I soon had his blood flowing into my system as he tore into the donor bags. "I'm sorry my boy, it won't last long." I apologized down to Eric who had screwed his eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable pain.

Taking a shaky breath I recalled the words I hadn't uttered in over 1000 years, back when I had changed both Egor and Agmund into my Children. "Hemuset, mwen rele sou ou, o fanm nan plak pwotèj yo ak flèch Travelers, pwoteje pitit gason m 'Eric Northman ak mare l' fè m 'nan yon fason ki sèlman yon manman ak yon timoun kapab konnen. M'ap mande nou pwoteje l 'yo, lespri lavi l' ak nanm, e mwen mande nan nou, o apa pou Goddess, si sò ka mare nou." Eric's yells of pain started the moment I finished my first paragraph, and our slightly open bond allowed me to feel his agony as my blood started to take effect. I was, in essence, changing his biological make-up, rearranging the magic in his remaining blood to respond to both Godric and I, forcing my blood to respond to both Godric and I.

"Nut, mwen rele sou ou, o Goddess nan syèl la ak latè a, manman nan Isis, gadyen nan zetwal, ki gen wòl se nan sa yo ki an solèy yo re-nesans. Chanje m 'nan manman an, pwotèktè. kite m 'ankouraje Northman Eric, moun ki mouri e li te re-fèt. Kite m 'pataje yon kosyon avè l' renmen manman an ak pitit gason, kòm byen ke nan yon sèl la li te pataje ak mari m 'kòm papa l' ak pitit gason. Se pou nou tou de pou pwoteje l ', li renmen l', pran swen l ', li nouri l', jan sèlman ou menm ak Isis la Great kapab." I finished my second paragraph, feeling woozy from the rapid exchanging of blood. I could feel we were near completion though. Eric's yells had turned into whimpers and groans padding out the other high-pitched noises leaving his mouth. Red tracks ran down his face, as they did down the face of my husband too. My own tears were flowing as I felt my bond with Eric start to anchor deep inside of me. His old bond with me had snapped, now replaced with something new and much more meaningful. I could feel every little thing he could; I could understand how he worked now, how he thought about things and his reasons for his actions. I could understand him on a basic level. It had been the exact same when I had changed my other boys. The bond between Maker and Childe was so incredibly strong.

"Finalman, Isis manman ak papa Ra, mwen mande nou pou nou apwouve pran an nan pitit nouvo m 'ak' kite l 'yo vin yon pati nan tout tan ap grandi fanmi nou. Mwen mande pou frè l ', moun mwen pataje avèk mari m', resevwa l 'ak bra louvri,epi anseye l' tout gen konnen sou filiation nou an. Mwen mande pou ou pou w sele sendika nou an ak kore nou. Mwen mande ke ou asire pou yo pa janm kraze, men senpleman pliye, koneksyon nou. Mwen mande moun nan mitan nou twò gade sou pitit gason m 'si mwen pa kapab, ak nan gid l' mwen ta dwe rate yo fè sa." I felt the connection between us anchor the moment I finished my final sentence, and I sagged in relief. Eric's body was still battling with the connection, dealing with the new bond that had been formed. As I had already done this several times in my life it was of no consequence to me.

Tired from the blood loss, the forming of the new bond and the evening in general, I allowed my husband to remove all needles, healing marks as he went along. Eric was still flat on his back, his head in my lap with his eyes screwed shut. "Min son, as your Maker I command you to open your eyes." I murmured softly, picking something small to be his trial command. I didn't want to order him to get up and run around in his current state.

Eric's eyelids snapped back immediately, his cerulean orbs staring up at me. A smile crossed over my features as I continued to stroke his hair with one hand, using the other to remove the fine silver chains that were holding him down. The moment they were free he sat up, instinctively rubbing at his wrists as they healed. He turned quickly, sitting on his haunches as he rested his forehead to my own. Playing with our new, strong bond I gave it a gentle ping, rewarded with the sound of Eric's deep rumbling laugh. A wash of love flooded me and I could feel it coming from both my new husband and my new son. In one night I had gained the family I had always craved. I had a husband and from my husband a Childe. Maybe not a child from my body, a child with DNA closely matching my own, but I had gained a Childe nonetheless. I could feel Eric playing with our new connection, a little out of sorts now that he had a new deep-set bond within him. "Go clean yourself up and rest, Sookie will need you there when she wakes from her ordeal." I ordered softly, not needing to use a Makers command. Eric was loyal enough to do whatever Godric asked of him, and now that my blood was flowing through his body he was loyal to me also.

With a deep nod Eric rose to his staggering height, offering a nod to both Godric and I before he made for the door. Just before he reached the door though he vamped back to us, dropping to press a quick kiss to my cheek before he was gone from sight. Godric and I sat in comfortable silence for a short while, listening to the sounds from downstairs, one of my hands on the spot my son had just kissed. "Thank you, for sharing him with me." I spoke first, breaking the silence as I turned to look at my bonded.

"As I said, what's mine is yours. I am just pleased that you get on so well and took to one another so quickly. I would have never thought Eric would go through with what he just did, but I suppose that has always been our son's way. He's a surprising character." Godric mused, shuffling to sit closer to me. He took one of my hands in his own and cradled it in his lap.

"I know he wanted this originally, but I know why he wanted it this evening. He's worried about the next few days, especially with Sookie being staked, the attempt on his life that was made. I'm worried in all honesty. Russell, Felipe, Bill and whoever else is after us all are closing in, quickly. Eric wants to create bonds, finalize the family, and make us a stronger team before we go into battle per say." I sighed, my eyes still glued on the door where my new Childe had last been.

Godric's cool hand came up before me as he took hold of my chin, turning my head slowly so that I was forced to look at him. "Spare your worry, my wife. Tonight we'll celebrate our union." His free hand took hold of my left hand, his thumb running over the engagement band sat around my finger. "Come, let me run us a bubble bath."

It was only fifteen minutes later that we were both in the tub, surrounded by mountains of bubbles. I'd had to close my eyes going through our bedroom and I'd been mighty curious about what I wasn't allowed to be looking at.

Godric was sat behind me, his legs spread so I could sit before him. At first I had sat upright but with a few gentle tugs on my hips from my husband I'd slipped down to lean against him as he lent against the end of the huge tub. The warm water lapped at our sides, soothing our muscles and washing away the worry of the last few weeks. With touches so tender and soft that I felt like crying, my husband washed every inch of me, scrubbing away the grime and the blood, wiping away the make-up that had adorned my face and the products that had smothered my hair. Every now and then he would stop to drop a gentle kiss to whatever random part of my body he was working on at that moment – my shoulder blades, the tops of my breasts, the dip of my tummy button, my knees, my ankles and the arches of my feet.

Crawling up my body once he was sure I was clean, Godric pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, and though I appreciated it I wanted more. My hand shot out to grab the nape of his neck, pulling him back to me for me. Knowing what I wanted, as he always seemed to do, Godric's lips fastened onto mine, both of us closing our eyes to relish the contact. With a swipe of my tongue over his lower lip I was granted entry. Raising my tongue I pushed that little spot just behind his front teeth, just behind the little gap between them. With an audible snick his fangs fell into place, his hands grabbing onto my hips as he tried to control himself, the water in the tub starting to cool. Deciding then and there to give my husband a spur of the moment wedding present, considering his planned gift would be received later, I sliced my tongue on one of his razor sharp fangs, not bothering to suppress the toxicity of my blood. I'd taken his blood well over thirty minutes ago so there was no way the third bond between us could be formed, no matter how much I wanted it to be.

Instantly he was sucking on the wound, groaning at the taste of my 1/3 fae blood. His grip on my hips tightened and I knew I would have bruises in the morning, but I was beyond caring so long as my husband was enjoying himself. It was as he repositioned us that I realized how much of a gamble I'd been taking. Regardless of how old a vampire was, fae blood was the ultimate treat. His saliva caused my wound to heal but he was quick to re-open it, expertly using his own tongue to coax mine into his mouth where he could cut it again. Suckling on the wound like a newborn, he backed me up against the side of the tub, flexing his hips to bury himself inside of me. Though not unwelcome it was unexpected and his lips muffled my squeak of surprise. As his saliva healed over the wound on my tongue once more I broke our kiss, gasping for air as he started to move his hips. I'd pictured a slow and tender lovemaking however my husband had other ideas.

Burying his face in the crook of my neck he growled, picking up the pace with sharp, deep thrusts, reaching far inside of me. The sensations he was stirring inside of me had me clawing at his back, dragging my nails over his alabaster skin. His lips met my skin as he drew kisses up my neck and along my jugular where he lingered for a moment, before he continued to scatter them over my jawbone towards my lips. "No more, greedy." I panted as his hands left my body, grabbing onto the tub behind me for leverage. The water sloshed around us with each of his hard thrusts though thankfully it remained inside of the tub. I could feel the pressure building up inside of me and the bond I shared with Godric was humming with his contentment and the anticipation of the release he was craving to.

"For you, I'm insatiable." Godric hissed, his fangs still down and thus affecting his speech as his forehead came to rest against my own. I managed to get a look into his pale blue eyes, clouded over with lust, desire and everything in-between. I could see how my unsuppressed blood had affected his control, how it was spurring him on, pushing him to claim me. I felt a cool hand on my burning core, his dexterous fingers finding the bundle of nerves at the apex of my legs. Throwing my head back against the tub as he circled the area I felt like begging, but I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Instead his name tumbled from my lips like a mantra. "Come with me." I heard his whispered order close to my ear as his fingers finally connected with my bundle of nerves. Using the speed his immortality had granted him he rubbed furiously, pounding into me, giving me all of him. Our bond was wide open, his love and desire pouring through along with his primal need to possess me.

It was like the dam suddenly gave out. One moment the pressure was building inside of me and climbing upwards rapidly, and the next I was riding my release. Screaming out his name I was vaguely aware of the roar that occurred during his own release, but I was well aware of his fangs in my neck seconds later. Panting, heaving and sweating somewhat I continued to shudder with aftershocks as I brought a shaky hand to the back of Godric's head, keeping him in place as he fed from me. He didn't need much given that he had consumed several donor bags earlier but I wanted to nourish him, I wanted him to have as much of me as he wanted. I was his for the taking, just like he was mine.

His hard pulls soon turned lazy and slow, and then his tongue was rubbing over my neck, sealing the wounds. Pricking his tongue he healed the white marks left behind, giving the illusion that no vampire had ever fed from me. Godric's hard body was pressed against my own, having collapsed on me moments after his own release, and I found myself idly stroking his tattooed back. His chest was rising and falling with unnecessary breath and I could feel him, through the bond, pulling himself together.

We lay in comfortable silence for a while until the water became far too cold for me and I started to shake. "You're cold." He pointed out quietly as he slowly sat up, his eyes examining my nude form. The moment his eyes found my hips, somewhat submerged under the now cold and bubble-free water, his jaw clenched. "I hurt you." He commented angrily, his anger directed inwards.

"It's fine." I offered, not really too bothered with the bruises I could feel blooming.

"It's not fine." His eyes snapped up to meet mine, all traces of the warmth that had been in them seconds before now gone.

Sighing I grabbed his shoulders, hauling him down to lay atop of me once again. With my lips at his ear I stroked up and down his sides, tracing the planes of his well-formed muscles. "Think of it this way," I rasped, "When you're asleep in the day tomorrow and I move I'll feel a twinge in my sides, and I'll be reminded of you fucking me in this tub, claiming me, pounding into me, owning me like the world is going to end tomorrow. I'll be reminded of this glorious piece of your anatomy." My left hand captured his manhood, my thumb stroking him, drawing a groan from his beautiful lips. "I'll be craving you all day, and when you wake for the night I'll be so ready for you, begging for you to take me all over again and remind me of whom I belong to." I whispered, darting my tongue out to lick the hollow spot just behind his ear. His growl informed me that I had his attention and approval, and that for now I had won this battle. "Now go and get your wife a towel. She's cold and wishes to dry off." I instructed, letting go of him completely, but not before I planted a kiss on his collarbone.

Using his vampire speed Godric was off of me and out of the tub, returning with a fluffy Egyptian cotton towel from the heated towel rail. Throwing it over his shoulder he scooped me up out of the tub. Shrieking at the sudden movement I clung to him. Gently he placed me down on the marble counter top nearby, wrapping me up in the towel like I was some form of caterpillar, waiting to be turned into a beautiful butterfly. Draining the bathtub, he held up a finger to me, instructing me to wait.

Vamping from the room, I was left alone so took it upon myself to dry down, using the large towel to pat myself dry before I applied a light layer of moisturizer that held a light floral scent. Ari loved it and had made it his tradition to buy it for me for Christmas every year, along with Isis knows what else he could get his hands on.

Godric returned a moment later, helping me down from the counter top before he threw my towel aside to clear up later, leaving the pair of us naked. Turning me around so my back was to him, he placed his hands over my eyes, moving his lips to my ear. "I love you." He whispered, gently encouraging me to move forward. Curious about what was going on I took a few steps forward, my hands coming to rest over his on my eyes.

"I love you too." I murmured in response, almost feeling his smile through our bond. Entering our bedroom I threw out my other senses, compensating for my lack of vision. I could smell black cherries and pink dragon fruit, along with the scent of roses. My ears picked up on the soft sound of La fille aux cheveux de lin by Claude Debussy playing through the speakers of the small music player in the corner of the room.

Slowly my husband removed his hands to reveal our bedroom bathed in soft white candle light, hundreds of vibrant red roses scattered around the room, either on the floor or in vases, single stems and whole bouquets. Petals were strewn over the bed and the candles were giving off aromatic scents from their little jars. My hands moved to cover my mouth, hiding my shocked expression, and yet the bond I shared with Godric gave away my feelings. "I remember that I promised you flowers, my darling." He murmured softly, wrapping an arm around my waist to hold me close to his side. He dropped a tender kiss to my temple and I turned to look up at him, my bright blue eyes finding his pale ones. "I want tonight to be special for you, for us." He told me sincerely. I could feel the 'just in case' attached to the end of the sentence but I refused to dwell upon it. I would fight my way through whatever was going on around us and I would drag my vampire husband through it kicking and screaming if I had to. I **will** get the chance to marry him by human custom.

His hands came to cup my face as he moved to stand before me, drawing me ever closer until our naked bodies were pressed together, our lips sealed against one another. For 2000 years I had been without him, refusing to believe he had ever left me. I had spent many days praying to my Gods and Goddesses, asking them to bring him back to me, asking them to ask him to watch over me if he was with them. I slipped into a meditative state religiously to beg Anubis and Osiris to take care of him, to find him for me if he was with them in the Fields of Aaru. Of course they always came back with nothing, because my handsome bonded was still walking the earth. Although technically deceased he hadn't crossed to Aaru. He was out of the jurisdiction of my Gods. I'd almost given up on him, resigned myself to my fate of dying without him by my side. I had my boys for comfort over the years, but they hadn't been able to give me the physical pleasures I'd craved, nor had they been able to give me the emotional stability of a lover. The realization that I had almost lost him to the sun a few years back, and I would have been non the wiser, had a few tears slipping from my closed eyes, rolling down my cheeks. "Silentum uxorem meam. Nulla lacrima hac nocte." Godric murmured as he pulled away from our kiss, kissing away my tears instead as he walked me slowly backwards towards the queen sized bed.

Effortlessly picking me up he placed me down on the bed, our combined weights causing the mattress to dip slightly, the duvet engulfing us. Looking up at my husband, the man I should have married 2000 years ago, I brushed my fingers over the blue marking around his neck and across his chest, reacquainting myself with the ancient ink. The soft music and the sweet smells were lulling me into relaxation and I knew full well that was what Godric had intended for it to do. One of his hands ended up lost in my damp blonde locks, which were fanned out across the duvet, the other resting against my cheek as he stroked my cheekbone. "I am a very lucky man to have a wife such as you, one so beautiful and caring, strong and fiery, with passion and prestige." He murmured, his hand on my cheek moving down, along my neck, skimming my breasts, swooping over my waist and hips before sweeping inwards to rest at my center. I was at a loss with how to respond. There were so many things about the man above me that I loved. He was strong and dominant, concerned and kind at the same time, with a sprinkling of fierceness and understanding that made me weak at the knees. Realizing I was struggling to convey my feelings in words I felt him nestle inside our bond. I followed suit, loosing myself in his emotions as he lost himself in mine.

He brought me to my first release tantalizingly slowly. His fingers worked as if he were savoring every moment. He laved kisses across my bare skin, nipping and sucking every now and then to surprise me. He dragged his cool nose across my burning skin, the contrast doing wonderfully wicked things to my libido. He used the petals strewn on the bed nearby to bring goose bumps to my skin, trailing them over me before he'd crush them in his hand, rubbing them over my skin to transfer the heady scent onto me. My skin was hyper-aware, aching for his touch, for contact with his own bare flesh. I wanted him and he needed him, and he knew it. He wasn't smug about it though for he needed me just as much. Ensuring that not a single inch of my body was left untouched or un-cherished, my release caught me off guard once again, though this time there was no screaming of his name, no head flung backwards in wild desire. This time he brought me to the edge with our gazes locked, one of my hands knotted in the bed sheets and the other in his brown locks. He watched me come undone by his hands only.

I needed to return the favour, to treasure him as much as he treasured me, to lave his body in kisses and affection too. Coming down from my high I gently pushed him over, rolling us so I straddled his waist. Resting my hands on his broad chest I dropped kisses to the ink mark around his neck, dipping down to kiss along his breastbone. Working my way back up I paid attention to his neck as his hands came to rest upon my waist, albeit gently due to his earlier rough treatment. I wasn't mad with him, I was glad he hadn't treated me like some fragile little china doll. I was all for tender and soft lovemaking, but there were times when being rough with one another was needed. Bringing my lips to his I nibbled on his lower lip before smoothing the area with my tongue. Sliding down his body I explored every inch of him, my fingers ghosted over every inch of his firm physique, exactly the same as it had been 2000 years ago. Nothing had changed, and I was comforted by that fact. I avoided his crotch, paying attention to every other part of his body instead. I could tell it was slowly driving him insane as his hands dug into the bed sheets. Lifting his right foot I kissed the arch, then his ankle, the inside of his calf. Prying his legs open I moved to kiss the side of his knee before moving on to his thigh, stopping just shy of his groin. I repeated the slow process on his left leg, ensuring I hadn't missed a single spot before I allowed myself to pain attention to his crotch. My poor husband was more than ready for me, and I could tell he'd been holding back for quite some time now. I wanted to bring him to a release right before the main event though, just like he'd done for me.

By now the music had changed several times, all the sounds of classical piano music filtering through the air. The candles were still burning strong and the scent they gave off was still drifting through the air. Taking him in my mouth, my hands cradled the parts of him I couldn't fit in. I alternated between licking, nipping, soothing, kissing and sucking, the combination of which had him tightening in my hands and mouth within minutes. Laving my tongue over the thick vein on the underside of him I refused to break the eye contact we had started the moment I had taken him into my mouth. Engulfing him once more I hummed softly, and that was all that was needed to push him over the edge. A guttural groan fled the confines of his lips, his hands squeezing the bed sheets as he gave me everything he had. His eyelids closed over his pale blue eyes, blocking out the world as I took everything his release offered me. Taking more unnecessary breaths, my Godric remained still, his whole body relaxed. Using my tongue to clean him I dropped one last kiss to him before I crawled back up his body, leaning down to snuggle against his chest. One of his arms wrapped around me, holding me to him while we basked in post-coital bliss.

No words were uttered between us but I knew the moment he was ready for the main event. With care he rolled us over, ensuring I was comfortably situated before his hands parted my legs, his fingers stroking the inside of my thighs as he lined himself up. With several small flexes of his hips he was buried to the hilt inside of me, our moans resonating around the room at the sense of completion that washed over us both. It was corny to think we had been designed specifically for one another but there was no other way to explain how we fitted so well together, on a physical, mental and emotional level. We were like two peas in a pod.

Godric's thrusts were slow but precise, hitting me in just the right places, stretching me. His eyes never left mine as he worked in and out of me; his hands never left my body, leaving behind a trail of heat as they worked across my skin. He was drawing this out for as long as possible, making it count and making it last. It would always count though. He was my bonded, my fated, and my companion through the years. He was the father of my Children, albeit not my children by natural birth but that no longer mattered to me. We had several beautiful and loyal sons together. He was the man I had wept over for years, mourned for when I believed he had truly perished. He was the man I compared all others to, the man who had no competition for my affection and love. He was mine, and I was his.

I felt the pressure inside of me building up slowly, the quivering of my muscles the only cues my husband needed. Shifting his hips ever so slightly he brushed that little spot inside of me and it was only several thrusts later that I couldn't hold back anymore. Grasping onto him, my anchor, with one hand, my nails dug their way into his flesh, embedding them there like he was embedded in me. Whimpering out his name as I fell over the edge, I heard the masculine grunts fall from his lips as he followed me over, my own name tumbling from him as he gave his life essence to me. The muscles in his arms spasmed as he tried to keep himself propped up above me. Shaking from my release I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him down so he lay atop of me, taking the pressure off of his arms. His weight over me was comforting, reassuring. I felt safe.

We lay in silence for a while and I could feel that the sun would soon be rising. Godric was growing a little lethargic and our bond enabled me to feel everything he was. There was also the fact that most of the guests downstairs were now leaving, and I could hear them out on the street outside thanks to the cracked open window. "I have a present for you." I murmured softly in my husbands' ear, brushing the stray strands of hair out of his face. He was sprawled over my chest, his ear pressed to my chest, letting my heartbeat soothe him into downtime. My words brought him back to me though and I felt his curiosity peak. Moving onto his back he brought me over to rest upon his front. Reaching across him I opened the top drawer of the bedside table, removing the small black velvet back. Godric sat up, bringing me with him so I sat on his lap. I presented him with the bag, earning a confused expression from him before he took it gently out of my hands.

Pulling at the drawstrings he opened it, reaching a hand in to retrieve the wooden object inside. Removing it he studied it for a second, the smooth, round wooden pendant on a leather cord. "Turn it over." I whispered, trying to hide my excitement at what I had found. As he turned the pendant over I felt his emotions go haywire. I had delegated a task to Ari and my boys a few days ago, back when I had been planning for the VRA passing, to get this pendant inscribed. It was made out of wood that had been sourced in modern day Belgium, as close to home as I could find for my husband. I'd had one word inscribed into the wood and it had taken hours of internet searches and numerous phone calls to experts to find the right word. The word 'uiro' had been carved into the wood.

"Husband." My bonded translated the Gaulish word into English. His lips were on mine in an instant giving me a searing kiss that had my libido screaming for another round, though I kindly ignored her. Our bond was flooded with his love and how much he was touched by my gift. He had given me a band of diamonds as a symbol of our union and now I had marked him with my own symbol. Though it was not as grand as diamonds I could tell he appreciated it just as much. I had put effort into it and it was something personal to him, just like the band around my finger was personal to me, and he had put plenty of time into that. The older vampires of the world, those with knowledge of all the ancient languages, would know straight away what was written upon his pendant and the warning behind it. Slipping it around his neck, Godric held me close, tucking me under his chin. "I am a very lucky man indeed." I heard him whisper as the light-tight shutters clicked into place. My fingers went to the wooden pendant, which now sat right above his heart. I'd made it that way, wanting it to rest there always. After my boys had brought it back to me I'd even dropping a smidge of my blood onto it, giving it a little magical kick to protect him.

Together we moved back under the covers, snuggling into one another, the candlelight still illuminating the room. The glass jars they were contained in would see to it that they would extinguish when the wax ran out. Godric lay on his back, my naked body half sprawled over his, our legs tangled together and his arms wrapped around me. Pressing kisses to my temple and forehead I felt him starting to drift into his day rest. "I love you." I reminded him sleepily, yawning quietly.

"I love you too, my wife." He murmured before the day took him from me. It was only seconds later that I drifted off beside him, the CD of piano music lulling me into sleep.

* * *

My pleasant sleep was interrupted an hour before sunset. "ATA, SOOKIE, HELP." The mental voice of Jason yelled at me. In my sleep my shields were useless, but usually my brain was able to deal with it so long as thoughts were not directed at me. This wasn't the case.

Shooting out of bed I winced briefly at the pain in my hips but I pulled on some underwear and a nightdress, slipping out of my room and into the windowless corridor. Sookie entered the living room the exact same moment I did. "Jason and Hunter are in trouble." We spoke in unison, looking to the elevator door. The stupid idiots had left the safety of the penthouse! With no weapons but our fae powers we raced into the elevator, pushing the button for the ground floor. We were sitting ducks and I was well aware of it, but there was nothing we could do. We couldn't sit in the penthouse and wait until sunset for the vampires to rise, even if that did sound like a good idea, because I was more than aware of the fact that Jason and Hunter wouldn't last that long if the attackers were Were's. Sookie would be a nightmare to, and not being able to glamour her would mean that the wait would be filled with tension.

As the elevator slid to a stop and the doors opened I was greeted with a brutal scene. Several slaughtered employees of mine littered the floor and eight huge Were's stood blocking the way from the elevator to the main entrance of the hotel. We were safe in the metal box though thanks to Amelia's spells. The moment we stepped out, we were fair game. One Were had Jason in a headlock, blood pouring from his broken nose, cuts covering his entire body. He was a state. Hunter was being held by another Were, easily restrained due to his young age and yet he still carried several large scratches. He'd put up a fight and I was incredibly proud of him. "Well if it ain't the two pretty blondes we were sent to collect! If you ladies would be so kind as to step out of the elevator and come with us we can assure you the safety of your two men folk 'ere." The Were I took as the leader sneered at us.

Sookie and I had no choice, we were backed into a corner and I had no plans to fall back on. My front desk employees were dead and no doubt a bunch of guests were too, and now my family was being threatened. The last thing I wanted was for the Were's to get into the penthouse. No one was allowed near my husband and Children. "If we willingly come with you, will you promise us on the light that they'll be safe." I offered, knowing that if a light oath were broken then the person who broke it would die.

"Whatever you want Tinkerbell." The leader smirked at his comrades, who all snickered at his joke. It was something I'd heard before.

"No Sook, Ata. Don't do it. Go back upstairs. We'll be fine." Jason tried to convince us but I could see the Were tightening his grip around his neck. Jason wouldn't be fine, and he wouldn't last much longer if the slow beating of his heart due to lack of oxygen were anything to go by.

Deciding to try anyway I stuck my hand out, lighting up my forefinger. "Come and swear it." I ordered. The leader of the group strode towards me with arrogant swagger as Sookie tugged on my free arm.

"Don't do it." She begged me quietly. Ignoring her I flinched the moment the Were's warm skin came into contact with my own.

"Not use to a normal body temperature?" his eyes roved all over my barely clothed body and my lips curled up automatically in disgust.

"Do you swear, upon the light, to let Jason Stackhouse and Hunter Savoy go free?" I asked as the light travelled into the Were, who now looked a bit uncertain as to what he was agreeing to.

"I swear it." He followed through and I could feel the oath forming.

Sighing in resignation I took a step out of the elevator. I was fed up of waiting for Russell and company to strike, fed up of the pathetic dance we seemed to be doing. I wanted this over and done with. I wanted to stake Russell, along with Felipe, and return home to my husband and Children. If they took me they would leave my husband alone long enough for him to come up with a suitable plan of attack They could whatever they wanted to me, just so long as my husband and Children were safe. Anything to keep them safe.

The moment I was out a pair of iron handcuffs were clamped around me and I howled at the pain. Iron was as painful for the fae as silver was for vampires. "And you pretty lady." One of the Were's instructed Sookie. Looking to me for guidance I nodded and she stepped out, only to be handcuffed a moment later as a screaming and shouting Jason was silenced with a piece of fabric in his mouth. Tears were streaming down Hunter's cheeks and I knew the young boy hated seeing his new mother in handcuffs, he hated seeing me in handcuffs to. He wanted Eric but Hunter knew the mighty Viking vampire couldn't protect him right now.

"Off we go then." The leader instructed, looking more than pleased that he had succeeded with his mission to capture Sookie and I. I could smell the V on him and it was disgusting.

"You need to let them go, unharmed. It's part of the deal." I nodded towards Jason and Hunter.

All of the Were's started to laugh and shake their heads. "They're coming with us also, fairy princess." One particularly smelly and unhygienic Were hissed at me.

"Really now?" I questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes, you fool." The leader tried to move us on and we started to head out of the hotel, only for the sound of a body exploding behind us to capture the attention of all the Were's. In their panic they let go of Hunter and Jason.

"Elevator. NOW." I barked to them. The pair took off into the safety of the elevator, running through the pile of goo that was once the Were groups leader.

"The fuck did you do to Trevor!?" One of the Were's rounded on me, his fist connecting with my jaw. It was painful, but nothing the vampire blood in my system couldn't cure.

"He broke the light oath, so he suffered the consequences." I shrugged as Sookie sniggered, though I could feel her worry and stress threatening to consume her. Using our connection I pushed all of my reassurance and protection to her, noting that she had her Grandmothers pearls on. My promise ring still sat around my finger, now joined with an engagement ring. Instinctively I closed my bonds with my Children and with Godric, not wanting them to feel what was currently happening or where we were going to be taken. They'd end up running to our rescue halfcocked and get into some serious shit. Pushing the thought through our mental connection, I felt Sookie slowly start to close down all of her bonds to.

"Fucking bitch. You'll regret this." The Were got right up in my face, but I wasn't intimidated by him. I'd seen human babies that were scarier.

Glancing to Jason and Hunter, who were rapidly pushing the button to go back to the penthouse to try and wake the vampires, if there thoughts were anything to go by, I turned my focus back to the Were who had insulted me. "Well then my dear, take me to your leader."

* * *

**A/N Translations**

_Yon chat kostim ou kouzen (Creole) = A cat suits you cousin_

_Mwen prezante eskiz sou pèdi tanperaman mwen avèk ou pi bonè. Mwen enkyete sou sa a aswè. (Creole) = I apologise about loosing my temper with you earlier. I worry about this evening._

_Det kommer inte att läka, hon behöver mer blod och för att det ska vara förseglade. (Swedish) = It will not heal, she needs more blood and for it to be sealed_

_Kan en av er stänger det då snälla? (Swedish) = Can one of you close it then please?_

_Hemuset, mwen rele sou ou, o fanm nan plak pwotèj yo ak flèch Travelers, pwoteje pitit gason m 'Eric Northman ak mare l' fè m 'nan yon fason ki sèlman yon manman ak yon timoun kapab konnen. M'ap mande nou pwoteje l 'yo, lespri lavi l' ak nanm, e mwen mande nan nou, o apa pou Goddess, si sò ka mare nou. (Creole) = __Hemuset, I call upon you, o woman shields and arrows crosses, protect my son Eric Northman and bound him to me in a way that only a mother and a child can know. I ask you to protect him, his mind his life and soul, and I ask of you, oh holy Goddess, if fate can bind us._

_Nut, mwen rele sou ou, o Goddess nan syèl la ak latè a, manman nan Isis, gadyen nan zetwal, ki gen wòl se nan sa yo ki an solèy yo re-nesans. Chanje m 'nan manman an, pwotèktè. kite m 'ankouraje Northman Eric, moun ki mouri e li te re-fèt. Kite m 'pataje yon kosyon avè l' renmen manman an ak pitit gason, kòm byen ke nan yon sèl la li te pataje ak mari m 'kòm papa l' ak pitit gason. Se pou nou tou de pou pwoteje l ', li renmen l', pran swen l ', li nouri l', jan sèlman ou menm ak Isis la Great kapab. (Creole) = __Nut, I call on you, oh Goddess of heaven and earth, mother of Isis, guardian of the star, whose role is that of the sun re-birth. Change me into the mother, protector. Let me encourage Eric Northman, who died and was re-born. Let me share a bond with him like mother and son, as well as the one he shares with my husband as father and son. Let us both to protect him, love him, take care of him, feed him, as only you and Isis the Great can._

_Finalman, Isis manman ak papa Ra, mwen mande nou pou nou apwouve pran an nan pitit nouvo m 'ak' kite l 'yo vin yon pati nan tout tan ap grandi fanmi nou. Mwen mande pou frè l ', moun mwen pataje avèk mari m', resevwa l 'ak bra louvri,epi anseye l' tout gen konnen sou filiation nou an. Mwen mande pou ou pou w sele sendika nou an ak kore nou. Mwen mande ke ou asire pou yo pa janm kraze, men senpleman pliye, koneksyon nou. Mwen mande moun nan mitan nou twò gade sou pitit gason m 'si mwen pa kapab, ak nan gid l' mwen ta dwe rate yo fè sa. (Creole) = __Finally, Isis mother and father Ra, I ask you to approve the taking of my new child and allow him to become a part of our ever growing family. I asked for his brother, whom I shared with my husband, received him with open arms, and teach him all there know about our affiliation. I ask for you to seal our union and our support. I ask that you make sure to never break, but simply fold, our connection. I ask of you too see my son if I can not, and guide him should I missed doing this._


	60. Love Drunk

**A/N Hey all, I want to apologise again for the delay but I had to outline what's going to happen over the next couple of chapters and it damn near broke my heart. POV's are going to be all over the place during this difficult time and I'm gonna struggle writing this from now on because of the emotional roller-coaster I'm taking our dear vampires and fairies on. I also read a review that wasn't particularly pleasant and while I respect the readers' opinions it did throw me off of my game for a while…especially considering that someone else seemed to agree with them. I'm only 19 and a university student, so my writing, grammar and spelling isn't exactly going to be perfect and I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry that you find my story boring and are only reading it because you feel you have to now you've started it :/**

**But, for those who like where I'm going with this though, hang on with me. I will get updates to you, hopefully more frequently now I've settled back into my routine. I think I'm gonna start cutting the chapters so there is more suspense….I don't want the following events to happen within a matter of three chapters. So instead of my usual 17,000-19,000 word chapters the following few will probably be around 10,000 or so. They may be tear stained and you may find used Kleenex with them however….**

**To my guest reviewer who hollered at me for being part of the Godric fanclub…WELCOME! :D **

**Ps; go and see the movie Warm Bodies if you can. I saw it the other day and I LOVED it. I usually hate zombie films but this was hilarious and the right mixes of gore, romance and action! **

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hung over  
__I'll love you forever, forever is over  
__We used to kiss all night, now it's just a bar fight  
__So don't call me crying, say hello to goodbye  
__Cause just one sip would make me sick  
__I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hung over  
__I'll love you forever, but now it's over  
__All the time I wasted on you, all the bullshit you put me through  
__Checking into rehab cause everything that we had  
__Didn't mean a thing to you  
__~ Love Drunk, Boys Like Girls_

Last night I'd been staked and now I was wrapped in iron handcuffs, which hurt like a motherfucker, being dragged out of Caesar's Palace to be unceremoniously handed over to Russell fucking Edgington.

I was not a happy camper.

The iron handcuffs hurt my wrists like a bitch; my skin was swelling and turning a horrible shade of red as I had a reaction to the metal. At least that answered one question – I was very much susceptible to iron. Though not best pleased with Ata's idea to step outside of the elevator, I had gone along with it, knowing it would keep Jason, Hunter, Eric and the rest of our nest safe.

Ata and I were hauled up onto our feet after my cousin had quoted the famous line from many movies. With the Were's surrounding us we were dragged out of the hotel. I was horrified as we entered the main reception. Hundreds of bloody bodies littered the floor, savagely cut from the claws of the Were's who had transformed in order to capture us. Employees and guests alike were decapitated, ripped open and mauled. I was grateful that I hadn't eaten anything yet or else it would have been joining the blood on the marble floor. Having not had time to put on some shoes, Ata and I were forced to walk through the pools of blood, the rich crimson liquid staining our feet as we were led out of the building. I'd seen my fair share of gore over the years, walked in on a fair share of blood on the floor of my house too, but nothing compared to this. It was a massacre, and I was surprised that my cousin didn't feel sick in the slightest. I'd clamped down on my bonds as I'd felt Ata do the same, unsure exactly as to why we were doing it. I trusted Ata though, against my better judgment, and closed my bond with Eric. Jason and Hunter would fill him in when they rose for the night, I hoped.

A black van sat in front of the hotel, under the canopy of the newly repaired drop off zone. "A black van, how inconspicuous." Ata commented loudly, earning herself a hefty shove from the Were holding her. She stumbled a little but soon regained her footing. Two of the Were's opened the back doors of the van, shoving the pair of us inside. Quickly I assessed the area. The back of the van was empty apart from two long benches on either side, and blacked out windows meant whoever was inside could see out, but those outside couldn't see in. Sitting on one of the benches, Ata took the other. One Were left the group, obviously to drive, and the others piled in the back with us. As the engine roared to life I felt dread start to well up in the pit of my stomach.

A wash of calm overtook me and I glanced to my cousin, her eyes trained on the view outside of the window and yet our connection was pulsing, begging me to trust her and go along with anything and everything she was saying and doing. I was angry with her for forcing us out of the elevator, but she had saved Jason and Hunter, neither of who had the powers or abilities we did to survive for an extended period of time. They would be able to go back and tell the nest about our capture. Help was on its way, but I had no idea how long that would take. I was expecting us to be blindfolded, or something of a similar nature. I was mildly disappointed when that didn't happen. I could only assume that the Were's were well aware of the fact that we both knew where we were being taken.

Sure enough thirty minutes later we turned onto the road that led to Felipe's mansion. The sun would set in five minutes and Eric would know that I was missing. "Feels like I was only here a week ago…oh wait, I was." My cousin deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "I was even here against my own will last week too. Some things never change." My cousin spared a glance at the Were's, who had all narrowed their eyes at her. I wanted to tell my cousin to shut up, but talking would only draw attention to me. The last thing I wanted was for a Were to beat me up, or try to. I'd had enough of that with Debbie Pelt.

The van pulled to a stop and Ata and I were hauled out of the back. Although I had witnessed the mansion through the eye lens Ata had been wearing the night she had attended the ball here, I was still in awe of the building now I could see it with my own two eyes. Four huge columns held the entrance porch up, and the building was perfectly symmetrical. The courtyard out front was huge, a multitude of cars lined up for use by Felipe and his cronies. Looking over the vehicles I spotted a black BMW, a Louisiana number plate on the front.

Bill.

"No red carpet? Well I must say I am mighty disappointed!" My cousin shook her head, sighing heavily as if it really were a shame. I didn't give a fuck about a red carpet. I wanted to wash my feet, get out of the iron handcuffs and smack a bitch. Preferably a Bill shaped bitch.

Together we were dragged through the large double doors into the beautiful entrance hall and deposited onto the floor. As with the front of the building, I had seen this part of the house through Ata's eye lenses when she had attended the party. Now though I could see just how much marble had been used for it, and just how similar it looked to Caesar's Palace. "Ah, you managed to procure my guests for me!" Felipe's slimy tone was recognizable anywhere, and the fact he was awake and moving around gave me hope that Eric was up now too, and that he was coming up with a way to get Ata and I the hell outta Dodge.

"Yes Your Majesty. These two lovely ladies willingly came with us, after they saw the number of people we'd killed to get to them." One of the Were's grinned with pride over his kills, and the rest of his buddies looked just as gleeful.

"You killed innocent humans? I TOLD YOU TO KILL NO ONE." Felipe roared at the Were's, whose sudden demeanor changed entirely. Though startled by Felipe's outburst I kept my poker face on, thankful that years of hearing other people's thoughts were proving useful for once.

"My Childe, what has you so angry?" Russell's Southern drawl made its appearance, my skin crawling from the mere sound of it. "Ah! Miss Stackhouse! How nice of you to join us." The old King of Mississippi smiled as he trotted down the marble staircase to stand before Ata and I, alongside Felipe. "How lovely it is to see you too Miss Caesar." Russell finally acknowledged Ata, having stopped leering at me.

"Mrs. Caesar-Nervii." Ata corrected, jutting her chin out defiantly.

"Of course, I apologize. Congratulations are in order yes?" Russell's fake sincerity was palpable, and Ata saw right through it. Felipe's growl captured our attention as Russell fell silent, but I refused to look at him. I was far safer looking at Russell. Even though I couldn't be glamoured I could get inside of their heads now, and Felipe's mind was a scary place. Eric's mind felt warm to me, as did the minds of the other vampires in our nest, but Felipe's mind was cold and calculating, slippery like a snakes and it was apparent just how conniving he truly was. All traits that a vampire king should have really, but not traits I particularly liked in my captors.

"Ata is mine." Felipe barked at Russell. I heard my cousin sigh heavily, and I tried my hardest to contain my own sigh. The male posturing was getting old now. I was Eric's and he was mine, he and I had established that so there was no need for him to utter those damn words ever again.

"Sookeh!" Bill's drawl captured the attention of everyone present.

"You may leave." Felipe ordered the Were's away, who were quick to scamper off to whatever hole they had come out of.

"Thank God you're okay, Sookeh. I was so worried about you. I heard that Eric kidnapped you and forced you away from your home. I told you he was bad news." Bill tried to place a hand on my cheek in what I assumed he thought would be a comforting gesture, but I couldn't stop myself from growling at him. Actually growling. I'd never physically growled at anyone before. Spending so much time wrapped up in my own little world with Eric and his testosterone was not going me any good!

"Eric did not kidnap me, and he did not force me away from my home. If I remember rightly it was the threat of **you **and Russell that forced me to leave Bon Temp." I corrected him, fed up with his petty games and his desperate attempts at looking like the caring and concerned ex-lover.

"And yet you end up in Las Vegas, right where we are." Russell shook his head, an indulgent smile on his slightly cracked lips. He'd been turned later in life, that much I had surmised from the first time I'd met him. I would have to thank Godric when we got back home for turning Eric in the prime of his life.

"Trust me, if we could be anywhere else right now we would be." My cousin shrugged, the iron catching a piece of her unharmed skin, burning it a little and making her flinch. "Why exactly are we here though?"

Felipe looked down at Ata, capturing her eyes and offering her a smile. Although it appeared genuine his mind told me otherwise. "You are here, my darling, so that you will change your mind about your marriage to the slave boy. While here I will make you see that I am by far the better option, and when he comes to rescue you I will slay him so you will no longer have to worry about him nor your tie." He revealed his plan as if he knew it was a done deal. Ata scoffed.

"Then why is Sookie here?" Ata questioned again, not daring to call me her cousin. Giving away the fact we were related was not something we wanted to do just yet.

"Miss Stackhouse is here because I have a debt to settle with the Viking. He killed my Talbot so he will meet the end of my stake. Afterwards, Miss Stackhouse will become Bill's. That is, after I have perfected how to walk in the sun using her blood." Russell answered instead of Felipe this time, and I felt my blood run cold. I had no intention of being drained several times just so Russell could try and get a tan! I certainly had no intention of being Bill's either!

"Oh come now, we can take the handcuffs off of our guests." Russell turned to Felipe as Bill stood, looking down on me. I couldn't stop my laughter. Our current positions were the perfect resemblance of our old relationship. Here I was tied up, against my will, with little to no way out, and here he was towering over me pretending to be all high and mighty. Ata caught onto my train of thought and the corners of her lips quirked upwards while the three vampires stood frowning at us. I didn't bother to apologize for my laughter, which Gran would have been kicking me for if she were still alive right now, but I figured we were beyond the point of being polite.

"Guests are invited, they can leave of their own accord." Ata pointed out aptly as Felipe produced a key from his pocket, squatting down behind me to undo the iron handcuffs. The moment they were free from my skin I brought my arms out in front of me, cradling the singed flesh. He moved onto Ata next, and the moment her hands were free she sent him flying across the room with her light. The iron had weakened her so her blow wasn't enough to kill him, but it knocked him out all right.

Using their vampire speed, Bill and Russell had pieces of iron on Ata and I again, causing us both to cry out at the sensation. "There is that aspect of you which I loathe." I heard Russell mutter in Ata's ear as we were hauled up off of the floor. Bill had a tight grip on me with one hand, the other holding iron to my arm, and Russell had done the same with Ata. Forced through a door and down a flight of stairs we were plunged into relative darkness, the only light coming from a few flickering candles and a small window, bars covering it. The moon was high in the sky, and its light fell on what looked like a cage one would keep a giant and dangerous animal in – a lion maybe. It was empty however, and I soon understood why.

Russell pulled up the door and threw Ata in. Bill shoved me in seconds later before the door was slammed shut. "Enjoy your stay girls." Russell called over his shoulder as he left with Bill, the pair of them heading back up the stairs they had taken us down. I moved to the door, adamant that we would get out. Before I could put my hands on it though Ata had a hold on my wrist.

"It's iron." She informed me, looking at me as if I were an idiot. Of course it would be iron.

"Can't we pop out though, I mean, our hands aren't bound? There's no iron touching us." I wasn't going to give up. I would fight my way out of this regardless.

Sighing, Ata took a seat on the cold concrete floor; wincing at the discomfort the cold gave her. "We're trapped in iron, so no we cannot use our popping ability. Popping takes an awful lot of energy from nature around us. The iron blocks the energy from getting to us." My cousin explained, crossing her legs as she dropped her head into her hands.

"So, what do we do?" I asked quietly, backing away from the iron bars towards Ata. Slowly I sat beside her, leaning against her for support – both physical and emotional.

Lifting her head I spotted a few stray tears on her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away with the back of a slightly grubby hand. One of her arms encircled me, holding me close to her. "We wait."

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_Love, it can weather any storm  
__Bring you back to being born, again  
__Oh, it's the helping hand when you needed it most  
__The lighthouse shining on the coast, that never goes dim  
__When your heart is full of doubt a__s you think that there's no way out  
__You find your faith that's been lost and shaken  
__You take back what's been taken  
__Get on your knees and dig down deep  
__You can do what you think is impossible  
__Keep on believing, don't give in  
__It'll come and make you whole again  
__It always will, it always does  
__Love is unstoppable  
__~ Unstoppable, Rascal Flatts_

Even in my day rest I felt my bond with Sookie shut down, and it was enough to pull me from my sleep early. I was use to feeling her, even in the depths of my day death, that without the hum of our bond I felt empty – like a part of me was missing. Without our bond I was unsure if my Sookie was dead or alive, and I couldn't stop myself from roaring at the uncertainty of it. Racing out of bed I dressed quickly, my fangs having snapped down with the anger of not being able to feel Sookie. Unable to leave the room, or the windowless corridor outside, without risking burning myself as the last rays of sunshine disappeared I was forced to prowl around our bedroom for five minutes. The moment my internal body clock informed me that the sun had dipped below the horizon I almost tore the door from its hinges, vamping into the living room. The exact same moment I entered the room so did Godric and my brothers, all of whom had their own fangs down, growling and snarling in anger. Pam entered seconds later, as did Isabel. "Where the fuck is Sookie and Ata?" I snarled at no one in particular, my eyes scanning the whole room, throwing out my senses to see if they were anywhere else in the penthouse.

I heard two heartbeats upstairs in the training room, and before Godric could command me not to I was racing up the stairs, flinging the door open in a desperate hope that Sookie and Ata would be up there. Instead I was greeted with the sight of a quivering Hunter and a worried Jason, both of whom were bloody and dirty. "Where are Sookie and Ata?" I demanded harshly, looking to the Stackhouse male for answers.

"I don't know. Some big guys took them away." He answered me, holding on to Hunter as if I wouldn't hurt him if he were holding the small boy. His heartbeat was frantic, perspiration coating his body due to his fear.

Speaking of Hunter, my gaze moved down to the small boy that Jason was clinging onto. He was dirty and bloody, his clothes torn. Fat tears were rolling down his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy. He was sniveling too, little patches of snot sat on the skin under his nose that he had missed when he had wiped his nose on the cuff of his tatty jumper. Although frightened for Sookie, and aware that Jason was still babbling on, my heart ached for the little boy. Finally he lifted his gaze, his eyes capturing mine. He looked frightened and lost. Clicking my fangs back into place I crouched down, offering my arms out to the young boy. Within seconds he'd left Jason and thrown himself at me, breaking out into tiny sobs as soon as I encased him in my arms. "Shhhh." I murmured softly, rubbing his back in a soothing motion.

"Jason, will you please come on down and tell us all what happened today." I tried my best to remain calm, as I didn't wish to frighten the little boy clinging onto me any further.

"S-sure, I guess I can do that." The Stackhouse male answered. Rising to my feet I easily scooped Hunter up, the little boy burying his face in the crook of my neck. I was barely holding onto my anger at the situation and my worry for Sookie, especially with Godric's emotions, and those of my brothers, battling against me. My new bond with Ata was gone also, shut down, and it felt like she had died too. I had only just gained her, I hadn't even had the chance to call her mother to her face and she was taken from me. I would get my bonded and my mother back though, and whoever stood in my way would pay for it with their life.

Descending the stairs back to the living room, I found Godric and Ari prowling. Isabel was soothing Khai, who was sat on the edge of one of the sofas. Egor and Agmund were helping one another deal and Riei and Oeri were trying to keep themselves busy with other tasks. Their method of coping was something I had become very accustomed to in the year Sookie had been in Faery. Pam was trying her hardest not to worry, but her usual stony expression was grim. I could feel her trying to push calm towards Ari through the bond they shared, and yet little seemed to soothe the Egyptian vampire.

"Jason has information about what happened today." I announced as I entered the room. "I'm going to bathe Hunter and get him some clean clothes." I added, needing a minute. Hunter would be my distraction while I pulled myself together and came up with a game plan. I already had an idea about what had happened, and who had taken Sookie and Ata. Now I just had to come up with a way to get them back.

Heading towards the room I shared with Sookie, I entered quietly, still holding Hunter in my arms. The young fae boy was still quietly sobbing, clutching onto my shirt as if it were the only thing keeping him alive. It couldn't have been easy for him to witness what had happened, or to take whatever had been done to him. That was another thing I would avenge – mistreatment of my son.

Entering the bathroom I sat Hunter down on the marble countertop, though he was reluctant to let go of me. "It's okay Hunter, I'm not going anywhere." I reassured him, forcing myself to smile as I slowly extricated myself from his grip. Grabbing a tissue from the counter I wiped the tears from his face before I cleaned up his nose, instructing him to blow it. Running a lukewarm bath for him, as I didn't want to burn him, I popped in a few bubbles, knowing Sookie liked them. I guessed that if Sookie liked them then Hunter would too. I helped him out of his clothes, before I picked him up, placing him down in the bath. The water reached his waist and he didn't complain about the temperature. Rolling up my sleeves I crouched beside the bathtub. "Are you okay to wash yourself?" I asked him gently, worried about how quiet he was being.

Tears started to roll down his cheeks again and I quickly wiped them away. "Shh little man, no tears." I tried to console him.

"But daddy, they took mommy and Auntie Ata." Hunter's brown eyes turned to me and I had to stop myself from getting upset. The way he had so innocently called me his father, how he had taken to Sookie and I so quickly. I would be signing those adoption papers as soon as possible. Hunter would be a Northman very soon indeed.

"And your Uncle Godric and I will be going to get them as soon as possible." I reassured him, trying to reassure myself as well. Taking the bar of soap from the side of the bath I lathered it up in my hands, taking one of his small arms. Carefully I washed him, removing all of the grim and blood. I could see cuts and bruises appearing under the layer of dirt and had to stop myself from growling and snarling at the fact that someone had hurt my boy. No one was allowed to hurt my boy. Every now and then he would wince when I washed a particularly tender bruise or cut. I wouldn't allow my son to be in pain. "Hunter," I started softly, not wanting to frighten the young boy. "I can give you some of my blood if you'd like. You'd be healed instantly and you won't be in any more pain. It'll also mean that I can feel your emotions and find out where you are." I explained, giving him the option to take it if he wanted. I felt no need to hide from him the effects of my blood. I wasn't Compton, tricking people into taking it, forcing a tie upon them.

My son was quiet for a minute, his eyes locked on mine. I could tell he was searching for something, as his inability to hear my thoughts meant that he couldn't simply dip into my head to find what he was after. After what felt like an eternity but was in fact only a few minutes he nodded, obviously having found what he was looking for. Dropping fang I bit into my wrist, offering it out to him. Slowly he placed his lips over the wound, taking three small pulls. It was all he needed given his small size and I felt my wound heal up instantly. Hunter's tie flourished inside of me and I could feel how better he felt, not only physically but emotionally too. My tie with him was, oddly enough, similar to the one I had with Pam. I could feel that he was family, that he was my child, even though he wasn't really my son.

"Thank you, daddy." Hunter murmured quietly as he used some of the bathwater to wipe away one little drop of my blood that clung to his chin. Leaning forward I kissed his temple before I washed his hair, using one of my large hands to shield his eyes from the shampoo. I didn't want my boy to hurt his eyes. Once he was suitable cleaned I lifted him from the water, wrapping him up in a fluffy white towel. Draining the bath of the water I allowed Hunter to dry himself, not wanting to baby him. Vamping to the bedroom I grabbed him a clean set of clothes before I returned, handing them to him. Silently he changed, ruffling his slightly damp hair a little before he turned towards me, looking up at me from under his naturally thick lashes. Offering him my hand we left the room together, padding our way back into the living room where Jason had just finished recounting the nights events.

I could feel Godric's furious anger, along with that of my brothers and even Pam's. Whatever had happened to my Sookie and to Ata hadn't been pleasant, nor of their own choosing. Sitting on the sofa, I brought Hunter with me, placing the teacup human onto my lap. "Start at the beginning. Keep it PG." I ordered Jason, glancing to Hunter so he would understand that I wanted no foul language around him, or graphic detail.

"It was about an hour and a half until sunrise and Hunter and I were in 'ere watching some Spongebob, you know, the kids TV about the sponge that lives under the sea and lives in a pineapple?" Jason glanced to me. Raising an eyebrow was the only response I gave, and Jason seemed to sense that I had no idea and nor did I care about whatever TV show they were watching. "Well, Flo came up here and she said that Sookie and Ata had arranged for us to have a late afternoon trip to the pool. I thought going to the pool would be a mighty good idea. See Hunter can't swim and I was hoping to teach him, so he'd be real good. Momma and daddy died because they couldn't swim, and I don't want Hunter to be that vulnerable." The Stackhouse male prattled on. The fact Hunter couldn't swim would be remedied soon, as one of my safe houses had a giant pool in the back yard for those nights when I wished to let off some steam.

"She was real adamant, pretty much pushed us into the elevator and when the doors opened downstairs we were jumped on by those damn Were's." Jason continued to explain.

I was furious. The cook had betrayed Ata, betrayed us all?!

"Flo's mind was all funny, like that cheese with all the holes in that I used to be fed. I used to be told not to listen to people but I wanted to know what the swimming pool was like so I would know what to wear." Hunter explained from my lap, having turned so he was curled against my chest, one of my arms wrapped protectively around his back, circling him against me.

"Glamoured." Ari responded in a growl, shaking his head in anger that someone would stoop so low. Not to mention the fact that Flo was an innocent in all of this. In truth I didn't really care who was hurt along the way, outside of my immediate family of course, so long as Sookie and Ata were returned safely to us, but there was something about dragging the woman who fed and looked after Sookie and Ata in the day into this mess that frustrated me.

"When was the last time anyone saw Flo?" Khai questioned, clenching his hands as he attempted to get his anger under control. Isabel had placed one of her dainty hands onto his knee in an attempt to soothe him.

"Yesterday mornin'. She made us all breakfast before we went and got ready for the VRA party." Jason answered straight away. No one had seen her since and that left a huge time window for her to be taken, against her will, and glamoured into doing the bidding of any vampire. Not to mention that during the VRA party there were hundreds of vampires present, so anyone could have taken her and blended into the crowd.

"Who would have taken her though?" Pam questioned, quirking an eyebrow. "Bill is too incompetent." My Childe then sniggered before she let us in on the joke. "Get it, Bill **Comp**ton – in**comp**etent." I rolled my eyes at Pam's little joke. Her sassiness was much appreciated now and helped to break the tension and some of the stress.

"Felipe would probably try to do it, but I don't think he would without causing a huge scene. That seems to be his MO." Ari chipped in, the night when Felipe had tried to arrest him playing through his mind. My new mental connections with my family were all informative, but at the same time they were tiring. I could see why Sookie had longed for the silence of vampire minds, why she had subjected herself to Compton.

"Russell likes to make a show of things too, but after 3000 years I think he's learnt to be sneaky and conniving. Glamouring an innocent and forcing someone into a situation they wouldn't like to be in sounds like something he would do." Godric added his own input into the conversation, earning nods from everyone in the room.

"They are the three we figured out are part of the riddle." Egor pointed out, sitting himself down on the floor.

"I think the more important question is about how we get them back." I broke in, fed up with all this talk about how two of the three most important women in my life were abducted. I didn't care for how it happened; the fact of the matter was that it had happened.

"We have security cameras downstairs, I can see if I can get hold of them so we at least have some leads as to who actually took them." Khai offered, rising from his spot on the sofa. I could feel that my brother needed a few moments alone, and this was a perfect and yet helpful opportunity. He fled the room quickly, disappearing downstairs; leaving a forlorn Isabel sat on the sofa.

"Go, he'll need you." Ari muttered to her softly, forcing himself to give her what only just passed as a reassuring smile. Isabel was gone only seconds later, disappearing after Khai.

It seemed that all of us had someone to carry our emotions – I had Hunter, Jason had Hunter, Ari and Pam had one another, Isabel and Khai had one another, then there was Egor and Agmund, along with Riei and Oeri. I could feel my Maker struggling though. He had no one really. He couldn't freak around me because it was a given I would mimic him. The only person he wanted to be around, who could offer him some form of comfort, was the woman who had been taken from him. We fell into silence as we waited for Khai to return with the security tapes. Hunter felt like my anchor, and I cradled him closer, the soft thudding of his heart reverberating against my silent chest. He'd stuck a thumb in his mouth and screwed his eyes shut. I could feel his exhaustion through our weak connection and the slight change in his breathing pattern as he slowly started to slide into slumber.

A movement from Godric captured my attention and I was forced to look away from the young boy who was so unafraid of me, who was so comfortable around me that he clung to me like a safety blanket. Godric's eyes were averted, his gaze locked on the mantelpiece over the fireplace, and yet he was playing with a wooden pendant around his neck, rubbing the smooth surface between his fingers as it were soothing him. I could tell it held some meaning to him but I was only able to capture half of the inscription on it. It was new however, so I was able to surmise it had been a gift from Ata.

Turning my own gaze to the mantelpiece I found my eyes locking onto a photo in a golden frame, of both Ata and Sookie in the sunshine. Clad in their bikinis the pair of them were holding onto one another like sisters – the best of friends – with huge smiles on their features, the colours of their hair and eyes matching perfectly in the Egyptian sunshine, the sparkle in their eyes frozen for the rest of eternity in the image. Slowly, with determination lacing his every word, my Maker spoke up. "We will get them back. I will have my Ata, and you will have your Sookie."

His eyes met mine and I could see the 2000-year-old killer in them, the vampire rather than the man. My Maker had something to fight for, a challenge to win. I could tell he wouldn't go down without a fight, and I would damn well follow him.

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_You can't fix your broken promise  
__Our ties have come undone  
__I will not be used, to be battered and abused  
__It's the reason why I choose to cut my losses  
__Your lies fool no one, your magic white rabbit  
__Your white room straight jacket  
__Your magic white rabbit has left it's writing on the wall  
__We follow like Alice and just keep diving down the hole  
__We're falling and we're losing control  
__Your pulling us and dragging us down this dead end road  
__We follow like Alice and just keep diving down the hole  
__You can't offer your poison to me in your kingdom of filth  
__White Rabbit  
__Straight jacket  
__~ White Rabbit, Egypt Central_

I thought that by going with the Were's, by entering Felipe's mansion, we would be to negotiate something that would enable our release. Obviously I was wrong. Now Sookie and I were locked in a small iron cell, meaning that our ability to pop was useless. Although we could still use our other gifts they wouldn't be nearly as powerful. We were sitting ducks for all intents and purposes, and I had allowed this happen.

"I'm sorry, Sook." I mumbled pathetically as we huddled together. The basement was surprisingly warm, but our lack of clothing meant that the cold floor counteracted any good the heating system did.

"It's not your fault. I would have done the same thing to save Jason and Hunter. At least we can defend ourselves for longer, and at least Eric and Godric will come for us." My cousin responded from my side, gently rubbing my arm to create some friction in order to help me keep warm. I returned the gesture.

"That's what I'm worried about though, Eric and Godric coming for us. You heard what Russell and Felipe said to Bubba and Oscar. They want Eric and Godric dead. I couldn't live in a world without my husband and my son." I shook my head, willing myself not to think of that.

"There you go, calling Eric your son." Sookie tilted her head a little to look sideways at me, a small smile painted on her lips.

"He is my son. I changed him last night." I filled Sookie in, remembering that she had been unconscious at the time due to the massive stake that had been embedded in her side. Sookie was quite for a moment but I felt her shock through the connection we shared, and I could feel her mind working overtime as she processed that information.

"This is kind of fucked up isn't it? Eric is your son and I'm your cousin and yet I'm in a relationship with him." My cousin forced a laugh, shaking her head. I could tell this was hard for her. Her life had gone from quiet and easy to hectic and troublesome pretty much overnight.

"Yeah, but would you have it any other way?" I asked, hoping that our conversation would distract her for a little while until I could come up with a way to get us out of this mess. I hadn't opened any of my bonds with the vampires back at Caesar's Palace. The moment I did so they would be able to feel my emotions, and my location, and the last thing I wanted was for them to come rushing to us. Maybe a mental message would be able to get through to Godric, even over the long distance. It had worked during the night of the party the last time I had been in this god-forsaken mansion.

"No. No I wouldn't." Sookie murmured beside me, her resolve pouring through our bond.

It was during the silence that followed our conversation that I heard the unmistakable sound of the basement door opening, followed by footsteps as whomever had entered descended down towards us. From the frantic thoughts I was picking up and the Southern drawl that accompanied them it was easy to quickly surmise that the dear Mr. Compton was paying us a visit.

"Sookeh!" He hissed through the darkness, approaching our iron cell. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I pushed strength, courage and support through the bond I shared with my cousin, allowing her to take charge of the situation.

"What do you want, Bill?" Sookie's voice was flat, and she didn't bother to hide her annoyance or disdain for the vampire stood in front of us.

"I want to help you. Let me help you." He begged her. I snorted quietly at the waves of pathetic-ness rolling off of him. He was somewhat of a joke.

"You want to help me after being the one to put me in this damn iron cell in the first place? That's rich." Sookie retorted, having obviously felt my own disbelief at the lies he was spouting. We'd heard everything of course, thanks to Bubba. There was no way he was helping Sookie out of the cell unless it meant the end of Eric. "But I'm going to indulge you Bill, as you seemed to do to me for the entirety of our relationship." She threw in a dig, which had the corners of my lips quirking upwards, and the corners of Bill's falling. "Pray tell, how do you intend for me to get out?"

Realizing he had a chance for her to hear his brilliant plan, as he referred to it in his head, he launched into his speech. "I will speak to Russell and Felipe personal and ask them for your freedom in exchange for the pleasure of killing Eric without me. They are selfish and wish nothing more than to end him themselves." He started, his confession causing Sookie to prod at our mental tie.

"_Then I guess I'm selfish for wanting to stake Bill all by myself then too eh?" _Her comment caught me off guard, but I was able to cover up my laugh with a cough, blaming the cold floor as the cause of it. Maybe the asshole would bring us a fucking blanket, if he were smart enough to get the hint.

"You will take my blood, which will weaken your tie with Eric so that he can no longer find you. I will take you across state lines where we will swear fealty to another king or queen and be placed under their royal protection. That way, even if for some reason Eric escapes from Russell and Felipe he can never have you back. You will be mine." Bill carried on with his delusional speech, and I found myself only hearing snippets of it. This _boy _had serious issues if he thought Eric was holding Sookie against her will.

"Oh what a wonderful plan Bill, I would have never guessed any of that." Sookie shook her head, clearly done talking to the moron before us.

"Leave us. Sookie doesn't want your 'help' or your blood." I wafted my hand in Bill's direction, dismissing him from our presence. It was a shame we simply couldn't just get up and leave him in the basement instead.

However it seemed the vampires who had kidnapped us had other ideas. Felipe was soon in the basement with us, stood beside Bill, a condescending smirk painted onto his features. "Now, now, ladies that is no way to talk to your hosts." He tutted while he shook his head, as if we were children who needed to be told off.

"Well I do believe locking up ones guests doesn't make you a very good host." I shot back, my brain to mouth filtering faltering for a second. Felipe's jaw tensed a little but he soon relaxed again.

"We're going to try this again ladies. Miss Stackhouse, you are going to be spending time with our dear Mr. Compton this evening, and Miss Caesar, you and I are going to be spending this evening together." Felipe outlined the plan for the night, seemingly pleased. I wasn't.

"Oh how lovely of you to consult us on the evenings entertainment. Unfortunately we're going to have to give it a miss, we have other things to be spending our time doing." I sassed. Sookie's hand, which had landed on my arm moments before, tightened a little in warning. I was beyond a warning though. It was one thing to throw us in a cell and leave us there, away from them, but another entirely to drag us out and subject us to their presence. "Oh, and it's Mrs. Caesar-Nervii." I corrected, holding up my left hand to flash my bands at the vampire before me. Although the pledging didn't physically mark me, Godric's blood in me had shifted scent a little. It still smelt like him, but it was stronger, daring anyone to sink his or her fangs into me. The smell was meant to repulse other vampires, to stop them from carnally wanting me, but I had a feeling my fae blood had stopped that little part of the change from working.

Bill sighed, shaking his head at my comment before he moved to one of the basement walls. "I hate that it has come to this, my dear Sookie, but Miss Caesar brought this on." He shoved the blame onto me and I heard Sookie scoff. Clearly she had come to the same conclusion I had. Bill never took responsibility for his actions. He always felt the need to blame someone else so that he looked like the good guy. His true colours were bleeding through though, and I could see that it somewhat frightened my little cousin.

Bill returned to our cell, clutching two pairs of iron handcuffs. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at the predictability of it. Those things hurt like a motherfucker though. Without warning Felipe used his vampire speed to yank the cell open and grab Sookie, hauling her out and thrusting her towards Bill. Before she could even muster the strength to pop away he had his handcuffs on her, rendering her powers useless. Sookie scream of pain as the handcuffs were placed on her made me want to kill Bill, and Felipe, and everyone else in this stupid mansion. It was one thing to hurt me, I had experienced 2000 years of torture and agony, but my little cousin was relatively new to the Supe world and her powers weren't as advanced. She was a little more delicate. Of course Sookie's removal from the cell meant that I was next, and it was only seconds later before Felipe hauled me out of the cell, wrapping another pair of iron handcuffs onto me in order to stop me from using my powers against him. I had to admire him for knowing the weakness of his enemy; it was just a shame that I was the enemy.

Sookie and I were dragged back up the staircase and into the main body of the mansion, the bright light from the light bulbs caught me off guard and it took a moment for my vision to adjust. The basement was dark and dingy, but I had noticed a rather conveniently placed window at the back of our cell, open to the elements apart from a few bars across it. I didn't think they would be iron; they looked like they had been there for a while.

Of course the moment we were out in the mansion we were separated. Bill hauled Sookie off in one direction while Felipe took me in another. _"Don't worry Sook, everything will be fine!" _I mentally called out to her as she disappeared from sight.

"_I'm more worried about you!" _My cousin responded in her typical fashion, putting the feelings and emotions of others before herself. I sighed internally but didn't bother to correct her about it. My cousin would always put others before herself. She was never going to change.

"_Don't worry about me, focus on yourself. I'll meet you back in that godforsaken cell soon." _I promised her just as I was dragged into a long, marble hallway.

"Well my dear, what do you think?" Felipe gestured around him to the room. I was frozen to the spot. It looked exactly like the corridors leading to the rooms in Caesar's Palace. The marble was the same shade, the walls paints the same colour. Similar paintings were hung up on the walls and even the same types of plants were in little pots, dotted along the corridor.

"It looks just like home." I pointed out the obvious, knowing that was the response he wanted. Now I was worried. It was one thing to be enamored with something but another thing entirely to change your whole house around to look exactly like theirs. It was a little creepy and made my skin crawl.

"Which was the point, my dear. I built all of this with you in mind. This will be your new home and it'll be like you never left the old one." He turned to me with a smile, obviously not seeing the fatal flaw in his plan.

"Minus my Children and my husband." I added. While it was lovely that Felipe's mansion looked like my home, it wasn't home. It never would be without my Children and husband with me. The place was just a house otherwise; the people made it a home.

"Oh don't you worry about them. Soon you shall be my wife and we will have our own children." His gaze dropped to my lower belly, and instinctively I wrapped my handcuffed arms around the area. No one's child would be growing there, unless they were Godric's, and that was never going to happen anyway. Dang vampirism. I realized the situation I was in was getting more and more dire as the seconds went by. I couldn't understand why I had allowed him to be king for so long, why I hadn't simply taken his crown from him. I'd blithely followed him for years, backing him up whenever he needed it, offering my telepathy to help him gain popularity on the west coast of America. My boys and I would have never had to worry about him if we'd have just taken his crown, we would have never had to pretend to like him in front of others or deal with his constant lies and his attempts at separating us all up. The other Sheriff's of Nevada weren't his biggest fans either, but the state was lucrative and Felipe was a fair king. It was a shame he was an unfair man when business was no longer involved.

Although I would no doubt kick myself for it in the morning, I opened up my mental connection with all of the vampires back at the penthouse. Immediately I was bombarded with hundreds of mental questions, but Godric's were the loudest.

"_Ata! Ata!" _He was practically screaming in my head and it took all my concentration to keep my face neutral. Felipe had resumed his tour, grabbing me by the arm to lead me through the house. It scared me how similar it was to home. I was feeding the layout through the mental connection to Ari, who was begging me to open up our bonds as he worked away to scribble down a rough layout on paper that Pam had bought to him.

"_I'm fine baby I'm fine." _I tried to reassure my husband, though I knew my mental reassurances would do nothing to make him feel any better, especially considering the fact he could currently see everything I could through our tie. I made the fatal mistake of looking down, and the iron handcuffs fell into his line of sight. Without warning my bond with him tore open, his anger and resentment flooding into my system, crippling me. Unable to stand under the weight of his emotions I crumbled to the floor.

"You should watch where you're going." Felipe's voice broke me out of my pain induced whimpering. In a fluid motion he hauled me back up onto my feet and I was quick to shut down my bond with Godric. It was too late though; he would know I was in Felipe's mansion and exactly what I felt about being there.

"_I am coming to get you. Do. Not. Move." _His order was strict and authoritative. I would have laughed about not being able to move, given that I was currently handcuffed, but I felt it best not to anger my beloved further. I was mentally feeding Ari every little detail I could think of so that he and the others would be able to come up with a far more detailed, and therefore more likely to be successful, rescue plan.

"_Godric Caesar-Nervii. Don't you dare come in here and get me. If you so much as set foot on this property without a foolproof plan of action, and multiple back up plans, I will personally see to it that you will have to sleep alone, in your own bed, for one-hundred years." _I threw him an ultimatum, vowing to take away from him the one thing he loved the most if he didn't obey me. My husband was a snuggler, and I was well aware of how much he enjoyed the fact that we slept beside one another.

There was silence from our mental tie as my husband dealt with my ultimatum.

Felipe had moved us into somewhere he liked to call the 'dayroom.' I hadn't been listening to him talking, too busy dealing with my petulant husband, so I nodded my head along with whatever he was saying. He was showing me the far side of the room when Godric agreed with my order, and the sight of busts of my mother and father fell into my line of vision at that exact moment. Mother and father were dead because of Russell and his greed, and here I was with one of his progenies. "I've even had my people purchase you a brand new car and a whole new wardrobe. Only the finest of life's luxuries for my wife." Felipe's eyes trailed up and down my figure, his tongue darting out to lick his lips as his gaze met mine. If Felipe thought I was marrying him then he was just as delusional as Bill. I would never go through with it. I would pretend to end myself again and flee to the Old World with my large family. The vampire king of Egypt would readily accept us and protect us, I was a national treasure after all, and the vampire queen of Sweden adored Egor and Agmund, so she was a potential ally should the need arise too.

"_Fine. You win. First sign of trouble though and I am coming to get you. I will not let that insolent man hurt you in any way. You. Are. Mine." _He mentally growled, and that growl was what set me off.

Godric's possessive streak, coupled with the growl that I already missed, had the heat flaring to my core. Squeezing my thighs together, I prayed to Isis that Felipe wouldn't inhale. Of course he then chose that moment to do so.

"You approve of the home and the gifts I have given you?" He closed the distance between us, towering over me ever so slightly. It was wrong, his height was all wrong. My Godric and I were roughly the same height, which was how it was supposed to be.

Ignoring my husband for the time being I moved my eyes back to the busts of my parents, the anger I felt in that moment for their deaths was stronger than it ever had been before. With no tie to Felipe he was unable to sense what I was doing. Pulling in as much magic as I could from my surroundings, even with the iron handcuffs on me, I used what dwindling strength I had to sharply raise a leg, slamming my foot high into Felipe's chest. Having not seen the attack coming, the look of surprise on Felipe's face was comical. That was, until he hit the far wall. He was down for seconds before he hauled himself up and charged at me, raising a hand.

I felt the sharp sting as his hand connected with my face, heard the sound of bones grinding and seconds later I felt the cold marble floor beneath me. Kicking him across the room had been gratifying for all of three seconds, and would have no doubt earned me a silent cheer from my husband, but the long-term consequences were just starting to come into fruition. I had no time to think before I was hauled up off of the floor, placed down on the nearest surface, Felipe's hands capturing my face. "See what you made me do, you silly girl. I never wanted to harm you." He cooed, as if it would make his mistreatment of me any better. I was fighting back the tears, not because of the pain, nor because of the situation I had found myself in, but because I could feel my husbands hurt through our bond. He had taken most of the pain of that hit for me, pulling it through our bond so I wouldn't have to deal with it. I was fighting back tears because I had a husband who was willing to take every hit, every strike, every bullet, if it meant I would be safe and unharmed. I wasn't sure if he was loosing it in his old age, or even if I was worth all of the pain, but I loved him nonetheless.

Felipe moved my head in his hands, examining the huge handprint that had blossomed on my cheek. "You're not bleeding, that's good." He sighed, his shoulders slumping a little as he used one of his hands to stroke my hair. It was different to the way Godric would do it. With him it was all about affection and love, with Felipe it felt controlling and condescending. "Never lash out at me again and I wouldn't be forced to hurt you." He warned me, catching my eyes. He didn't bother trying to glamour me, knowing it wouldn't work, but his hand in my hair moved to the nape of my neck and before I could shout out in protest his lips were on mine, muffling my scream.

Godric's anger caused tears to streak down my cheeks, and I could feel my boys having to hold him down, even though their own anger was becoming difficult for them to control. I could even feel Eric struggling to remain at Caesar's Palace. Felipe's kiss was controlling and demanding, forceful and aggressive. Shaking my head to try and break free, his grip on the nape of my neck tightened, his other hand clenching onto my arm with such force that I was sure I could feel the bruise starting to form there. I wanted to kick, lash out and scream, curse him to the high heavens and blast him into dust with my light, but the iron around my wrists was weakening me with every passing second. I had to get out of this. It was all wrong. His lips weren't plump and soft, slightly moist and delicious, like my husbands were. Felipe's were cold and cruel. Shuffling on the surface that I had been deposited on, it took little effort for me to bring my knee clean up into Felipe's crotch, causing him to double over.

It was a common misconception that vampires didn't feel any pain, apart from silver, and that you could punch them and they wouldn't really feel it. While their bodies were solid, leading to broken bones and fractures should a human ever lash out at them, the males' crotches were most certainly not as unbreakable. I'd learnt that the hard way during the 10th century. Raising my cuffed hands I swept my tears away, not wanting to give Felipe the satisfaction of tasting them. There was no point in me running from him, he was faster than me and while covered in iron I had no way of getting out of the mansion alone. Besides, I wouldn't leave Sookie. Ever.

In a blur of motion one of Felipe's hands was wrapped around my neck, hauling me off of the surface. Before I could protest and squirm we were back in the basement, the handcuffs removed as I was violently thrown back into the iron cell Sookie and I would no doubt be spending the next few days in. My back hurt as I connected with the cold floor, but I was grateful for the lack of direct iron contact, and for the silence the basement offered me. It also meant playtime with Felipe was over, for now. "You insolent woman!" he yelled at me through the bars, grabbing them with both hands, as they had no effect on him. "You're lucky I don't fucking kill you now." He hissed, as if I was worried about his temper tantrum and his feelings.

I didn't give Felipe the satisfaction of a response, and the king of Nevada stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him seconds later. Instead I lay there, spreading out my arms and legs so I looked like a starfish. I could feel the cold seeping in through my flimsy clothing and it helped to numb the pain of his smacks and ease the anger pouring through my bonds with Godric and my Children.

Finally though, without Sookie by my side, it became too much. "Please stop." I whispered into the darkness, knowing that everyone I shared a mental connection with at that very moment would hear me. It was as if a lid had been put on a bubbling pan. One moment the emotions of my family were pouring into me and almost overpowering me, and the next they were non-existent. The bonds were all closed, and only our mental ties remained. "Thank you." I muttered, sighing quietly. Turning my head to the side, my red cheek came into contact with the cool ground, and in the darkness I caught sight of a thick blanket. At least Felipe or one of his cronies had the decency to not let us freeze to death. Grabbing the woolen fabric I spread it over myself, pleased it was big enough for both Sookie and I to snuggle under.

Although tired, I refused to give in to sleep until Sookie was back with me, when she was safe.


	61. Blow Me One Last Kiss

**A/N**

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews for the last chapter! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post, I had most of it written for a while but I had essays due and then I needed to find a house for next year. There was so much drama about that which I won't bore you with, but know that it's all sorted now!**

**I was wondering if anyone could help me out…I read a story a while back that was True Blood based (obviously) but Sookie and Eric were human. He lived in Sweden and she was in the States. They were pen pals when they were younger and always wrote to one another and then one summer Eric came over to see her and they travelled across America together and fell in love in the process. I think one of the last chapters I read was about him having to go back to Sweden to do national service or something and he hadn't told Sookie about it, and she found out via Pam…does anyone know the author or the name of the story? I really wish to re-read it!  
*****UPDATE. The Vikings Succubus found the story for me just now and let me know about it! THANK YOU! To my other readers, I really recommend it. Its not been updated in a while but it's great none the less! Search for ****Always For You by makesmyheadspin and you'll know what I mean! :)**

**To RedVelvet, who I can't privately respond to, I loved your little rant about Bill! It made me chuckle! I can't confirm nor deny your comment however for fear of ruining the next few chapters, so I'm going to enjoy keeping you on your toes *****MWAH!*******

**Next chapter for ya my beauties, and it's a wee bit longer than the last one, and has some lemons, to make up for the delay. Don't say that I don't love ya'll! :)**

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_I think I've finally had enough, I think I maybe think too much  
__I think this might be it for us, blow me one last kiss  
__You think I'm just too serious, I think you're full of shit  
__My head is spinning so blow me one last kiss  
__Just when it can't get worse, I've had a shit day  
__Have you had a shit day? We've had a shit day  
__I think that life's too short for this, I want back my ignorance and bliss  
__I think I've had enough of this, blow me one last kiss.  
__~ Blow Me One Last Kiss, P!NK_

Being pulled out of the iron cell like a ragdoll was not my idea of fun, nor was it particularly pleasant for me when the iron handcuffs were slapped onto my wrists. I couldn't stop my scream of pain as the iron came into contact with my skin. I'd never been so sensitive to it before, but then I'd never spent an extended period of time with another fairy, nor had I been practicing with my powers so much. I'd known this day was coming, when Bill would finally snap and try and take me from Eric. He'd always been possessive, but I hadn't pegged him for being deranged until our relationship was nearing its end, when all the lies he'd spouted started to rear their ugly heads. Tears streamed down my cheeks and yet I refused to break completely, I refused to open up my bonds with Eric and the others back at our nest. I could do this. _I could do this._

Together Ata and I were hauled upstairs, the brightness of the light bulbs in the room we had been shoved into took me a moment to adjust to, but when my eyes finally adjusted I was able to properly take in my surroundings. Felipe's mansion was beautiful, there was no denying it, but it looked too much like Caesar's Palace. Judging by Felipe's thoughts, which were currently galloping through my mind like a championship racehorse, it had been his intention all along.

Just as I finished contemplating my surroundings I was pulled away from Ata, Bill's grip on my arm was like steel. Felipe was dragging my cousin the other way and I panicked, not wanting to be separated from her. "Don't worry Sookeh. Felipe will take care of your friend." Bill cooed in my ear, having obviously felt my panic through the weak tie we still shared. I was glad I hadn't formed a bond with him, at least he didn't have that much of a hold over me. I heard Ata in my mind, seeing as how we felt there was no need to be blocked off from one another, and just as I couldn't see her anymore she called out to me. _"Don't worry Sook, everything will be fine!"_

As per usual I wasn't worried about myself. I'd dealt with Bill for a while and I knew how he worked. Felipe was the uncertain element here, as was Russell._ "I'm more worried about you!" _I shot back to her, hoping she would understand. Bill was too much 'in love' with me to really hurt me.

"_Don't worry about me, focus on yourself. I'll meet you back in that godforsaken cell soon." _Ata promised me, though I was unsure how long it would be until we would get to see one another again. As we moved out of sight of Ata and Felipe, Bill loosened his hold on me a little. I would have bruises in the morning, and I didn't have any cream with me to get rid of them. There was not a cat in hells chance I was taking Bill's blood to heal!

Dropping one of his hands to the curve of my lower back, Bill navigated me through the maze of corridors. I kept my connection with Ata open but didn't pry. She would let me know what she wanted me to know. Bill's hand on me was uncomfortable and I could feel my bond with Eric screaming out that this was wrong, that the wrong man had his hands on me. Although I'd closed down the bond it seemed like it wasn't taking no for an answer. Demanding. Just like the man who had forged it with me.

"Sookeh, I will make sure that you have some clean clothes and a blanket to sleep under this evening." Bill made some attempt at small talk, but his efforts were lost on me. He blew his chance, not that there was one to start with anyway, the moment I had figured out he was in on this little plan, that he was one of the vampires who had ordered my abduction from Caesar's Palace and the threatening of what little DNA-related family I had left.

Bill whisked me into what appeared to be a sitting room, and I felt a strange sense of déjà vu overtake me. The room was beautifully decorated, there was no denying it, but I felt uneasy. The walls were painted in powder blue, cream carpet covered the floor and a chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room. Thick blue drapes covered the windows and a fire was roaring away in the white marble fireplace. There was one sofa, big enough for three people, and opposite it sat two arm chairs. All three were white, with blue and red scatter cushions. A grand piano was tucked away to one side of the room and on the walls there were numerous huge paintings of famous figures throughout history.

I was all but forced down into one of the armchairs, almost tripping over the small red coffee table that sat between the sofa arrangements. Bill took the other armchair, and I could see the sadness on his features over the fact he had to let me go, he had to take his hands off of me. I wanted nothing more than to snap off a leg of the grand piano and shove it through his undead, cold heart. I was even tempted to let Eric and Pam 'play' with him once Ata and I had escaped.

"Ah Miss Stackhouse! How lovely it is to see you again." Russell's voice floated into the room as he entered through a door that I had missed – hidden in an alcove. Now I could place my déjà vu. It was only a year ago that I had been in a similar situation. However, I was older now, and much wiser in the ways of vampires. Russell would not be getting any information out of me whatsoever.

"It's lovely to see you too, Mr. Edgington." I forced a smile, remembering the manners Gran had instilled in me. She would have been rolling in her grave had I forgotten and not shown some respect to my 'elder.'

"Now then Miss Stackhouse, I say we get straight on down to business." Russell tried to give me a smile, but I didn't find it comforting in any sense of the word. If anything it only made me more nervous. From the corner of my eye I noticed how Bill's lips quirked upwards slightly, and then it then struck me that he could feel my emotions! Using the same method I had to close my bonds with Eric and the rest of our nest, I shut down my connection with Bill. The scowl on his features and the shock in his eyes made me feel somewhat smug.

Russell had moved to the three-person sofa while I had been shutting down the connection, and he had missed the entire exchange. Bill schooled his features as he lent back into the armchair he was sat in, resting his arms on the armrests either side. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to peak into his head, I dropped my shields.

"_This is going to be great. She doesn't have any idea what's going to happen. Moment Russell breaks their tie she'll be mine. All mine." _His thoughts swirled inside my head and, as quickly as I had brought them down, I slammed my shields back up again. I had no intention of ever being Bill's again, and certainly had no intention on breaking my bond with Eric! Was Bill even aware that we had a bond, and not a tie?

"What business would this be, Mr. Edgington?" I played dumb, knowing it would be the best way to get information out of Russell. Over the past few years I had learnt about the vampire world the hard way, and experienced the way vampire minds worked. They always loved a helpless human.

"The business pertaining to your arrangement with Northman of course!" Russell looked gleeful as he sank back into the sofa, his eyes never leaving mine.

"My arrangement with Mr. Northman? Don't you mean my relationship with Mr. Northman?" I corrected. I was aware that Russell wasn't afraid of Eric, he had 2000 years on my Viking, but I felt it appropriate to let him know that Eric was my partner, my mate. At least it would tell Russell that it would be more difficult to part us, that I wouldn't go down without a fight, and that neither would Eric.

"Ah, yes, your _relationship _with Mr. Northman." Russell sneered, his lips contorting up into an ugly smirk. Bill visible stiffened in the chair next to me. _Take that, asshole!_

"Well, you won't have to worry about being tied down to him for much longer. Soon you'll be free to be back with Mr. Compton." Russell gestured to the vampire next to me, and I couldn't stop myself from scoffing.

"Because clearly I miss Bill." I retorted, rolling my eyes. My cousin's sassiness was rubbing off on me.

"Oh come now! Mr. Compton has been nothing but pleasant towards you over the years." Russell wafted a hand through the air, brushing aside my comeback. I wanted to scoff again, but I figured it wasn't very ladylike.

Russell was feeling somewhat gleeful this evening, and I could only guess that it had something to do with the fact he now had me right where he wanted me. He was one step closer to ending Eric. Now if I could navigate the conversation in the right direction I could find out what exactly he was planning, and even attempt to breach his mind. Of course only his current thoughts would run through my mind, but that was a start.

Ata had told me not to open my mind to the others back at the penthouse, but I figured it was important that they were made aware of what was going on, if only to ensure Eric's safety. Steeling myself, I tugged at my connection with Eric, slowly pulling down the wall I had built between us. Of course as I removed our mental block the one on the bond came with it. I wasn't strong enough yet to work the two independently.

Eric's emotions came rushing at me from every angle – _relief, worry, hatred, loathing and love. _I had a feeling the hatred and loathing were aimed at the vampire sitting opposite me. Before my high-handed bonded could open up a mental conversation I dove right in. _"Eric, I'm fine, it's okay, don't worry. I'm going to get Russell to talk and you'll be able to hear everything he's saying to me. I want you to use it to make a plan to bring him down – and take Bill and Felipe with him." _I was quick with my message, knowing that if Russell didn't have my full attention throughout our little meeting he would know something wasn't right.

Eric surprised me with his mental silence, but his gentle push of reassurance and understanding, tinged of course with his immense worry, was enough to spur me on with the conversation.

"How exactly do you plan on parting me from Eric then?" I asked the million-dollar question. Maybe it wasn't so bright of me to go straight for the kill shot and ask him to reveal everything, but it was the best way of knowing what exactly was going on. I'd always had a feeling Russell was one to parade his plans, show off his grandeur, thinking he was untouchable due to this age. I was hoping my bet would pay off.

A sly smirk spread over Russell's slightly cracked lips. "That's the best bit. I understand you have a tie with him, which I fully intend to use to my benefit. He probably knows you're here by now, so I'm just waiting for the Viking to come charging in here to come and get you. He's always been protective of those he loves." The sneer wasn't hard to miss, nor were the mental images of the night Russell and his wolves murdered Eric's family, when Eric had grabbed his fathers blade in a desperate attempt to take down the creature that had slain his family. I wasn't fast enough to pull my shields up, to block the memory from Eric, and I felt his regret and sorrow colour the other emotions in our bond. I took note of the fact Russell referred to our tie, obviously unaware that we had formed a blood bond. Clearly Bill and Russell didn't have the full picture. I could only hope they were wrong about several other things too.

"I then intend to, once Northman is in the vicinity, capture him and make him watch as I give you my blood. As I have 2000 years on his poxy little 1000, my blood is far more potent. It will override whatever tie you two have and then you shall be mine. Of course with the age of my blood comes the powers, the vision and hearing you will gain will be far superior to what you have now, and then of course there are the dreams." He wafted a hand through the air nonchalantly. I had to stop myself from balking. The last thing I ever wanted was erotic dreams concerning Russell. I felt a wave of smugness from Eric, who had clearly felt my disgust. "Once you are mine I shall turn you, before I shall have my fun with the Viking, break him down slowly. I might remove his hands first, then there's no way for him to fight back." Russell mused, rising from his seat on the sofa to prowl around the room. Panic shot through me at the mention of turning, not because I was frightened of being a vampire, but at the fact that I knew I wouldn't survive the turning, or that I would meet the sun immediately regardless of any Maker's command. Bill, sensing my panic, seemed to get some form of perverse satisfaction from it, and with an almost unperceivable nod towards Russell, the 3000 years old vampire continued with his explanation.

"Maybe I'll get rid of his fangs after. Can't have him biting anyone or replenishing his strength." Russell walked around the room until he was stood behind me, his hands landing on my shoulders. Slowly he bent over, until his lips were inline with my ear. "Then, when he's too weak to function, begging on his knees for mercy, praying to his Gods for safety and redemption, I will command you, as my Childe, to ram a stake through his undead heart, and you will watch as, by your own hands, the Viking meets the true death." I couldn't help but panic internally, the slight mention of Eric's untimely demise set me off. My poker face was perfect though, years of hearing peoples vile and ignorant thoughts meant very few things gained a physical response from me. Of course, Bill was still unfortunately a part of me and he felt my panic, throwing his head back to laugh in amusement.

Russell was back before me in a second, our eyes locked. I could feel him trying to push himself into my mind, trying to influence me. Pulling on all of the nature I could find around me – the potted plants, the fruit in the bowl on the table – I used it to reinforce my mental shields. It wasn't going to help me with my physical powers, but my mental ones it could. I'd had my telepathy for years, had been playing around with it for just as long. Now it was time to put my gift to good use. Rather than allowing Russell into my mind, I crept on into his, keeping a small door open, made of silver rather than iron, that I could escape back into. Deep inside my head I kept my connection with Eric open, hoping that whatever I was seeing and hearing would slowly trickle back to him and the rest of our nest. "Now tell me," Russell's voice took on the eerie and soft tone of a vampire trying to force a human to comply, "where I can find Northman and his Maker in their day rest." Russell demanded.

Bill had sat forward in his chair. It was common knowledge I couldn't be glamoured, but that vital piece of information seemed to have escaped Russell at the same time that Talbot died. He'd really gone off the rails then, and he could do it again.

Russell's mind was nothing like Eric's, Godric's, or even Pam's. All of them had tidy minds, everything was organized and therefore easy for me to find. Russell on the other hand, with his craziness and his ego, had a mind that was like a labyrinth. I was use to navigating people's minds, I'd been doing it all my life, but Russell was a challenge. He was a challenge I was willing to face if it meant getting vital information to Eric. I knew I had seconds before Russell would pull away, so in order to give myself more time I played along. I'd seen a few people glamoured before, I was aware of the sort of response I was to give. Flattening out my voice, I let my eyes glaze over as I concentrated on getting information from Russell. "I don't know. I don't sleep with him in the day." I played along, keeping my features void of emotion. I did the same for my bonds; I didn't want Bill to know I was playing Russell's little game.

Russell's annoyed sigh was just the ticket I needed. Turning a corner in his mind I found out his plans for myself, Ata, Eric and Godric. I had to stifle my horror and shock at my revelation. Knowing my time was limited I hauled all of the information into my own mind, shoving it through the mental tie I had going with Eric. I knew he'd received it when I felt his raw anger pouring through our bond. Russell was going to try and use me to lure Eric here, a plan that would probably work anyway knowing my bonded. What angered me were his plans to weaken Eric, pumping his veins full of silver before he did the same to me, right before he allowed Eric to feed on me to 'replenish himself.' With Eric weak, Russell was going to force him to watch as I was turned, and then three nights later, as my first act as a vampire, I was to be commanded to stake my bonded, and thus end our connection, giving Russell free access to me. I would be bonded to him, forever at his side, and as the oldest vampire in the New World no one would be able to take me from him. Not even Bill. My second act, as his Childe would be to stake Bill. Now that part of the plan I could get behind…

The force on my head became stronger as Russell willed his glamour to take hold. Quickly thinking of my options, I realized I had no choice but to outright tell him that it wasn't working. Hadn't I told him before that glamour wouldn't work on me? Hadn't Bill told him? The dark-haired slime seemed to blab everything to everyone. Deciding to bite the proverbial bullet, I took one look at Russell's face, scrunched up in concentration, and broke into a laugh. "Sorry buster, glamour doesn't work on me." I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders. Did Russell not know anything about the fae?

The frustration on his face, and the words swirling around in his brain, told me that he aware of that fact, but thought that with his 3000 years he would be able to break through whatever it was protecting my mind from vampires. "_Think again, buddy."_ I thought to myself.

"That is most frustrating, Miss Stackhouse." The pressure on my mind finally ceased as Russell sat back in his chair, raising his hand in front of him so that his fingertips met. In that moment he reminded me of all the old Bond villains. Jason and Daddy had once spent an entire weekend watching them all, and had subjected Momma and I to it when the evenings came around. Why Momma let them have such a weekend is still beyond me. Never once did she and I have a girly weekend and get to hog the television.

"Let's try a different approach shall we? Tell me where Northman rests for the day or your friend will suffer." Russell tried once again. It was easy to guess that by 'friend' he meant Ata. I loved my cousin so much. Besides from Eric and Gran, she was the only other person to see the worth in me, to understand me and know how difficult my life has been up until now. She hasn't coddled me or sugarcoated anything. At the same time though, I would never give up Eric's resting place to Russell. Just the thought of him getting anywhere near my bonded was enough to bring out the possessive side in me. Eric was mine. No one would go near him, nor harm him.

"_I'm sorry, Ata."_ I mentally prayed to my cousin, hoping she would understand.

"I'm not telling you anything, Russell. Try all you want but I would never reveal Eric's resting spot to you, or your vassals." I declared in a steady tone, throwing in one of the words from last years word-a-day calendar from Arlene. Country bumpkin, my ass. "You really think I would tell you where my bonded rests?" I snorted, shaking my head at the absurdity of it. I wasn't sure what kind of company Russell had kept over the years, but I liked to think of myself as loyal to those deserving, sometimes a little too loyal perhaps.

Before I even had time to scream, Russell's fangs were down and the ancient vampire had violently pulled my head to the side, exposing my throat to him. Bill, never one to miss out on the opportunity, took it upon himself to drop his own fangs, clamping a hand over my mouth to muffle my screams for help. If Ata could hear me then maybe she would be able to get away from Felipe long enough to come and help.

Russell went in to strike, went to pierce my flesh with those filthy fangs of his. I wasn't sure what repulsed me more; the thought of his fangs rather than Eric's buried inside of me, or the fact that countless other poor victims were harmed with them, including Eric's family. I braced myself for the pain, scrunching my face up and closing my eyes. I was aware of how painful a bite could be; I'd been fang-raped before. Instead of my howl of pain, Russell let out one of his own. My eyes snapped open and I turned to look at the vampire who had just tried to drain me.

His fangs hadn't been able to come into contact with my skin at all. There was a soft white pulsing light around me, shielding me from harm. I could feel Gran's pearls become a little warm against my skin. Amelia's protection charm was finally working! I had to stop myself from sighing in relief. It was then I noticed Russell's fangs, or should I say, the lack of them. They were missing from his mouth, a small pile of dust in one of his outstretched hands. His old eyes were focused on the pile of dust, and a bloodcurdling scream left his chapped lips. "MY FANGS!" He howled out into the room. From the corner of my eye I could see Bill, rigid with fear, his grasp on me a little slacker than before. I was tempted to bite his hand, to make him let me go, but the fear of accidently ingesting more of his blood put me off that idea right away.

The moment Russell's cold eyes swung to me I knew I was in trouble. _Fuck. _

"You backwards little tramp!" Russell's hand connected with the side of my face with enough force to send me slamming into the back of the chair I'd been perched on. The smack came so hard that I could feel Eric pulling some of the pain from me, and I could feel how much it hurt him too. I was surprised that he was tapering his side of the bond, not letting me feel the magnitude of the anger that was no doubt consuming him. I was grateful for the relief though, having to feel Eric's anger towards the vampire who had just tried to fang-rape me wouldn't be any help. "Throw her back in the cell! " Russell ordered Bill, his words hissed through the gap in his front teeth where his fangs once were. With another shrill scream Russell turned on the spot, towards the door. "SOMEONE GET ME A WITCH, NOW!" he called out as he vamped from the room, no doubt to go and cry over the loss of his main weapon.

Bill hauled me from my seat, having recovered enough to carry out Russell's command. "How could you be so stupid Sookeh? Russell isn't going to let you go so easily now, it's going to be so much harder for me to get you free!" Bill sighed as he hauled me towards the stairs leading the to basement. He really was becoming a broken record, blaming me for everything when it was his fault. I wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for Bill, I wouldn't have needed my protection charm if it weren't for Bill.

I could feel Ata in the basement the moment we entered, and I was instantly soothed by her presence. "You better hope Russell leaves you alone for the rest of the night. I can't promise he'll be distracted enough, you were foolish not to give him any information." Bill tutted, using his vamp speed to remove my handcuffs and open the cell before he chucked me back into it, showing no remorse over the fact I landed on the cold, hard floor like a rag doll. It was a matter of seconds before I was in Ata's arms, huddled under the blanket with her. She was in front of me slightly, taking up a protective stance, and although Bill didn't frighten me I sank into her, allowing the comfort coming from her to spread over me. I felt Eric relax through our bond; obviously having worked out I was now with my cousin.

Rather than offering Bill any sort of answer I simply looked at him, unblinking. Ata stared the Civil War vampire down until he finally took his leave, sweeping up the staircase as if he were some emotionally tortured immortal often portrayed on the big screens. Trust Bill to be dramatic.

"You were hurt." My cousin states as she turns to look at me, taking in my appearance. I can see a red mark on her too, and cautiously I reach up to touch it. She flinches at my touch but I carry on anyway, hoping my cool skin will help ease the pain. Ata mimics my actions, her blue eyes locked on my own. "I'm proud of you." She starts off softly after a while of silence between us. "You didn't break and tell Russell what he wanted. He'll keep trying to get information out of you, and Felipe will continue to do so with me, but we must remain vigilant. We cannot let our men down." My cousin's tone is soft and warm as she speaks, and I nod at her words. Russell will not lay a finger on my Viking.

"I let Eric in." I confess quietly, ashamed that I broke that one part of Ata's plan, the part about keeping our bonds closed.

A small smile crosses her lips and she blinks once, shielding her light eyes from the world for a moment as she feels my emotions. "I let Godric in too. Our other halves need to know what was going on, so they can create the best strategy there is. You know what they are like. Such ancient beings are meticulous planners." Her light laugh echoes in the dark space, and I feel a little safer in her presence. We're a team, with our own individual sets of strengths and weaknesses, and yet we balance one another out. What I lack, Ata doesn't, and what Ata lacks, I have.

"_You need to go back to Eric and the others. He will be beside himself with worry. Godric can survive longer without me, we have been parted for 2000 years." _Ata's voice fills my head, and I know she is speaking to me this way incase we are being listed in on. For a second I'm confused and I can sense Ata sensing this.

She gestures to a space on the floor and together we lay down, pulling the blanket around us. We're face to face, nose to nose, our hands intertwined. To outsiders it'll look like we're preparing ourselves for sleep, but I know Ata intends to continue talking to me mentally, that this is all a show for everyone else.

"_I can't go back to Eric, we're in an iron cell, and there's no way to escape." _I remind my cousin gently, wondering if the smack she received knocked out any of her brain cells.

Ata's lips quirk upwards a little, and for a second I see a sparkle in her eyes before it disappears. _"Our gifts are given to us for a reason. See the window behind me? There's no glass, just bars. I tested them while you were out. They're made of silver, not iron. You can pass through them." _My cousin's mental voice is excited, but I'm not nearly as thrilled with the plan. _"Our gifts are designed so we don't have to use too much energy to use them, they're given to us for our times of need, when it's assumed we won't have much strength. It won't take much for you to change into a fly or something and escape back to the penthouse!" _Ata's plan sounded like it could work, except…

"_That's all well and good, but I refuse to leave you here, and if we're being watched then they'll see me leave!"_ I mention the flaws to her. For a moment my cousin is silent, but I can hear her mind working over the problem.

"_If you go just before sunrise then Russell and the others will be down for the day, the only people who could be watching would either be Were or human, and I can deal with either of those. As for them noticing you being gone, you seem to forget our ability to cast illusions. Usually I cast ones of myself, but I could cast one of you while you're gone, and keep you under the blanket and asleep. We can pretend to sleep the whole day away." _Ata explains.

I'm uneasy with leaving her, but the prospect of getting back to Eric, even if it's only for a few hours, is very tempting. _"You'd have to tell Eric to stay up past dawn though, to fight the pull of the sun and potentially suffer the bleeds. Ari and Khai can lightproof the penthouse, so you can all have free movement. You need to tell them everything that's going on, help them come up with some way to get us out of here." _Ata rambles on, seemingly set on this plan of action.

"_You said yourself that our powers are less in this iron cell, how are you going to keep the illusion of me here for the whole day?" _The thought of Ata's powers dropping substantially, leading her to be unprotected should she be removed from the cell, has me worried. I've never come across a fairy without their powers before, one so drained down.

Ata falls silent, and for a moment I believe I have her, that this plan is ridiculous and will not work. I don't want to leave her here to fend for herself. _"Ask Godric for some of his blood, bring it back with you. It will replenish the power I'll have lost over the day." _She finally answers.

Sighing, I let go of one of her hands, bringing my free hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose. _"Sookie, you were given the gift of transformation for a reason! Niall wouldn't have given you it if he didn't think you would need it. Please, you have to go back and tell them everything, you have to go back and replenish your strength. Many mad men have locked me inside many cells over the years, I can hold my own for a few hours. If you don't go, so help me mother Isis I will make your life hell when we eventually get out of this shit heap." _I can practically hear Ata growling at me. I can feel the warning vibrations from her chest travelling through the blanket. There will be no winning with this woman, no arguing.

Realizing that there is no way I'm going to talk Ata out of it, I sigh in defeat. Opening up my mental connection to Eric, and with everyone else back at the penthouse, I relay the information to them all. _"As you all know, Niall gave me the ability to change into creature in the world. There's a small window in our cell so I'm going to change into a fly and come back to Caesar's Palace just as the sun is rising. Please can you all lightproof the penthouse and fight the pull of the sun, if you can. I have information about what's going on here and my telepathy means I can give you the information regarding Russell's security." _I pushed the information at the vampires I shared mental connections with. While I had been talking to Russell I'd been silently filtering in information about his security team, their strategies and their positions around the mansion. Information like that could be extremely useful to my strategic bonded.

Eric's relief flooded my bond, and his joy at the situation was almost palpable even though there was a large distance between us. I was feeling a little nauseous from the bond being stretched so far for the whole day. It would do us both some good to reconnect, even though Eric would be fighting the sun and suffering the bleeds. Underneath Eric's relief though I could feel Godric's worry, his concern for his wife. Searching deep down I found the strand inside me that was our connection. I'd come to think of all the bonds as cables, cables connecting me to them and them to me. If we were close together the cables were short and had some give to them. If we were far away the cables were long and taut. Each cable though had it's own colour, so it looked like a little rainbow inside me, but I could associate each colour with each vampire.

Eric's cable was red, the colour of passion, confidence, power and rebellion. The colour suited our relationship well. Godric's cable was indigo, the colour of integrity, responsibility, faith and wisdom. It was a colour that suited my sort-of father-in-law.

I pushed as much reassurance down Godric's cable, our bond, as I could muster. I was coming back to make sure that Ata and I would be as safe as possible inside Felipe's mansion, that there would be a plan to get us both out alive and to render Felipe and Russell truly dead. If Bill joined them for their death sentence, well, c'est la vie.

"_I will ensure that the penthouse is lightproof for your return, __min älskling." _Eric's mental voice was the first to break through into my mind. Godric didn't say a word, but the gratitude I received from him through our bond meant more than his words. I got the feeling he was thankful for both my reassurance and my return to Eric. I could only imagine how stressed my bonded was without me.

"_Wait until just before sunrise to shift, and then go quickly. I'll keep up the illusion you are here and pretend to rest for the day. I'll have my back to the rest of the basement, and make it look like we're curled up together and that I'm shielding you, just in case someone comes down to check on us." _Ata ran through the plan with me, and I nodded.

I was thankful to her for letting me go. She could have demanded I stay with her, insisting that the mental information we managed to get to our bonded's was enough, but she was willing to face Russell, Felipe and Bill if I didn't make it back in time, and I had no doubt that the punishment she would receive would be horrific.

Ata and I fell into silence, and the mental hums from the vampires back at Caesar's Palace informed us that they were busy preparing the penthouse for my return. I kept my eyes glued on the horizon, only just visible through the tiny bared window in our cell. I was counting down the seconds until the sun would start to peak over the horizon, which was the moment that I would be free to return to Eric. My eyelids felt heavy from lack of sleep and the stress of the day, and before I was aware that I had even dropped off for a short nap I felt Ata gently shaking me, trying to rouse me.

"_Time to get up, baby cousin. Eric awaits you" _I felt her smile as she pressed a motherly kind of kiss to my forehead. Groggily I lifted my head, I rubbed at my eyes to remove the sleep that had gathered in the corners. Glancing to the window I could see the first rays of daybreak glistening over the land, offering sanctuary to all those who feared the creatures of the night. _"I would recommend washing your clothes, and doing the same with mine too, but I fear that Russell and Felipe will become suspicious if we are suddenly wearing immaculate clothing." _My cousin sighed audibly, a grim expression crossing her pretty features. _"Remember, if you spend time with Eric then shower before you leave. His scent on you is still prominent now but it's faded a little as you've gone 24 hours without him. We don't want to cause them to become suspicious." _Ata forewarned me as we swapped places on the blanket, Ata's back facing the rest of the basement while mine faced the small cell window.

Giving Ata a nod, I briefly brushed my thumb over her cheekbone, pushing all my reassurance and strength to her through our connection. I'd come back for her and have a plan in place for our escape. As my finger moved over her cheek I felt warmth spread through my entire being, and my finger glowed a gentle golden colour for a split second. I could feel Ata's energy, the power she had given me to use. I was grateful for it; I didn't have 2000 years of experience and strength to call upon when using my powers. _"Stick to the floor and walls when you climb to get out, you know how keen vampire vision is if we're being filmed." _Ata's final warning sounded in my ears as she lifted the blanket up. Taking my cue I thought of a common housefly, and I felt myself shift into the small creature. The nightie I'd been wearing ended up in a pile under the sheets. Dropping to the floor I crawled along it, blending in with the grey of the concrete. Turning back to look at Ata, I spotted that she had already cast an illusion of me, an exact replica. I was asleep by the looks of it, every detail perfect right down to the little freckle on my left shoulder blade. Not wasting any time I scurried across the floor and up the wall, disappearing through the bars of the window and out into the Nevada sunshine.

Flying back to Caesar's Palace was an odd sensation. Out of all of the animals I had transformed into over the past few days, being a fly was the worst. My vision was distorted and although I was small and zippy there were plenty of things to contend against – cars, trucks, and even the wind. I could remember the way to and from Felipe's mansion, so it took no time at all before I was flying into the lobby of Caesar's Palace. The lobby was still a mess, taped off while policemen took statements from the crying witnesses – the few that remained – and a cleanup crew was busy scrubbing every inch of the marbles surfaces to ensure they were blood free. Ata's boys were nowhere to be found amongst the cleanup and the interviewing, but the sun had already risen so that was a given. Instead I spotted a brunette woman who seemed to be taking charge. She was bone thin and her face was drawn, bags under her eyes from lack of sleep and scruffy hair that made it look like she'd simply rolled out of bed. She probably had.

Of course the private elevator up to the penthouse had been taped off to, and forensic experts were currently working away there. As it had been the area that Ata and I had been taken from I could understand why the police were focusing on it so much. They wouldn't find anything about Ata and I though. I certainly wasn't in any sort of criminal database, and I could only assume my cousin wasn't either.

Heading towards the ceiling I flew in through an air duct. Although unable to hear the mental thoughts of all those in the nest I could still feel them, and I used the feelings to help me navigate through the maze of aluminum. For a moment I silently thanked my cousin that she had installed aluminum ducts and not steel ones. Steel contained iron, and in my current state any iron would probably do me some serious damage.

Soon I was out of the air ducts and in the vast space of the penthouse living room. Huge shutters were hiding the sunlight from the vampires present and numerous lamps were on to illuminate the dark space. Eric was sat on one of the sofa's, Hunter balancing on his lap, flanked either side by Godric and Jason. Ari, Khai and Isabel were sat on the other sofa. As the oldest vampires in the nest they could all fight the pull of the sun and stay up longer. Eric's hold on Hunter was firm yet not controlling, I could see him drawing strength from having the little boy in his arms. I could tell Jason wasn't really worried about the situation, and I couldn't blame him considering the fact that he had no idea what Russell Edgington and Felipe de Castro could do, but he seemed to be intimidated by Eric's presence. I prayed my bonded hadn't roughed him up in any way for what had happened earlier.

Ari was silent, drawing strength from Khai who he'd locked one hand with. It was interesting to see such ancient beings, one who usually stamped out their emotions, drawing strength from another, being so touchy feely as to hold hands. Khai's other hand was holding Isabel; the Spanish vampiress was leant against him for support, and I could see that she too was troubled by the recent turn of events.

It took all of three seconds before Eric's head whipped in my direction. I watched as his eyes focused on my current form, all the other vampires present doing the exact same thing. Even Hunter and Jason tried to look for me, but I was so small it was difficult for them to spot me, especially while I was hovering. Taking off in the direction of the bedroom I shared with Eric, I entered swiftly, automatically shifting myself back to my human form. I was tired from the travel, but had no time to dwell upon it as only second later my Viking swept me off my feet, quite literally.

His lips were all over me, smothering me in kisses. His large hands came into contact with as much of my bare skin as he could grope. I felt like thousands of fireworks were going off inside of me. His touch felt like electric against my skin. I'd never been one for pain, but I could deal with this kind of torture. Finally his lips found mine, as my back found purchase against a wall. His huge frame covered me and I felt secure in his hold. Being with Eric felt nothing like being with Bill. Eric was safe and strong, wise and caring. He was home. My anchor.

His frenzied kisses slowed as his lips found mine once again, and this time he kissed me softly, with such reverence that I felt like crying. His tongue pried my lips apart but this time there was no battle for dominance, we were free to explore one another equally. Eric's hips flexed forward sharply as I pushed my tongue against that little spot behind his front teeth, forcing his fangs to snap into place. His skin came into contact with mine and our lips parted so I could gasp, both due to surprise and lack of oxygen. When the heck had he removed his jeans and underwear?!

Instantly he was on my neck, fangs scraping the surface but never breaking the skin. My hands found the buttons of his crisp designer shirt and it took me no time at all to remove the offending garment, flinging it aside to land somewhere in the room. Sliding my hands from his glorious ass all the way up to his map of blonde hair, I grabbed a handful, tugging it sharply to remove him from my neck before I smashed my somewhat swollen lips to his. I had no idea how much time I would get with him today, nor did I know how long I would be gone for the moment I re-entered Felipe's mansion.

I could have just stayed put, remained in Caesar's Palace and fought from there, safe in Eric's arms, but I would never leave Ata. I would never make her suffer alone. She'd walked the earth for 2000 years, erasing herself from people's lives if she spent more than 5 minutes with them. I would not leave her alone. She deserved better.

My bond with Eric was wide open, his emotions pulsing so strongly within me that I was unsure where I ended and he started. His relief and his love for me were the most important of his emotions, and I focused solely on those as I shuffled against the wall, aligning our hips. Lips still locked, and no words spoken between us, Eric took his cue and pushed forward, entering me fully in one swift thrust. Our lips parted as we took a moment to groan at the feeling of being reconnected. I would gladly go and fight any and every vampire in Felipe's mansion if it meant I would be able to come home to this beautiful man, if it meant that we were free to just be, and to just live. I wanted nothing more than forever with my Eric, and no power-hungry ex-lover/monarch of mine, or a crazed 3000 year-old killer, or even an arrogant shitty woman beater of a king would get between us. Eric was **mine.**

Our coupling was frenzied. My Eric had been so worried about me that finally having me back with him had set off all of his primal, protective urges. He wanted to possess, consume, own. I was more than happy to let him take what he needed from me to reassure himself that I was with him now, that I was safe and well. His lips and hands were all over me, smothering any part of my body he could find. His hips were relentless, his pace so quick that I was only ever without skin to skin contact down there for a few seconds at a time, if not shorter. Eric's left hand removed itself from my hip, which he had been kneading for the past minute, and ended up on my thigh. In one swift motion he had raised my leg, hooking it over the crook in his arm, his well-formed, firm muscles falling into my line of sight. _I certainly hit the man-candy jackpot!_

The new angle meant that on every down-stroke he would brush against that sensitive spot inside of me, his hips grinding on my clit. I could feel the coil building up quickly in the pit of my stomach and I was powerless to stop myself from throwing my head back against the wall, crying out at the feelings he was invoking deep within me. Eric had always been a generous lover when it came to me. So lost in the sensations he was stirring within me, and the feel of his love and adoration pouring through our bond, that I felt rather than saw him raise his head from my breasts, which he had been lavishing with kisses, licks, nips and sucks. His cool breath swept over my clammy shoulder, caressing my skin. "Let go, min älskling." He cooed softly, nipping at my earlobe.

His words, and the feel of his fangs against my skin, were my undoing. Screaming out his name I was swept away with my release, unable to comprehend anything or anyone around me, apart from the man still buried inside of me. My release set off Eric's, and though I knew his stamina was incredible I was aware that he had missed me, that he was stressed and worried and angry all at the same time. He needed the release as much as I did, the reassurance, so he let himself succumb quickly.

I felt a deep-seated satisfaction hearing him roar my name out as he was swept away to. To know I could elicit such a response from such an ancient, powerful and beautiful creature was extremely gratifying, especially for a small girl from the south. The sound of my panting, something I had noticed I had been doing, pulled Eric out of his post-coital bliss and his lips landed gently on mine for the briefest of moments before he untangled us, slipping out of me. I whimpered at the loss, pouting over the unfairness of the situation. Eric's laughter came as a rumble from his chest, and my pout was instantly replaced with a soft smile.

"You're back." He whispered, resting his forehead against mine. My legs felt like jelly and I was grateful for the wall behind me, and Eric's arms around my waist as he helped hold me up. He knew I always had jelly-legs after sex with him. He was that good.

"I am, mitt hjärta." I stole a phrase from Eric's head. The grin that broke out on his face from my use of his language was beautiful, and well worth the risk of snooping in his head.

"Jag älskar dig" Eric's gentle confession was accompanied by so much love through our bond that I felt a stray tear roll down my cheek. Pitching forward, my bonded licked the little drop away, savoring the sweet taste of it.

"Jag älskar dig också" I murmured softly, raising a hand to stroke it against his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he lent into my touch, a purr emitting from his broad chest. We stayed as we were for a minute before Eric reluctantly pulled back and moved over to our clothes, hanging up in the wardrobe. He returned seconds later with a pretty underwear set, a pair of sweatpants and one of his t-shirts. He'd dressed himself in similar attire.

I was perfectly capable of dressing myself but I could tell my bonded wanted to take care of me, and right now I was beyond the point of arguing with him. I would have in the past, if I hadn't just spent some time locked in a cell in Felipe's mansion, having Eric's life threatened. He dressed me quickly before he tucked me into his side, placing a protective arm around my shoulders. Together we left the bedroom, entering the living room to see the group of older vampires gathered together. Oscar and Bubba had been unable to fight the sun due to their young ages, and Pam had succumbed to it also judging by the void I now felt in place of her usual mental musings. Throwing out my mental net I felt Egor and Agmund upstairs in the training room while Riei and Oeri were in the library.

The moment I was through the door Jason was rushing towards me, pulling me into his embrace. I was forced to let go of Eric's hand, much to our mutual disappointment. "I'm so sorry Sook, I'm real sorry! I had no idea what was goin' on. Flo told me I had to go downstairs, with Hunter, and we didn't think 'bout it. She was so adamant, damn near pushed us in the elevator!" Jason was apologizing at a mile a minute. At least now I knew why Jason and Hunter had left the safety of the penthouse, but I couldn't help but feel betrayed by Flo. I thought she liked me, liked Ata too!

Sensing my confusion, conflict and anger, Eric maneuvered me away from Jason. "She was glamoured, most likely during the VRA party." He explained softly, and all anger I felt towards the housekeeper disappeared. That poor woman!

"Where is she?" I asked, looking wildly around the room, concerned for her safety. Hunter was up off the couch by now, running at me like I was the last candy bar in the sweetie shop. In one fluid motion I swept him up into my arms, holding him close to my chest. "I have you sweetie." I cooed softly, noting that all of the damage done to him earlier had vanished. The only explanation was vampire blood.

"_Mine. I asked him if he was okay with it, after I informed him of the side-effects such as my ability to feel his emotions, and he was fine with it." _Eric answered my mental question as Ari opened his mouth to respond to my verbal one.

"We haven't seen her since." He stated solemnly.

Jason had taken his seat once again, and Eric took his, bringing both Hunter and I down onto his lap. The young boy had nuzzled himself against my chest, playing with the loose strands of my blonde hair that fell over my shoulders. "While I'd love to find her, I don't think she's a priority right now, as cruel as that sounds." I admitted out loud, sighing at how horrible it sounded. One missing housekeeper was nothing compared to the torture and no doubt abuse of two fae princesses.

"Tell me you got a plan, Sook?" Jason piped up, obviously feeling comfortable now with the vampires in the room. I could remember back when we had been in Dallas, how quite and reserved he had been in Godric's nest.

Sighing, I absentmindedly stroked Hunter's back with one hand, the other finding ground on Eric's thigh. "I don't have a plan, but I have information about everything going on in that godforsaken mansion. I don't have much time here either. Ata is keeping an illusion of me in the cell so that no one will suspect anything if we're being watched." I explained, glancing around the room, my eyes settling on Godric, whose head had snapped up at the mention of my cousin.

"Is she well?" He asked softly, the concern on his features endearing.

"We were both roughed up a little, but she's doing well. I didn't like the idea of leaving her, but she insisted." I let out a humorless chuckle, which Godric mimicked. It was no surprise my cousin got what she wanted, when she wanted it.

"You can't go back, mommy." Hunter's little squeak had my eyes moving down to him, curled up against my chest. It was the first time he called me his mother, and it took every ounce of strength from Eric to compose myself. Now was not the time to be bursting into tears.

"I have to sweetheart. Auntie Ata needs me." I dropped a kiss to the top of his head. "Besides, Eric will take care of you." I reassured him, giving him a gentle rock.

"I know, daddy can find me now." Hunter yawned, obviously having stayed up well past his bedtime.

"Daddy?" I mouthed over my shoulder to my bonded. He was simply sat there looking both proud and smug at the same time. "Think you can stay awake a little longer? I promise to tuck you in before I have to go back." I vowed to Hunter, knowing that he had to be around to hear the plan also. I would insist on him staying back at the penthouse, in the panic room where he was protected, while the fighting was going on however. Hunter bobbed his head twice and our deal was sealed.

"What exactly is going on in Felipe's mansion?" Isabel broke through the silence, her hand still holding Khai's. She was drawing light circles on his wrist, right where his pulse point would have been if he had been human.

"I didn't get to grasp a lot from Ata, but I assume she filled you in," I glanced to Godric, who nodded. "However I ended up having a chat with Russell, and Bill." Eric's grip on me tightened ever so slight, and I felt a tinge of protectiveness trickle into our bond. Pushing a small amount of reassurance through our connection I felt him relax.

"Russell enquired as to Eric and Godric's resting places. He tried to glamour me but of course that doesn't work. I was able to get inside his mind too. It was nothing like any of yours. His was cold and twisty, almost slimy." I shuddered from the memory. Russell's mind was not somewhere I wanted to return to. I'd felt Eric and Godric's anger peeking a little at the mention of their resting places. "I didn't tell him anything though, received a hefty smack for it though." I muttered, gently rubbing my still sore cheek. I was proud of myself for not giving in and for not telling Russell anyway. I'd given in so quickly when Ata and I had been rummaging through Eric's memories and I had witnessed the murder of his family. Maybe I just couldn't bring myself to lie to Eric? He was my bonded after all.

"He hurt you." Eric gritted out, barely containing his growl. Hunter was still in my arms. Carefully I shifted him onto Jason's lap, turning to sit myself facing Eric, my knees either side of his, straddling him. Bringing my hands up I captured his face with them, running my thumbs across his sharp cheekbones.

"He did, yes. I won't make excuses for him, but I would take every slap, every hit, if it meant that he was still unaware of your resting place, and Godric's for the matter." I reassured him, knowing that although I was not bonded to Godric his wellbeing was detrimental to my Eric's, and to Ata's.

"I will heal you before you return." Eric's voice was like steel, and I knew there was going to be no debate about this. My high-handed bonded did enjoy throwing his weight around whenever he could. Sighing a little, somewhat in resignation and somewhat in understand, I pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, aware of present company. Letting go of his face I turned back around, Hunter crawling back onto my lap seconds later, shuffling to get himself comfortable. I took to stroking his hair with one hand, playing with Eric's fingers with the other, as I filled in all the vampires present on everything I had seen and heard.

Three hours later we were done. Ari had composed a list of everything I had told him, and had even been able to sketch plans of Felipe's mansion. A few things had needed tweaking but he had the layout of the basement and the ground floor perfect. He was aware of the second floor, as that had been the location where Ata had been injected with silver and iron, but at the time he had been paying little attention to his surroundings so the sketch was adequate at best. It would do though. Hunter had fallen asleep, as we had been approaching the second hour, curled up in my arms.

"I need to put him to bed." I murmured to the vampires gathered around. I could tell some of them were starting to feel the pull of the sun as it came ever closer to reaching its highest point. Isabel and Khai looked exhausted, a rare feat for vampires, and Ari looked like he was ready to retreat back to his room, and to Pam. Jason had been dozing in and out during the last three hours, but when alert he had given us plenty of useful hints and tips about how to remove Felipe's guards. The Fellowship of the Sun stint he had endured was finally paying off. Eric's hold on me hadn't slacked once during our groups conversation, and I could tell he was trying to hold onto me as much as possible, not to come across as needy and clingy, but to reassure himself that I was okay, that I would be okay. Godric had remained calm and levelheaded throughout the whole conversation, diffusing a few tense situations involving Jason and the gathered vampires. After having spent so long as immortals they couldn't fathom Jason's way of thinking. I could feel Godric's inner panic, his turmoil. His mind was a mass of confusion and worry for Ata once I had dug down beneath his calmer emotions. He was remaining calm because it was bringing him one step closer to my cousin.

"You better come see me before you head back there, sis. I don't wanna wake and find ya gone! I'll sleep on this here couch if I have to." Jason warned me as I removed myself from Eric's lap slowly, so as not to jolt Hunter. Eric was up on his feet behind me seconds later, obviously intending on following me.

"I promise you, Jase." I vowed to him softly, nodding my goodnights and farewells to the vampires gathered. I lingered on Godric a little longer, pushing reassurance through our fledgling bond. A small smile graced his features seconds later and I felt his gratitude in return. Our exchange was silent, but held more meaning than we could express in words.

Together Eric and I left the living room, moving to the room that had been set-aside for Jason and Hunter. Though I wanted Hunter to sleep in the same room as Eric and I, I wanted some alone time with my bonded before I was forced to return to that iron cage on the other side of the city. Placing Hunter down on what was clearly his bed, judging by the amount of toys that had suddenly appeared, no doubt thanks to Pam, I went about gathering his night clothes. Turning back I was surprised to see Eric removing Hunter's day clothes, placing them in the small laundry hamper. Passing him Hunter's nightwear, I stood aside while he dressed the little boy before us, his touch so gentle that not once did Hunter stir.

"This feels oddly domesticated." I commented quietly, knowing that with his hearing Eric would have heard me.

He was silent for a second, straightening out Hunter's top. "I like it." He confessed in the same quiet tone, gently lifting Hunter up. I took my cue and pulled the blanket down, creating a space under the covers for Hunter. Eric popped him back down, pulling the blanket up to cover him before he secured it in each side, trapping it under the mattress so Hunter wouldn't roll out and hurt himself.

"Is the great Eric Northman becoming tame?" I teased lightheartedly as I flicked the lamp on, not wanting Hunter to have nightmares and wake to the darkness. Goodness knows the darkness can be a frightening thing.

Eric's eyes found mine in the dim light, his bright blue eyes still as beautiful in the yellow glow from the light bulb. "For you, I would." He confessed softly, taking one of my hands. Bringing it to his mouth he kissed the back of it once, lacing our fingers together.

"I would never ask you to change. I love you just as you are." The pad of my thumb skimmed over the back of his hand. "Hunter needs a father who is strong and mighty, someone to show him how to navigate himself through this topsy-turvy world we find ourselves in. He needs a father with a strong sense of honor, and utter devotion to his family. It's a good thing he's found one." My free hand caressed Eric's cheek, and that low purr of his vibrated through the room.

"As I love you. Hunter needs a mother who is graceful in everything she does, a mother who shows compassion to even those who are undeserving. He needs a mother who will be patient with him, who will be able to read the minds of all the girls he brings home to ensure they aren't going to hurt her little boy," a smile tugged at my lips, Eric knew me so well. "He needs a mother who is selfless and beautiful, a woman who can hold her own, someone who, even after having been beaten down repeatedly, still has the strength to stand up on her own two feet. I'm glad he's found one." Eric's free hand came up to caress my cheek in an action similar to my own. Leaning against it, I turned my head and pressed a tender kiss to his palm.

"Come, my beloved. I want to worship you once more before you have to leave me." He sighed sadly, though kept a warm smile on his handsome features. Our hands still interlaced, we left Hunter's room, shutting the door behind us to ensure that the wards on it would hold.

Together we moved to our bedroom, not once letting go of one another's hands. Rather than pouncing the moment the door was closed, Eric approached me slowly, reverently. His large hands came up to hold my face, his thumbs brushing over my cheekbones as his forehead came to rest upon my own. "I love you, my Sookie." His whisper graced my eardrums and I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Closing the distance between our lips, my bonded gave me a chaste kiss, which soon turned far more heated.

Two hours, and a plethora of orgasms later, Eric and I fell back onto the bed. Panting, I grasped at his hands, and sighed in contentment as he hauled me across his chest, resting my head over his silent heart. Grans pearls were the only things I was wearing, so naturally Eric started to play with them. It was odd that they had survived my transformation into a fly, but I had a feeling that unless they were physically removed, they would stay with me regardless of whatever state I was in. "I am very much doubting how well the witch's charms work." He commented under his breath, his other hand running up and down my spine, the coolness of his skin contrasting the warmness of mine, soothing me after our love making.

"They work. When I was speaking with Russell he flew into a fit of rage and tried to bite me." I explained calmly, knowing Eric would be enraged to learn of Russell's actions. I had purposefully kept that detail from him earlier, knowing that his anger would cloud his judgment when coming up with a strategy to get Ata and I out, and to extract revenge.

Eric's anger was immediate, and beneath my head I could feel his chest vibrating with his low growls. "However," I started, pushing calm through our bond as I placed one of my hands on his broad chest, caressing the marble skin I found there, playing with the short blonde hairs scattered across his pectorals. Though I could still feel him fuming he was starting to calm, the combination of my words, emotions, actions and lack of fang marks reassuring him. "The moment his fangs came too close to my skin they turned to dust and disintegrated into his hands." I explained. "He was so mad I thought he was going to spit tacks. He threw me back into the cell with Ata and now I'm here." I finished, dropping a kiss to Eric's chest. His hand was still working up and down my spine, the other still playing with the pearls around my wrist.

"He has no fangs anymore." It was not a question, but a statement, and yet I nodded anyway. Eric had obviously come to the same conclusion as I had. Without his fangs, Russell wouldn't be able to drink from me. It was one less villain to worry about draining me dry.

We fell into silence for a moment, and I couldn't help but think about how my bracelet had protected me. It hadn't protected me before; then again, the previous attacks had all been different.

That was it. They'd been different, because they'd been planned. "I think the magic protects me from unplanned attacks. Planned attacks, such as the taking of Ata and I, would have given us time to come up with a counterattack should we have known about it. I think the bracelet stops sudden attacks that would seriously harm me, giving me time to come up with a way to escape." I gave Eric my suggestion. It was all I could come up with, but it felt like a decent explanation.

Eric was silent for a while too, his hands continuing with their previous actions. Eventually though I felt his confidence through our bond. "I believe you're right, my lover. Maybe I should ask Amelia about it this evening. I'll ask Ari to call her here." Eric murmured, keeping his voice purposefully low.

We lay in silence for a little while longer, sharing light kisses and caresses, but I was very aware of the time. There were only a few more hours to go until sunset and I could feel Eric's body tiring. It wouldn't be long until the bleeds would set in. He'd consumed a vast quantity of blood while I'd been sharing information with the nest, coming up with strategies and plans, but it was starting to wear off. "I wish for you to drink from me, min älskade. I do not like the bruises on your beautiful face, and it will bolster your powers until we can be together again." Eric moved to a sitting position, his back against the headboard, as he brought me up with him. Seated on his lap, my legs either side of him, still resting against his chest, I felt torn it two. I wanted to stay with him, but I needed to return to Ata.

Nodding solemnly, I heard Eric drop fang, preparing to bite into his wrist for me. "Stop." My hand shot out to grab his wrist, inches away from his lips. A look of confusion crossed his features for a second before he tipped his head sideways in curiosity, feeling my resolve through our bond. "I want to take from you in the way you take from me." I admitted somewhat shyly, letting go of his wrist to trace the curvature of his throat. Tipping his head the other way, he offered his throat to me in the manner that I usually offered mine to him. One of his large hands found the back of my head and he drew me close, until my lips were millimeters away from his skin.

"Bite, min älskade. I will heal." He reassured me, threading his fingers through my hair, his other hand finding mine to thread our fingers together. My years with the vampires had removed most of my squeamish tendencies. Flicking my tongue out, I gave the area I intended to bite a light lick, dropping a few kisses to it in a similar fashion to the way Eric prepared me for his bite. Without hesitation, and with the love and reassurance flowing through our bond from Eric, I bit. Eric's blood hit my palate and I groaned at the taste. I felt Eric stiffen, a groan fleeing the confines of his lips. With a fluid motion he had picked me up, impaling myself on him. Rocking my hips in encouragement, I continued to take deep pulls on the wound on his throat, rising and falling in time with Eric. I could feel him restraining, stopping himself from sinking his fangs into my neck and completing the third bond.

Eric's wound sealed over, and I didn't bother to reopen in. Lost in the feeling of him inside of me, his blood running through my veins and his lips on mine, it took no time before I was falling over the edge, howling out Eric's name. He followed me seconds later, grunting out with his own release. Sated and happy, I scattered kisses across Eric's face and neck. "Thank you, min bundna." I offered, nuzzling him for a second. "I have to shower, I can't go back with your scent all over me." I sighed, trying to muster the strength to leave Eric and our bed.

"I'll be here when you get back. Go." He offered, gently removing me from his lap. I whimpered at the loss of him, no longer feeling full. Eric's chuckle, and playful smack to my butt, removed the sadness I'd been feeling about leaving him. I showered in record time, removing as much of Eric's scent from me as possible so as not to arouse suspicion back at Felipe's. Of course they would still be able to smell Eric **in **me, after all his blood was in my veins and his release was inside my womb.

Wandering back into the bedroom, I grabbed a robe from the back of the door, knowing that wearing clothes was pointless, as I would only have to shed them to transform into whatever creature I would be using to leave the penthouse. Eric was up on his feet, having donned a clean pair of boxers for modesty's sake. "Godric wishes to speak with you before you leave." He informed me, holding his hand out. Taking it, we moved to the living room together. Godric was alone, sat on the sofa, his eyes fixed firmly on the image of Ata and I together in the Egyptian sunshine. Hearing us enter, he rose up onto his feet and crossed over to us. From his pocket he pulled out a vial of blood.

"Will you take this to her, please. I want her to be at her full strength, I want to feel her emotions a little more." He asked me, his voice steady and yet his eyes betrayed him. He was a little lost without her, worried about her, ready to go into battle in order to bring her back to his side. Nodding, I took the vile from him before I pulled him into an embrace. Instead of his usual awkward hugs, he returned it with ease. His time with Ata was healing him.

Untangling myself from Godric, he gave Eric and I a nod before he vamped from the room, giving us the opportunity to say goodbye in peace. "I don't like that you're returning min älskade." Eric wrapped me up in his arms, pulling me into his chest.

"I know, but I have no choice. Promise me you'll go ahead with the plan, with the strategy we all came up with. I don't want you charging in and getting yourself hurt." I risked a glance up to him, finding his bright blue eyes with my own. Bringing up a hand I caressed his cheek, his eyelids fluttering shut.

"I promise you, min bundna. Now go, before I change my mind." Eric reluctantly let me go, tugging on the tie of my robe. It fell open to reveal my bare form and I gave my Viking a moment to look me over. Placing the vial of Godric's blood on the floor, I pulled in all the strength I could muster, envisioning myself as a bald eagle. A smile tugged at the corner of Eric's lips as I changed form. Using the claws on my feet, I scooped up the vial of blood, clutching it firmly.

Eric crouched before me, holding out his hand. Using my wings I landed on his hand, and he lifted me up off of the ground. Approaching the blacked out windows, he used his vampire speed to tug one of the window covers away, throwing it over himself to stop the sun from burning him. Swiftly he opened the window and, not wanting to risk him burning, I flapped my wings and moved off of his arm, out of the window and into the Nevada sunshine. I heard the window shut behind me and turned in time to see my vampire steal a quick glance at me from under the cover, before he vamped back to our bedroom.

Locating our bond deep inside of me, I pushed my love and reassurance towards him before I took off back towards Felipe's, enjoying the sunshine as it beat down upon my feathered form.


	62. Pocketful of Sunshine

**A/N new one for ya guys! I just got my exam timetable as well, so expect me to be MIA for most of May, however I'm hoping to go on a writing spree over the next few days/week and have at least one chapter fully ready to post at the end of this month/start of May so that you're not waiting an age!**

**My goal for this story is at least 1000 reviews; more would be greatly appreciated of course! I'd like to at least hit our dear Viking's age however! So, if I may ask, please rally all your friends, coax your coworkers and review after every chapter! For those of you, who do any or all of this, thank you. From the depths of my wee heart, thank you :)**

**This chapter touches on the subject of rape. It is not described in any way shape or form, I refuse to do that, but it is mentioned. I've placed a warning in the chapter, just before that section starts, in case some of you feel you do not wish to read that part. The warning is in bold, and if you continue to scroll until you see the word *END* (little stars included) then from there it is safe to carry on reading. I felt like you all deserved a warning. **

**Lots of POV swapping in this chapter, sorry guys! Means there aren't lyrics at the start of every POV, as I struggled to find songs that could relate to each POV. I'm trying to write this story from two different locations also, at supposedly the same moment! Also, some Ari POV scattered in this, because casper22 asked nicely ;)**

* * *

**ARI'S POV  
**_I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright  
__I'll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright  
__Cos I don't care too much for money, and money can't buy me love  
__I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too  
__I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you  
__I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love  
__Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so  
__Can't buy me love, no no no, no  
__Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied  
__Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy  
__I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love  
__~ Can't Buy Me Love, The Beatles_

My mother was taken from me. Taken. I should have stolen the crown from Felipe the moment we moved to Nevada, but instead I had gone along with simply being a Sheriff, figuring we would be safe enough. Being king would have painted a huge target on my back, but by being Sheriff I was still given power, but not enough for other vampires to be jealous of me and come after me. Now though, if I had been king, then none of this would be happening. Ata would be back with us, locked away with my father for the day, and Sookie would be with my brother. Both of them would be safe.

Fighting the pull of the sun had been a lot easier than I had expected it to be, but by the time we were down plotting and planning I was tired. It had been a while since I'd felt tired. As a vampire we never felt tired, our stamina when the moon was in the sky was impressive and we were, for all intents and purposes, unbeatable. It was the events of the past week or so that had made me tired. It was one thing after another. It was long overdue though. My brothers, mother, and I had gone for the past 500 years without a serious issue cropping up.

Returning to the room I shared with my dear Pamela, I left the others to their rest. I had a feeling my brother would not be resting just yet though. At least, even in these grim times, they could still enjoy one another. Shutting the door behind me I removed my clothing, placing it in the laundry hamper. It only took me a few short strides to cross the room, slipping under the silk sheets behind Pam. Wrapping an arm around her; I pulled her lithe frame close. She was dead for the day, had been since the moment the sun had peaked into the sky. Her young age meant that she was unable to fight the pull like I could. It was strange how taken I was with her. She was fierce and loyal, beautiful and honest. She had this tender side to her that I felt privileged to see. I had a feeling my Pamela was very cautious with whom she allowed in.

Molding around her, I wrapped my larger frame around her in a protective gesture. Though I couldn't fight back if we were attacked in the day, at least a potential attacker had to get through me first. I had told what little staff remained to keep an eye out for Flo, and to not let her anywhere near the penthouse even if she begged them. The local Were pack had agreed to give us more of their members to guard the hotel. Our residency had dropped off sharply once the information of all the dead bodies in the lobby had reached news crews, and though it was doing next to no damage to the fortune mother, my brother, and I had amassed over the years, it didn't feel right to have an almost empty hotel. I had given the image of Ata and Sookie together to the news crews, glamouring them into playing an appeal for them religiously throughout the day and night. If there were any witnesses, anyone who had seen them when they had been taken, I was praying for them to come forward. I'd even put up a sizeable reward for anyone willing to come forward with reliable information. Of course I knew where my mother and Sookie were now though, but any help we could receive on any level was worth rewarding.

Deciding that I had thought long enough for the evening, and for the reasonable chunk of the day that I had fought the sun for, I buried my nose in the soft tendrils of Pamela's blonde hair. Even in her day rest she was beautiful. It made me smile to think that my family was twined with hers so tightly that even 2000 years couldn't get in the way. Over the years I had kept companions, never human though, as they were prone to jealousy when Ata was around, but there were always other vampires out there looking for a late night rendezvous. In stereotypical vampire fashion I hadn't been with them for extended periods of time, and there were some who were delightful while others were cold and cruel. My Pamela was a combination of the two; a total bitch when it called for it, or an utter sweetheart when she knew she was safe. Closing my eyes, I sighed softly, nuzzling her shoulder blade before I dropped a kiss to the cool skin there, letting the sun finally pull me under.

The feel of Pamela's soft lips on the underside of my chin roused me from my day rest. If she was awake then evening had already fallen, and I must have overslept. Though it was usually impossible for a vampire to oversleep, as our bodies were tuned to the rise and fall of the sun, when we were forced to stay up for the day we required a few more hours of sleep.

Tightening my hold on my Pamela, I exhaled, alerting her to the fact I was awake. In an un-characteristic move, she nuzzled into my chest, resting one of her slender hands upon my bare torso. "Did Sookie come home?" She asked quietly, her eyes still closed and void of her usual make-up. Though my Pamela was beautiful with make-up, I much preferred her without. My brother had picked her well. She was loyal and beautiful.

"She did. She spent time with Eric before she joined us in the living room. We have come up with a plan to get both my mother and Sookie out of Felipe's mansion, and to end this forever." I stroked her blonde hair, running my fingers through it to remove the few tangles that had occurred as she had rested for the day.

"Good. How is my Maker and Grand-sire?" Pamela tilted her head back; her eyelids sliding back so I could see her blue eyes looking up at me.

I sighed quietly, continuing to pet her while I formed my response. "Eric is well. He's better now that he has seen Sookie, but he's worried for her. Godric, he's a mess without my mother but he is refusing to show it. He seems to forget that we share a connection." I chuckled quietly, shaking my head a little against the pillow.

"He's too proud to show any weakness." Pamela muttered, tutting quietly.

"Aren't most men?" I asked rhetorically, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Morning breath wasn't something us vampires were susceptible to. Untangling myself from her, I moved the covers back, stepping out of bed before I headed to the wardrobe.

"Are we planning on getting them this evening?" Pamela asked as she joined me in our walk-in wardrobe, plucking some fresh designer underwear from a basket. Hiding her female attributes underneath the fabric, I had to stop myself from pouting. Pulling on my own underwear, I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt, putting them both on.

"No, this evening we're going to gather the other Sheriff's and see who'll stand with us. Ata is good friends with Edgar, King of California, so I'm going to call him also and see if he can provide us any more vampires from his state. I'm also going to call upon Queen Lovisa, of Sweden, and King Amasis, of Egypt, and see if they'll back us. Though their armies would take far too long to reach us, it would be useful to have their backing. They're well respected in Europe and would fight alongside Ata should we seriously need them. They would also back her claim to the throne when we succeed in killing Felipe." I explained to my beloved as she dressed, hiding her petite frame under her expensive clothes.

"Will the other Sheriff's stand with us?" She asked, turning to look at me as I gave my hair a quick ruffle. Moving to her jewelry box, I plucked the gold Trinity Cartier necklace from it. I'd done a spot of shopping for her over the past few days, knowing how much she loved all things sparkly and expensive. I had never been wonderful with words, so I figured some gifts would convey the feelings I struggled to say. My Pamela had understood me perfectly, and had made it a habit now to wear something I had bought her every day. I could see myself completing our bond when all of this was over. Clasping the necklace around her neck, it fell to her navel. The piece had set me back $75,000 but it was beautiful. Flawless even. It consisted of three bands of gold, intertwined together. Pink for love, yellow for fidelity and white for friendship.

Pamela turned around once her necklace was secure, and I offered her my hand. She took it instantly, and I started to lead her out of the room and towards the living room, where I could feel the rest of the nest waiting for us. "Corentine Fiacre, the Sheriff of Area 32, Aurel Gavril, the Sheriff of Area 33, Bryn Marc, the Sheriff of Area 34 and Colton Emory, the Sheriff of Area 35, have always been loyal to Ata. I think she is one of the only reasons they have stayed in this state for so long. Las Vegas is the only city within the state that is prosperous. The other Areas are simply dirt and a few podunk towns. We have nothing to worry about." I told her simply, pushing my reassurance through our bond

"I love you, you know that." Pam stopped walking, making me halt in front of her. Turning to look down at her, I took her face in my hands. I had a feeling Pamela had never used the 'L' word before to anyone, maybe not even Eric. I was honoured when she had first whispered it to me two nights ago. I'd seen the vulnerability on her face when she had first uttered the words, and I had wanted nothing more than to erase any and all of her doubts about us.

"As I love you, my Pamela." I dropped a chaste kiss to her lips, knowing we were on a timeline. Taking her hand in mine once more, we entered the living room, greeted with the sight of our family.

"Ari, please could you call Amelia?" Eric was up on his feet within seconds of Pamela and I entering the room. Frowning at his request, I fished my phone out of my pocket.

"Why am I calling her?" I questioned as I hit her number on the speed-dial. Ata liked to have a witch on call at all times.

"Please, just ask her to come here." My brother looked somewhat stressed, a rare sight I was sure. Pamela, sensing his stress, became worried also. It took a lot of reassurance through our bond to calm her. The ringing tone came through the phone, but there was no answer. I hung up and tried again. The ringing went on for about 10 seconds before the call was answered, however I was cut short by the voice on the other end.

"The witch is a little tied up at the moment. I do hope you don't need her urgently, heaven forbid that anything should happen to you and your precious nest." The 3000 year-old thorn in our side sneered down the phone before he hung up.

Pamela looked up at me, her blue eyes wide. "Fuck."

My sentiments exactly.

* * *

**ATA'S POV  
**_I won't tell you how to live your life  
__So please stay far away from mine  
__Always watching out for which and whethers  
__Always running out of time  
__Drip drap, peeling back the skin of summer  
__Autumns, everything aligns  
__Inside out and I'm without  
__My heart is always running out of time  
__Always running out of time  
__I have to know, if you'll float away with me  
__The faster I go, the further away it seems you get  
__Are we floating nowhere yet.  
__~ Always Running Out of Time, Motion City Soundtrack_

I'd spent my day sleeping, able to keep the vision of Sookie there all day. No one bothered to come down and check on us, so there was no need for me to leave the safety of the blanket and risk exposing the fake Sookie. I could feel my bond with Godric, as I refused to close it during the day, and I could tell the exact moment he went to rest as our bond dampened down considerably. I could feel the steady hum of his life force and I had a feeling Sookie was on her way back to me. I could feel her getting closer by the second. My bond with her felt stronger, like she had been healed. Eric, my new son, would have no doubt given her his blood in order to heal her of the few marks that littered her body from Russell's attack.

"_Kouzen, mwen prèske nan fennèt la. Tanpri souple, vin kolekte sa m 'genyen pou ou." _Sookie's mental voice flickered into my mind, and it took me a moment to remember that she was in her animal form, and speaking to me through it.

Moving to the window, I made sure that the blanket was firmly over the fake image of Sookie. Up on my tiptoes I looked through the bars, spotting an eagle approaching quickly. My vision, enhanced by my bonded's blood, picked up on the vial in the eagles clutches. Thrusting my hand through the bars I held it upward, the vial dropping from the eagle's claws and into my hand. In one fluid movement I slipped the vial up my sleeve, hiding it from sight should there be hidden cameras. "Who's a pretty bird?" I cooed, covering my tracks in case we were being listened in on also.

Sookie changed into the small fly she had been when she had first left, crawling through the bars, sticking to the wall. I continued to coo through the bars, pretending to be talking to a bird. Sighing heavily, as if upset that I wasn't getting a response, I padded back to the blanket on the floor, watching my footing. Slipping back under the blanket I was face to face with the fake image of Sookie, with the small fly of the real Sookie sat on my outstretched palm under the blanket.

"_Chanje tounen" _I mentally responded. The moment I felt Sookie starting to change I faked a coughing fight, rising up off the floor into a sitting position and moving the blanket violently so it would detract from Sookie as she redressed under the blanket.

Finally we were back down on the cold floor, wrapped up in the blanket, facing one another. _"Take Godric's blood. He was adamant on it." _Sookie mentally informed me. I wanted to ask how her trip was first, get all the information I could, but it seemed my bonded and my cousin were more concerned with my health, rather than our survival, at the present moment. Burrowing under the blanket I nuzzled my head to Sookie's chest, making it look like I was merely seeking comfort from her. The blanket hid my face and I swiftly removed the vial of blood from my sleeve. Quietly popping the cap I dipped my pinky in, coating it before I raised it to my lips. My bonded's blood tasted a little different outside of his body, but it would still work its magic. Rather than waste time dipping my pinky in and sucking it clean, I raised the vial to my lips, downing the contents in one as if it were some kind of alcoholic shot I'd buy at a bar. Capping the vial, I pushed it back up my sleeve to deposit out of the window later. I could feel my bonded's blood running through my veins, repairing any and all damage, and giving me strength. As it was daytime I couldn't feel Godric's relief that I had taken his blood, but I imagined he would be happier, knowing I was that little bit stronger.

One glance to the window informed me that sunset was only half an hour away. Sookie had been gone for a long time, and the vampires in our nest would be rising soon. _"I take it you managed to get there and back unharmed?" _I questioned my cousin as I popped my head back up from under the blanket. Sookie nodded, making it appear like she was nuzzling against me should we still have eyes trained on us.

"_Yes. Eric and I figured out why our charms weren't working originally. They were meant to keep us safe and yet they seemed to epically fail at that. We think that maybe the magic protects werewolves were anything to go by, which might be why they were able to take us. If an attack were planned then we would have time to come up with a counterattack, but if it weren't planned then we would have no time, so the charms buy us some time. It doesn't really protect us, just gives us the opportunity to protect ourselves." _Sookie explained to me. I mulled over her words for a moment, running every scenario through my mind. We'd been hurt quite a few times while wearing our protection charms, and yet they had been times when an attack had not been anticipated. It made sense that the charms saved us from planned attacks, but why on earth had Amelia left out unplanned attacks? They could be just as dangerous. That was something I would have to mentally ask Ari about. Maybe he'd be able to ring Amelia and find out for us.

I was distracted from my thoughts by the sound of footsteps heading our way. I could detect three vampire minds, and another mind I knew very well. Looking at Sookie I took her hands in mine, giving them a reassuring squeeze before I sat up. Sookie followed my actions, moving to sit beside me rather than behind me. She was becoming braver by the day. The sun had finally set and the moonlight that spilt in through the small window threw shadows around the room. I could make out whom our guests were though without even bothering to explore their mental patterns. Russell, Felipe, Bill, and a glamoured Amelia.

"Amelia?" Sookie spluttered beside me, but I silenced her with a quick squeeze of her hand. Any surprise, shock, or other emotion that we showed to the vampires could be used against us.

"Ah so you have met Miss Carmichael then, Miss Stackhouse." Russell looked positively ecstatic with that piece of information. I groaned internally. At least he no longer had fangs though. As if he were a telepath, though I knew for certain he wasn't, Russell turned to Amelia.

"Miss Carmichael has told us all about those little charms you two wear, along with the others of your insufferable nest. She was also kind enough to inform us about the wards and spells all over your dear penthouse apartment too, Miss Caesar." Felipe addressed me, ignoring Sookie. I thought that rude, and the fact he still refused to use my married name.

"Mrs. Caesar-Nervii." I corrected him for the umpteenth time. It was nitpicking somewhat, but I wasn't going to let the bastard think he'd won if I accepted my maiden name as my form of address.

Felipe's jaw tightened as I corrected him, while Russell laughed quietly under his breath. At least he could see the amusement in my annoyance. "She has quite the spirit, Felipe. Let her be." He chided his Childe.

"Bill, will you please remove our guests from their cell? I have a feeling Miss Stackhouse and Mrs. Caesar-Nervii are uncomfortable." Russell turned to the Southern vampire, who'd done nothing but leer at Sookie ever since he had entered the basement. With his vampire speed Bill had Sookie out first, iron handcuffs slapped onto her wrists. She flinched with the pain, but didn't let out any cry. I poured all of my pride towards her.

He came back for me next, slapping a pair of iron cuffs on my own wrists. "Now, what was it you said was protecting Miss Caesar again, Amelia?" Felipe glanced to the glamoured witch before his eyes moved back to mine.

"Mrs. Caesar-Nervii." I gritted out in response, not giving him the satisfaction. It was petty and childish, but I was not going to let this man make me forget my husband.

Felipe ignored me, his focus on Amelia who answered him like a robot. "Her promise ring." The brunette witch's voice echoed around the basement. Felipe stalked towards, his lips curled upwards in a nasty smirk.

"Looks like I get to rid you of your promise ring then. I think I'll be taking your engagement one to." Felipe grasped at my left hand. Russell had moved to hold onto me, pinning me in place. I couldn't even raise a leg to kick Felipe away, though I did try it. Struggling against the iron handcuffs, and the vice-like grip of the vampire behind me, I tried to squirm away. Finally Felipe had enough, and with a sharp smack across my cheek he stole his moment and divested me of my promise ring and engagement ring. I could feel the protective magic leaving my body, and I cried out at the loss of those two bands of metal. In this disgusting basement they were all I tangibly had of my husband. I wasn't even aware of the tears rolling down my cheeks, or my vampiric snarls aimed at the monster opposite me. "I'll keep these safe here. You'll never get close enough to grab them this way." Felipe produced a length of cord from his pocket, slipping my rings on before he tied a knot in the cord, slipping his head through the hole to create a necklace. My Harry Winston was sat on a piece of pathetic cord around Felipe's neck. It wasn't supposed to be there! It was meant to be on my finger! Without my rings I felt a little lost. It was curious how much value I had placed on two bands of metal.

Russell and Felipe swapped places, Felipe's clammy hands holding onto my bare arms as he held me in place. I refused to whimper at the loss of my rings, at the unfairness of the situation Sookie and I was in. Now was not the time to sulk. We had to strategize and plan. Bill stepped forward, swapping places with Russell so that the 3000 year-old psychopath was holding her in place. It was like they were doing some sort of bad ballet, and I'd witnessed plenty of those in my time.

"What is Sookie wearing that is protecting her?" Bill demanded of Amelia. Of course under glamour she was unable to have free will, and was therefore forced to answer, much to the dismay of my cousin and I.

"The pearls on her wrist." Amelia's robotic answer caused Bill to grin, and he made quick work of removing the bracelet from my cousin. She was crestfallen, lost without the magical protection and comfort of her grandmother. Bill followed Felipe's example, threading it onto a piece of cord, which he tied around his neck.

"Please Bill, don't do this. Those were Gran's; they mean a lot to me. You know she liked you, and you even liked her. Please." Sookie tried to get through to him, but it was like talking to a brick wall. Bill was crazy, and Russell and Felipe were only feeding his craziness. He no longer cared for Sookie's feelings, only caring for what he wanted out of this little arrangement. The sooner Sookie tuned in to that the better. There was no point trying to negotiate with an idiot.

Bill turned to look at her, the corners of his lips pulled back in an unattractive leer. "I never liked the old hag, she was always in the way of my plans." He responded coldly. I could feel Sookie shocks, her unease at his words.

"_No outward emotions!" _I chastised her. Maybe it was hypocritical, given my little outburst when my rings had been taken from me, but Sookie was more likely to crack completely before I did. She was the weakest link, and if the three vampires found a sore spot they would exploit it, and could bring the entire nest down with it.

Felipe and Russell moved Sookie and I, taking us around Amelia. I'd been tempted to try and outdo her glamour, but the damage was already done, she'd already divulged our protection to our enemies. Maybe not willingly, but the information was now known. We were moved to the other side of the basement, where there seemed to be two metal tables. As if sensing one another's thoughts, even though we weren't sharing anything telepathically, Sookie and I looked to one another with wide eyes. Using their vampire speed to their advantages Felipe and Russell soon had Sookie and I flat on our backs on a table each, spread like starfish. Before we could kick and protest our ankles and wrists were locked in place with iron cuffs. I clamped down on my bonds the moment the iron made contact with my skin, sensing Sookie doing the same, as we both screamed out at the pain.

* * *

**ERIC'S POV  
**_Rising up, back on the street, d__id my time, took my chances  
__Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet  
__Just a man and his will to survive  
__So many times it happens too fast, y__ou change your passion for glory  
__Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past  
__You must fight just to keep them alive  
__It's the eye of the tiger; it's the thrill of the fight  
__Rising up to the challenge of our rival  
__And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
__And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger  
__~ Eye of the Tiger, Survivor_

The time I had spent with my Sookie in the early hours of this morning, and well into the day, had been much needed. She hadn't been gone from my side for very long but I'd missed her, craved her, worried about her. Russell and his little band of followers could do allsorts to her and I was powerless to stop it. I was thankful that she had Ata there for support. Both our bond and mental connection could alleviate some of our pain, but until Sookie was back at my side I would be an internal mess. She's my bonded, my future wife, and without her I feel like this massive chunk of me is missing. _Hm maybe it's time I relocate my balls, and my man card, while I'm at it._

I'd finally given in to the pull of the sun after saying goodbye to Sookie. It had been painful to watch her fly away, but the ease at which she mastered her new shape shifting ability gave me some hope that she could at least hold her own for a while. She was yet to develop her full set of fae powers, so I was relying on Ata for those. I slept a little longer than usual due to my extended time awake in the day. Fighting the pull had been easy; it had been the bleeds that had been the problem. Those of us who stayed awake drowned ourselves with weak fae blood leftover from the night Sookie's mind was opened up to is in order to try and starve off the bleeding. It worked surprisingly well. I was aware how unattractive I would have been with blood dripping from my nose and ears. Sookie had witnessed me in all sorts of states before – covered in blood, after a messy feeding, burnt to a crisp in the sun. She took care of me every time though, my little spitfire.

As I entered the living room I noticed all were present apart from Ari and Pam. Taking a seat on one of the sofas, I noticed Oscar giving me a timid smile. Though Sookie had returned to Felipe's I was feeling better about the information we had managed to gather, and the healthy dose of my blood now running through her veins. There was no need for the young vampire to be nervous, I was perfectly content, and I told him so. Hunter ambled into the room next, Jason following behind. My teacup human made a beeline for me, and the moment he was within reach I scooped him up and placed him on my lap. Taking a cue from the movies I'd watched over the years, I lightly bounced my leg, bouncing Hunter playfully. The giggle-snort that erupted from him made me grin. _Yep, need to find that man card soon._

Pam and Ari swanned in a moment later, hand in hand. "I thought you guys would be fu-" I clamped my hands over Hunter's ears, growling at the Stackhouse male. Hunter didn't need to hear such obscene words from him. Jason, realizing his mistake, had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Making love." Isabel corrected as I removed my hands from Hunter's ears. "Jason thought they would be making love." She addressed Hunter, still holding on Khai's hand. She'd been doing that a lot lately.

Hunter shook his head, a boyish grin on his features. "You can't 'make' love Miss Isabel, you fall in it." He tried to correct her.

"I'll remind you of that when you're 21 and bringing your first girlfriend home to meet your momma and I." I gave Hunter's sides a light tickle, more laughter pouring from his lips.

"You're gonna be around for that long?" His large eyes turned to me, our small tie filled with his curiosity.

"I fully intend to be around forever." I promised him, making a silent promise to myself. I wouldn't let Felipe, Russell or any of his cronies stake me.

"Well you have to turn me then when I get older, so I don't die before you. That's not the way it's meant to be." Hunter declared in a singsong voice. The thought of turning him didn't appeal to me. Oh I wanted him to stick around, of course, but he was still a child, and it was hard for me to picture him as an adult wanting to be turned at the present moment. Not to mention the fact that he was sky fae, and the sky fae couldn't be turned. I would have 2500 years with him though, if his fae blood was enough given that it had been diluted down the line and he was more than likely only 1/10 fae. That was long enough to travel the world and help him find his mate so he could stay with us forever.

Pam and Ari had taken their seats during this time, and rather than responding to Hunter's comment I simply ruffled his bangs, turning my attention to my Childe and her lover. "I'm going to call Corentine Fiacre, Aurel Gavril, Bryn Marc and Colton Emory in a moment. They're the other Sheriff's of Nevada and I'm sure they'll be with us on this. They each have a soft spot for Ata, though of course they won't admit that out loud." Ari informed me, his gaze flickering to our father as he spoke of mother before his eyes settled back on mine. "I'll call them here, with as many vampires from their areas as possible, and in around two hours we'll hold a meeting in the Colosseum in order to discuss tactics, the plan we have, and to bring the others into it. I have a feeling that we'll need the numbers." Ari spared glances to the other vampires present, shooting Oscar a warm smile. The youngest vampire of the nest was clearly uncomfortable with all of this fighting. I couldn't blame him; he was from a modern time, where warfare involved guns and little to no physical contact with the enemy. My brothers and I were from a time where fighting often involved our hands, was a far more common occurrence, and on occasion called for the use of broadswords and other blades.

A dozen phone calls and an hour later the Colosseum was packed. It had been busy on the night of the VRA party, but it was almost at the same capacity now. Everyone seemed to dislike Felipe, and was more than happy to commit treason if it meant overthrowing him. I had a feeling that most of them were fond of my mother also, but was too proud to say so. I had left Hunter in Jason's care, after glamouring him into it and not to be stupid. I felt a twinge of regret over the fact I was glamouring my Sookie's brother. He was a few crayons short of a coloring box however, as my Southern belle would say, and it was needed during this critical time. I told him to remain in the penthouse with Hunter, and to move into the panic room immediately should Hunter hear a void approaching that sounds unfamiliar. Though I wanted to trust the other Sheriff's and the vampires in their areas, my trust had to be earned.

Ari had placed our nest up on the dais, overlooking the whole room. Chairs had been removed to make space for the vampires in attendance and due to our undead nature we would all be able to stay on our feet the whole night without needing to sit. Sometimes being a vampire was useful. The crowd of vampires chatted amongst themselves before Ari cleared his throat, taking a step forward to address the crowd. Unlike the VRA party, where a microphone had to be used so that everyone could hear, Ari spoke at his usual level, everyone's hearing picking him up effortlessly. "As I'm sure you are aware by now, Ata has gone missing. The Monarch of this state, Felipe de Castro, and his cronies, has taken her. Along with Ata is her cousin, the bonded companion of my brother." Ari turned to me for a moment and I gave him a nod, encouraging him to carry on whilst also simultaneously letting the audience know I was indeed Sookie's bonded. Looking back to the gathered crowd of vampires, some of who were looking to one another with confusion, he addressed them again. "I have called you here this evening to ask for your assistance in the retrieval of my Mistress and her cousin, and to help my brothers and I defeat Felipe." His mention of wanting to overthrow the current king caused the room to break out into startled conversation. It was to be expected. Treason wasn't something to take lightly when the penalty was the true death. "Those of you who do not wish to assist us should leave now, but if you do then know that should you inform the king of our plan we will hunt you down and ensure justice is served in a slow and painful way." Ari informed everyone present, letting him or her know that their tattle tailing wouldn't go unpunished. Around 100 vampires left immediately and it was obvious from the way they all dressed, and carried themselves, that they were relatively new to their undead status. I couldn't blame them for wanting to leave – they were more likely to be killed first. Their age was no match for Felipe or any of his cronies. I wasn't angered by their choice to leave; they were simply saving their own skins. I wasn't one to shy away from a fight, but I knew when to pick my battles and when to leave them.

Once the 100 vampires left the room, the double doors were sealed off again, locking everyone inside. There would be no information leaks, and no one would be leaving until everyone understood the plan. There was no room for error, everything had to be timed perfectly when we decided to strike, or else a lot of us would be meeting the sharp end of stakes.

Ari took a step back, allowing Godric to step forward. As the oldest in the nest he was naturally in charge, and most of the plan had been his idea anyway. Before he had found me he had spent 1000 years travelling the world, observing armies and their attacks, watching them strategize, listening to them go over their plans hundreds of times. Sometimes he had fought alongside them, should they have been fighting for something he had believed in, other times he would wait until the fighting was over and pick off the ones nearing death, getting his fulfillment of nourishment while offering them a quick death. During this swap of places on the dais, Pam and Isabel had brought out a large whiteboard, offering the pen to Godric so he could write down key information. Though vampires were known for their perfect memory it always helped to write things down. Pam stepped back to Ari's side, and I noted how he took her hand. Khai took Isabel's also as she moved back to him.

"There are three main vampires that need taking out. One of them goes by the name of William Compton. Those of you who have had contact with the old Queen of Louisiana's court over the past few years will know of him as her procurer. The second vampire is Russell Edgington, the former king of Mississippi, and then of course there is Felipe de Castro." Godric scribbled their names on the whiteboard quickly, underlining each one.

"I thought Edgington was dead. Nan Flannigan told us so." One voice called out from the throng of vampires.

"He wasn't dead, just buried. Unfortunately he broke free and has sought out his bloodline. It seems both de Castro and Compton are of his bloodline. I wouldn't believe everything that Nan Flannigan tells you, she is a politician after all." My Maker took a swipe at the AVL's lapdog, and earned himself a few chuckles in the process.

"Our sources have informed us that there are twelve were guards that patrol the building during the day. Two are positioned at the front gate, two at the back gate, and the other eight are inside the house. Their shift ends the moment it's sunset and a vampire crew take over. Given the ages of de Castro and Edgington they have no need for a plethora of vampire guards. They have five guards at night, one at the front gate, one at the back gate, and three in the house. The were guards will be left alone, given that I don't think any of us enjoy the prospect of frying in the sun, so our main concern is the five night vampires." Godric wrote the number five on the whiteboard, and circled it.

It took us two hours to get a plan in place, not much if you consider the length of our immortal lives, but it felt like a long time. Our plan was great though. It wasn't foolproof, and I had a number of contingency plans in my mind that I would share with the nest upon our return to the penthouse, but our numbers far outweighed the number of vampires on Felipe's side. Numbers don't always win wars, but they sure help.

The plan of attack we finally settled on involves the use of the local were pack Ata is a friend of to scope out the location in the day and ensure that the number of were's roaming around is accurate. Though I trust Sookie and Ata to get the figures right, it doesn't hurt to have someone double-check. The last thing we need is to be defeated before we even enter the mansion. It also helps us ensure that the night information is more than likely to be accurate. Check, check, and then check again as my human mother would have said. Pam came up with ide of our nest splitting into two teams, deeming that we would cover more ground that way. It was Khai's decision to try and even out the ages in the teams, to ensure that both teams were equally weighted and able to take down any who managed to get near us. We decided that Team 1 would consist of Godric, Khai, Egor, Agmund and myself. Team 2 would consist of Ari, Riei, Oeri, Isabel and Pam. The majority of those in the nest voted that Bubba and Oscar were to stay in the penthouse with Jason and Hunter, locked in the panic room so that they could defend them should anyone manage to break in.

With our own nest sorted, we'd turned our attention to the other vampires in the room. They had been discussing plans amongst themselves. We sat and listened to all of their ideas, picking the best from each ones and constructing them all together to give us one huge plan. We informed them of our teams and it was decided that Team 1 were to take the front of the building, while Team 2 were to take the back.

Both teams would take out the vampire at their designated entrance, handing over the bodies to Corentine and a few of the vampires from his area, who would dispose of the goo somewhere on Felipe's property so he could be blamed for their demises at a later date. Corentine even suggested dousing the goo in bleach to try and overpower the stench of death, which could linger for days even after someone had been killed. All vampires present agreed that was a good idea.

Our nest were unable to inform the others of our ability to mentally converse with Ata and Sookie in order to locate the other three vampire guards in the establishment, however we were able to divulge their ability at creating illusions. Colton was very interested in the fae abilities, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as to how this could work to our advantage. It was a wonder that none of these other vampires had tried to claim Ata for their own. It was obvious she was something more than human, especially with the position she held. Maybe they had tried and she'd simply rebuffed them because they weren't my Maker. One could only hope.

Riei suggested that, though our kind was supposed to be immune to our emotions, we try to use emotion against the vampires inside Felipe's home. It was common knowledge amongst the Sheriff's of Nevada that Ata could read vampire minds, but they were unaware of Sookie's ability to do so, and I intended to keep it that way. Ata was strong enough to hold her own should any of the other Sheriff's, or other vampires entirely for that matter, try to take her for her powers, but Sookie wasn't quite there yet. I wasn't willing to gamble with her safety. Oeri put in his two cents, suggesting that Ata cast illusions of the vampires deceased loved ones to distract them, leading them to designated areas of the mansion with the illusions. All vampires present agreed that Aurel and Bryn would take on the other three vampires, along with a few of the vampires from their areas. Everyone in the room was itching for a fight, wanting a piece of the action. It seemed that Felipe had only just been holding onto his crown. I had no doubts that the Nevada vampires would happily carve the crown from Felipe's head and hand it over to Ata.

Colton offered himself and his area vampires as guards, patrolling the parameter and stopping any other supernaturals from getting into the mansion. The last thing we needed was an influx of were's or other supernatural creatures while we were trying to take down the oldest vampire in the New World. It was agreed that Aurel, Bryn and Corentine, along with all the vampires from their areas, would storm the mansion to cause enough chaos to give a distraction. Godric, Ari, Khai and I would be free to slip into the basement and rescue Sookie and Ata, offering them our blood to heal before we removed them from the mansion. They were to be placed in Colton's care, and he would take them to a safe house just out of the city, before returning to the mansion to continue the fight.

With the plan in place, and just before the vampire's present left to retire for the remainder of the evening, Godric stepped forward to address the crowd. "I wish to thank you for coming to our assistance. We understand that you are all laying your lives on the line to remove Felipe and bring Ata and Sookie back here, for that my Children and I are in your debt. I have one more request of you though; none are to end de Castro. I wish to be the one to bring him to the true death for the damage he has caused to my bonded. I also ask that none of you end Compton, that is something Sookie or Eric must do." I was surprised with the second half of his request. Sookie would never end Compton; she had too much compassion in her. Though I wished to end him also I wouldn't be able to do it if it hurt her. Yes I hated the boy, yes he was a thorn in my side from the very first moment I met him, but he was my bonded's first love, the first person she had unfortunately given herself to. He would always, once again unfortunately, hold a piece of her. "I also ask that no one ends Edgington. He took my Childe's family from him when he was merely human. I think revenge is 1000 years overdue." My Maker informed the crowd. I cringed at them all knowing about Russell's slaughter of my family, but if it meant I would have the satisfaction of driving a stake through his heart then I would take it. "Though of course, we would not deny you all the pleasure of watching as they meet the true death." Godric's lips quirked upwards into a smirk as he surveyed the room, the other vampires present wearing matching expressions. We were cruel creatures; if it wasn't us doing the killing, then we did enjoy watching.

After saying goodbye to our guests we stood in the Colosseum for a moment, sorting through everything that had happened in the last few hours. Ari disappeared for a while as his phone rang in his pocket, and just as we were rolling up the blueprints of Felipe's mansion he returned. "I've just spoken to King Edgar of California, Queen Lovisa of Sweden, and King Amasis of Egypt. They've all agreed to back us. Edgar has offered us more vampires as he is closer, but I think we have it covered. I wasn't expecting so many people to stay." Ari frowned for a moment, looking over the now empty room. It seemed my brother underestimated just how much the vampires of Nevada liked Ata, and him by extension. "Lovisa and Amasis have offered to travel over when one of us takes the crown and offer assistance in bringing the state to heel should we need it. I have a feeling we won't, but there support is much appreciated anyway. Should all of this fall through they have both offered all of us protection in their countries."

Egor chuckled from his spot beside me when our brother fell silent. "How is our dear Lovisa?" He questioned, quirking an eyebrow. Agmund rolled his eyes at his brothers' antics, giving him a light shove.

"Ask about you, dear brother." Ari teased. A lavish smile swept across Egor's lips, which his tongue darted out to lick, at the mention of the vampire Queen of my homeland.

"Egor and I spent some time in her company a few years back, when mother let us return to our homeland. Lets just say that the two of them got along very well." Agmund filled me in quietly, as if that would stop the incredible hearing of all vampires present from listening in.

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for a beautiful woman, but then what man isn't?" Egor shrugged his broad shoulders, casting his gaze around our nest. Isabel and Pam were the only females stood with us, and the pair of them exchanged their own eye roll at typical macho behavior. Our group erupted into laughter, the two women shaking their heads at us.

"At least we have a backup plan should everything go to shit." Riei tried to be optimistic once our laughter died down, but I could tell he was just as worried as the rest of us. Feeling suddenly much more somber, we all silently turned to the door in order to return to the penthouse, the blueprints and other documents for our rescue mission distributed between Oeri, Khai and I.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV  
**_So stand in the rain, stand your ground  
__Stand up when it's all crashing down  
__You stand through the pain, you won't drown  
__And one day, what's lost can be found  
__You stand in the rain  
__She won't make a sound  
__Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down  
__She wants to be found  
__The only way out is through everything she's running from wants to give up and lie down.  
__~ Stand in the Rain, Superchick_

We were left alone soon after we had been cuffed to the table. I wasn't entirely thrilled with this new situation. The iron was hurting like a motherfucker, cutting into my skin, but Ata's wrists and ankles were worse off due to her increased fae heritage. "I swear to Isis that the moment I am off of this table I will be shoving stakes through all of their hearts and dancing in the goo that is left behind." I heard Ata growl from beside me. The tables were somewhat close together, and we had a small amount of movement in our ankles and wrists. We were chained, locked in place, but not completely immobile. I found it ironic how well it resembled my 'relationship' with Bill. He'd tricked me, metaphorically tied me down, and yet I still managed to get enough room to move and leave him behind. Now he'd caught up with me though. _Yay me._

Tipping my head sideways, I glanced to my cousin, her eyes screwed shut, her head having lolled in my direction. "I'll sharpen the stake for you, Ata." I murmured softly, knowing she had heard me when the corners of her lips curled upwards in a vicious smirk, something I hadn't witnessed before. I could see now that my naivety had gotten me into so much trouble over the years. I'd always wanted to see the good in people, believe there was no bad, but there was always something bad about everyone. Bill was overly possessive to the point of obsession, Eric had a short temper when things weren't going his way, and Ata had a vindictive streak quite a few kilometers wide. Me? I was impulsive. I'd gone out to rescue Bill from the Rattrays when I hardly knew him, I'd sassed Eric the moment I had met him, not understanding his role in the vampire hierarchy, I'd gone searching for the fangbanger killer myself and had nearly died in the process, then I'd decided it would be a jolly good idea to wander on into the Fellowship church and take on Steve Newlin, all before returning home to fight off a maenad. Yeah, _don't even get me started on the whole Russell fiasco and my impromptu trip to Faery. _

Truth was, I was terrible at sitting down and making a rational decision. Usually I just went with my gut feeling. 9 out of 10 times I was right, but since vampires became a common element of my life I'd found going with my gut to be the worst idea ever. I guess it was why Eric and I worked. He was the strategist, and I was passion and drive. Whatever he wanted, I wanted…most of the time.

The sound of the basement door opening pulled me out of my epiphany and I tilted my head back so I was looking up at the damp ceiling. You would think, given how beautiful Felipe's home was upstairs, that he would at least show his basement a bit of love, even if the people who usually frequented it were utterly unloved. The mind buzzing towards me belonged unfortunately to the one person I didn't want to deal with right now. Bill's petty behavior and this obsession with me were starting to frustrate me. I could deal with him being a little more flirtatious, I could even deal with him making up lame excuses to see me, those could all be rebuffed and I could tell him that I wasn't interested. Kidnapping me and pinning me down on a cold metal table with iron handcuffs was not an ideal way for him to endear himself to me. Yeah, there was no redemption for that.

Bill sauntered over to the table, that nasty little smile on his lips as came to stop beside me. Bringing one cold hand up he placed it against my left cheek, stroking my cheekbone. Though I wanted nothing more than to flinch away from him I refused to do so. He would think he had the upper hand that way. As it was, he could probably already feel the disgust rolling off of me in waves. I didn't want his hands on me anymore, not knowing what I know now. Bill has caused more grief for me than good. Yes he was my first love, yes a part of me will always care for him and I cannot change that, but he betrayed me, wronged me, and took my innocence over false pretenses. I was lucky that he took me to Fangtasia though, that he introduced me to my Eric. I guess that I could thank him for that, at least.

"My dear, sweet Sookie." I was forced to turn my head, looking at him with a blank expression. Years of hearing people's thoughts had given me a killer poker face. In comparison, my emotions were somewhat unstable, and I could almost see Bill working through them one by one. He seemed to like what he found though; my disgust, my fear, my hatred. "This will all be over if you simply go willingly. Do not fight me. You know that you want this." I felt the pressure on my mind, and threw my shields up to further block it. He was aware he couldn't glamour me, obviously, but he was putting on a show. He was proving to me that he had all the power now. I was the one in chains on a table, and he was the one free to roam around and do as he pleased. There was no denying that he was stronger than me at the present moment, but without the chains I would have no qualms BBQing his Southern ass with my microwave fingers.

Ata had been silent through our exchange, but the steady flow of strength through our bond was all I needed. Unable to fight him back, I simply settled my gaze on him, putting the weight of my emotions behind it. I would not let this man bring me down to his level, use me for his sick little games. I wasn't his personal soda fountain anymore, and I would damn well never be again. His mind was a tangled mess, full of negative thoughts and anger – such anger. My steely gaze seemed to flip a switch in him though, and he decided I needed to know my place.

**CONTENT WARNING.**

Unfortunately my current predicament meant that although mentally I was strong, physically I was not. I had no time to react before Bill was on top of me, ceasing any and all movement with his body weight. He tore at my clothes until I was left in nothing but the bra I had been wearing when I had initially been taken. I couldn't even remember how many days ago that was. I was loosing track of him. Without so much as a second thought Bill's pants were gone and he was violating me. It was like a lid had suddenly been taken off of a boiling pan as my memories came flooding back to me due to Bill's current actions. Uncle Bartlett, back when I was a child. His thoughts, the way he had touched me on occasion, his long-term intent with me. Bill's mind was so similar, and I couldn't chose back my sob. Tears were stinging my eyes and I could already feel them rolling down my cheeks. This was too similar, and the pain from Bartlett's treatment still too fresh. Gran had believed me, but I had never spoken to anyone about it before, especially not in detail, until I had sat down in the penthouse alone with Ata. I thought I'd buried all of my shame, my guilt, and my pain. Jason had blamed me for Bartlett leaving so suddenly, he had no idea why he'd left but he'd hated me for it for months. He'd been so close to our Uncle. They went fishing every weekend down at the little creek behind the Compton estate, Bartlett taught Jason how to swim and ride a bike, all things momma and daddy should have been doing, but couldn't because water fairies had killed them before they'd even been given the chance. I tried to block out Bill, I tried to block out Bartlett, but I couldn't. I couldn't push the feelings away, the memories that were so vivid it felt like I was reliving them.

"_Still reeks of Northman. Must remove smell. Make her mine. Claim. Fuck. Bite. Drink. Break her into submission. Obedient. Good." _Bill's thoughts were hard to control. My shields were gone, destroyed by my hysteria. My tears were uncontrollable now and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing them away, willing Bill away. I wanted it all to end. I wanted to be curled up in bed with my Eric, talking about stupid little things, like our favorite flowers, or our favorite movies. I felt no pleasure as Bill continued his dirty deed. I no longer felt any of the compassion I may have had for him, even the smallest amount. There was no going back from this.

***END***

Bartlett had never gone this far with me; he'd never done anything explicit. I was more hurt by his thoughts than his actions. I didn't want him to touch me then, and I didn't want Bill touching me now. I wanted Eric's essence to be the only thing inside of me, I wanted his bulky, muscular, and well-formed frame to be the only thing above me, his golden locks falling into my face from his lack of hair gel. I wanted out of this hellhole.

With my eyes closed I missed Bill's mouth opening, but the terrifying snick I heard made me tense beneath him, my eyes flying open of their own accord in time to see him lunge for my neck. I heard Ata's screams in the background, her pleas for him to stop. She was sobbing to, and I could feel her struggling to help me through our bond. She knew of Bartlett, she knew why Bill's actions were pulling such a reaction from me. This was why Niall had told us to exchange, to reveal our dark secrets to one another. How else was she supposed to help me right now if she didn't understand already? I was a disorientated mess, and as soon as Bill took his first huge pull on my fresh wounds I couldn't stop myself from screaming out, nor was I able to stop my bond with Eric ripping open.

* * *

**ERIC'S POV  
**_So I woke up and there's the moon, s__eems to have risen just a little soon  
__But who's calling out my name anyway?  
__I'm disorientated; I'm trying not to be jaded  
__When it's all so complicated 'cause I'm a little disorientated  
__Walking in a different space, looking back just incase  
__Out of patience out of balance out of time  
__Out of breath out of focus these shapes in my mind  
__Love is forever, hate was in the never  
__Out of patience out of balance out of time  
__Out of breath out of focus these shapes in my mind  
__~ Disorientated, Delta Goodrem_

I took a few steps towards the door before I felt my bond with Sookie close down. I frowned, stopping midstride. Godric had copied my actions, his own frown deep-set as he turned to look at me. "Maybe they're having a conversation and do not wish for us to be a part of it?" Godric questioned, but I could tell he was grasping at straws. Something wasn't right. I wasn't about to push my luck though, not now that we had plans in place and a team behind us. Sookie was a big girl, and Ata was by her side. If they were planning, or conversing with Russell and his minions, and the felt the need to close the bond down for it then I could understand. I loved Sookie dearly but sometimes I also wished to just close our connection for a while, just so that for once I felt my own emotions and no one else's. Vampires were solitary creatures by nature usually.

It was as we were about to step into the elevator back up to the penthouse, which had now been deemed usable again by the feds, when my bond with Sookie tore open. I had no time to steel myself against her emotions. They hit me like a brick wall and I could do nothing but crumble to the ground, falling onto all fours, the papers from earlier scattered around me. Godric seemed uneasy on his feet, as if he could feel Ata once more. I couldn't feel her under Sookie's pain, and though it was cruel of me to think it Sookie was far more important right now. Her pain, her misery, her guilt, her self-loathing and her anger were all attacking me from each side. I was not one to cry in front of others, but the blood red tracks down my cheeks were unstoppable. I could feel how much pain she was in and I wanted to take it from her, but there was too much of it. She was drowning in it, and I was drowning right along with her. Our mental connection had all but closed down to. All I could feel was a hum in the back of my mind. I couldn't even get a mental message in to try and soothe her.

Ari and Khai were at my side in a flash, Riei and Oeri tending to Godric. I could tell they were struggling with Ata's emotions, but whatever was happening to her was not as bad as what was happening to Sookie. Egor and Agmund were on alert, taking up defensive stances in front of Godric and I. "Get them in the elevator, now." I heard Ari barking out orders as my brothers hauled me up from the floor. Sookie's emotions were too strong, much too strong for a mostly human woman. Something had happened to her, something **was **happening to her.

"I need. Sookie." I rasped out, trying to fight my brothers off. Pam had even joined in, trying to keep me in place. I needed to go to Sookie, to rescue her from whatever was happening to her. I needed to comfort her, reassure her. Reassure myself. What had caused such emotions? Her self-loathing and her pain were the two most dominant emotions I could feel, and it tore me in two for her to be experiencing them at such a magnitude. My Sookie should only feel loved, cherished and adored. She had been through too much heartache.

Trying to fight my brothers off was no easy task, especially considering the fact I was weak and outnumbered, and much younger. Egor and Agmund scooped up all the papers that had fallen to the floor and bundled into the elevator with us. It started upwards, but the moment the doors closed I broke free, scrabbling against the metal. I had to get to her. Never had I felt this desperate to get to someone before. Even when Pam had been injured in her early years I hadn't felt such compulsion to go to her when she was in pain. Yes she was a proud woman, and I loved her, as I did my Sookie, but Pam was able to take care of herself. She knew the game and she played it well. Sookie was still inexperienced in our world. I'd tried to ease her into it but I was worried to scare her away. I needed her at my side.

The doors opened to reveal the penthouse and I scrambled out, a new burst of energy coming from nowhere. _No, no, this isn't where I want to be. Wrong place. Wrong place. _I mentally chanted, turning to get back into the elevator and flee to Sookie. My plan was short lived though as I felt Riei take me down seconds later, and the cool point of a needle slip under my skin in the crook of my right arm seconds later. The world slipped away into nothingness.

* * *

**ARI'S POV  
**The moment Eric was out all of us hit the ground, panting. We weren't physically tired, but emotionally we were. We were all bound together, some of us more tightly than others. Pam was still holding my hand, shaking as the aftershocks of her Maker's emotions tumbled through her. I pulled her to my side, burying her in my large frame, enveloping her in my arms. Petting her hair, she started to relax against me.

"What the hell was that?" Egor gasped, the documents he had gathered up from the lobby floor now scattered on the penthouse floor.

"I couldn't get a good read. Sookie seemed, disorientated, and full of panic." Godric wheezed, his head falling back to rest against the wall he was slumped near.

"Her emotions, their bond, rubbing off on one another." Oeri took a deep breath to calm him, and I could feel him starting to pull his emotions back under control. My other brothers, my father, Pam and Isabel were all doing the same.

"When will he wake?" Pam questioned quietly as we all started to slowly rise to our feet. Pam's hand never left mine. Khai and Egor moved Eric to the sofa, placing a pillow under his head. Vampires could sleep on the concrete ground and in the dirt and still not be uncomfortable, but the thought was in the gesture anyway.

"I gave him a weak sedative. I've used it before to tackle unruly newborns in the area. Of course for their new bodies the weak dose feels like a lot. He should come around in about an hour, maybe half an hour." Oeri explained as he threw the used needle into the trashcan, nodding his thanks to Riei, who had been the one to take Eric down. He'd been the steadiest of us all at that moment in time.

Throwing the plans onto the coffee table, I heard the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. Jason and Hunter would be joining us in only a few seconds, and I had no doubt that Oscar and Bubba would join the party in a short while also. I moved to the kitchen, pulling out bags of donor blood. I had a feeling we would need it.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV  
**_I got pocket, got a pocket full of sunshine  
__I've got a love and I know that it's all mine  
__oh, oh, oh  
__Wish that you could, but you ain't gonna own me  
__Do anything you can to control me  
__oh,oh,oh  
__There's a place that I go that nobody knows  
__Where the rivers flow, and I call it home  
__And there's no more lies and the darkness is light  
__And nobody cries, there's only butterflies  
__The sun is on my side, take me for a ride  
__I smile up to the sky  
__I know I'll be alright  
__~ Pocketful of Sunshine, Natasha Bedingfield_

I was lost in my feelings, drowning in them as they overpowered me. I tried to close my bond with Eric, I truly did, but I couldn't muster the strength to do so. My eyes were still closed as I willed Bill away, but he wasn't going. A small hand grasped at two of my fingers, but I couldn't bring myself to scream out. The hand was warm, a pulse under the surface of the skin. Ata.

The moment my cousin's warm hand grabbed my wrist I felt like I was being pulled through a wormhole. Screwing my eyes even more tightly together I fought back my nauseous feeling. The moment the sucking feeling stopped my mind cleared immediately, and instead of the darkness I was surrounded by light, by sunshine. I could feel cobblestone beneath my feet and the warmth of the sun on my skin. "He can't hurt you here." I turned my head in the direction of the noise, my eyes finding Ata's. "Your body is still in the basement of Felipe's, but our minds are here." She further explained, lifting a hand to brush it across my cheek. "I couldn't take a moment more of your pain. You do not deserve it." I sank into Ata's hand, and her words. I felt better here. I knew the moment my mind returned to the basement I would be a mess, and that it would indeed take me some time to recover from the ordeal, but for now I was safe, basking in the sunshine.

"Where are we?" I asked, turning around on the spot to take in my surroundings.

"Rome, back in the days when my family were alive. I would have taken us to modern day Rome, but it lacks a certain charm in comparison." My cousin offered me her hand, and I had no problem taking it. She had taken me to Ancient Egypt in a meditative state, and now we were in Ancient Rome. Maybe she would take me to the Viking era to? Sparing a glance to the clothes Ata and I were wearing, I pleased to see we were both dressed in little denim shorts. Ata's t-shirt was loose fitting and pink, mine was of the same style but white.

Ata started to lead me through the streets. The homes on either side of the street were tall, shadowing the street in places. They were all made of stone; similar in colour to the stones I was walking on. The windows were mostly small, all facing the street, and iron bars were over them for security. The bottom floor of the all of homes were stores – selling fruit, pottery, and everything else Roman people could ever want. There were no people though, just like there had been no people in Ancient Egypt. Ata's pace was slow, letting me visually explore her world. "We used to call these buildings insulae. The cheapest and darkest rooms are lower down in the building, with the lightest and the most desirable being at the top. Our tradesmen used to sometimes live in the apartment above their stores, renting out the ones above them to others." Ata explained. It sounded very similar to how things worked these days. It wasn't uncommon for shopkeepers to live in the apartment above their stores. They could keep an eye on them that way. I had no doubt that Eric sometimes rested in the basement of Fangtasia.

"Sometimes an entire family, grandparents, parents, and children, would all be crowded into one room. Running water was something that few people living in the insulae had access to. We had aqueducts though, and my people used to get their water from them. Fires were pretty common to because people were cooking in crowded homes. Toilets were a no go either, the residents had to use public latrines." Ata continued to explain as we navigated our way through the cobbled streets. Ancient Rome truly was beautiful, and I could see why Ata loved it so much, why she had brought me here.

"It sounds so different to how we live today." I mused allowed, my gaze finally settling back on my cousin. A wistful smile was painted on her lips and she nodded once.

"I don't take any of my luxuries for granted, I've seen how bad it can be for others." Ata shrugged her shoulders. Gran had always raised me to never take anything for granted, that everything could end within seconds. She and I had taken every day as it came and worked hard for our money, not spending frivolously.

We turned a corner and Ata stopped, causing me to slam into the back of her. I groaned as Ata stumbled forward a step. "Sorry. It gets me every time." My cousin apologized, not looking at me the whole time. Frowning, I turned to look at what she was seeing. I was speechless.

The real Colosseum stood before me. There was no damage done to it, time had not battered it. It was perfect. The stonework was incredible and the arches that were used to enter the building captivated me. Though high school had been difficult for me I had paid attention as much as possible. We'd been taught about the Romans for a few weeks, and I could distinctly remember that there were four floors to the Colosseum, and that there were eighty arches on the first three floors, divided by pillars with a half column. I could recall that the four arches on the axes of the building were the main entrances, and the one before us was decorated with a little porch and a statue. The writing above it read 'Porta Triumphalis.' The other 76 arches were numbered for easier access to the seats for those watching the battle inside.

"Come, Sookie." Ata's face lit up with a grin as she took me through the main entrance before us. "This is the entrance the gladiators would come through before they reached the battle." Ata explained as we walked through the tunnel, emerging into the large circular space that many men had died in. It was fitting, given our situation that we walked through the Porta Triumphalis entrance. After all, we were readying ourselves for battle against Russell, Felipe and Bill.

I could see the other entrance from our position, and I squinted in the direction, trying to make out the figures in the sunshine. One was taller than the other, built a little more too. "That's the Porta Libitinaria entrance, named after Libitina, the Roman goddess of death, funerals and corpses." Ata explained as soon as the two people at the other end of the Colosseum came into focus. I would recognize that blond hair, and broad shoulders, anywhere.

Letting go of Ata's hand I sprinted to the other end of the Colosseum, throwing myself into Eric's outstretched arms. Locking me in his grip he swung me around happily, laughing with me. Slowly he placed me back down, dropping an adoring kiss to my lips. Neither Eric nor Godric were burning in the sunshine, and as my cousin approached I realized what she had done. She had pulled our bonded's into our meditative state, even from such a vast difference, so that I had some way of being with Eric. Ata knew that was where I wanted to be more than anything, away from Bill and his vile acts, safe with my Viking. "The sunshine isn't hurting you." I commented, reaching up to brush a stray strand of Eric's golden hair from his face. He captured my hand with his own, bringing it to his lips to kiss the back of it.

"That's because you're protecting me, min kära." Eric rasped, pulling me into his chest, embracing me.

"We have an hour, that's roughly five minutes back in the real world." Ata explained, having moved to stand beside Godric. I couldn't move my eyes off of Eric in the sunshine, the way the light reflected from his pale skin, how it illuminated his bright blue eyes. I could almost see him as he had been during his human years; God knows he was so full of life now compared to when I had first met him.

Eric pulled back from our embrace, offering me his hand. "Shall we explore, min älskling?"

All too soon our hour in the meditative state was over, and I clung to Eric with such force that he was forced to try and pry me away. I didn't want to leave, I didn't want to have to face the dark, grimy basement, and I didn't want to face Bill. "All of this will be over soon my Sookie, and then we will go away for a while." Eric tried to soothe me, but his words were doing nothing for me. Eric could usually reassure me, but I was aware of how much Bill's actions would affect me. It was one thing to have someone think of doing such things to you, another to have to listen to them as they actually conducted the act. "Jag älskar dig" Eric murmured against my lips as he gave me one last kiss.

Pulling back, I took in his appearance, bathed in the sunlight, glowing and happy. "Jag älskar dig också" I murmured in response.

The sucking feeling returned once again, but it wasn't quite so bad this time. The moment I opened my eyes I wanted to whimper at the unfairness of it all. I could have been in the sunshine for longer, frolicking with my mental version of Eric, but I felt Bill finish. My ordeal was over for now. I couldn't stop the sobs from racking my body though, and Bill looked very smug with himself as he readjusted his pants, doing up his belt. _"My scent is in her now and she has finally given up on Northman. Now I have to spin this to her somehow, make it seem like I wasn't in control of myself. I could say that Russell commanded me, or Felipe. That would work. Too stupid to know the rules of blood lines." _I could hear him mentally rambling. His words only spurred on my sobs though, but this time I wasn't crying because of him, because of the desolation and pain I felt at what he had just done to me. I felt a renewed sense of hope, the pure need to survive this and come out on top. I wanted to see Eric in the sunshine again, in all of his glory. I wanted to explore the world with him, go back to his homeland and see the sunlight dancing in his eyes while we strolled through the ancient wonders of the world. My mental hour with him had reminded me of my conversations with Ata. When I survived this, I would be forming a third bond with Eric. I **would **give him the sunshine.

So lost in my thoughts, I didn't even hear Bill leaving the basement. Bill could do whatever he wanted with me, but he would never get to frolic in the sunshine, he would burn in it, blister and disintegrate. Eric deserved the sunshine, and I would damn well make sure to survive long enough to give it to him.

Tipping my head to look at Ata, I could see the bags under her eyes from where the meditative state had pulled upon her energy. I couldn't give it back to her, I couldn't heal her because of iron around our limbs, but I offered her a smile instead. The difference this time was that my smile reached my eyes. Ata had given me a renewed sense of hope, reminded me what I was fighting for, and she had helped alleviate my pain for a while. "Thank you." I murmured towards her.

"Anytime, my sweet cousin. Anytime." She whispered in response, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. Two sets of footsteps graced our eardrums and we both turned to look towards the basement steps. One set of footsteps had stopped at the top, and Russell was on his way down. He came into focus, standing to the side of our metal tables. A smile was painted on his chapped lips.

"Good evening ladies, I trust you rested well in the day?" He didn't even give us a second to respond before he carried on talking. "I have a few errands to run this evening so I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of my other Childe." His smile turned malicious, and the owner of the second set of footsteps came into view, having followed behind Russell moments later.

I could feel Ata's panic skyrocket, and her hand in mine suddenly became damp with sweat. Her mouth hung open for a second, before she squeaked out in disbelief. "No, no! Not you..."

* * *

**A/N DUN DUN DUN! ;)**

**Translations:**

**_K__ouzen, mwen prèske nan fennèt la. Tanpri souple, vin kolekte sa m 'genyen pou ou. (Creole) = __Cousin, I am almost at the window. Please come and collect what I have for you._**

**___Chanje tounen (Creole) = Switch back_**

**For those interested in Pam's necklace, google 'kate middleton necklace cartier' I saw a photo the other day and I fell in love! It's only when I did some research did I discover that Cartier made it and it has a whopping £49,000 price tag! Oh well, a girl can dream…**


	63. Killer Without A Cause

**A/N Okay ya'll! I know you didn't want me to leave you waiting for too long and I've had the last two weeks off, so I took the time to lounge around in bed and type for you all, even though the sun has been out (finally!) and I wanted to go and play in it. See, I love you all so much!**

**As I said before, I'm gonna be MIA for the rest of this month and for most of May, so I want to get this out there now to tide you over until the 9****th**** May, when I finally have a study break for two weeks before my final exam and will hopefully be able to bang out a chapter (you'll probably find I'll type during exam time anyway, dang procrastination!). **

**I just want to spend a paragraph here addressing one review by a guest. Yes Sookie was 'thrown under the rape bus', but there's a reason for that. I was trying to come up with ways to hurt the girls, something that would leave a mark for a long time, and I figured that anything physically done to them would heal with time. What leaves the most impact is something psychological. Rape, I believe, is the WORST thing one person can do to another, which is why I chose for Sookie to suffer in that way. Though it may seem at the moment like Ata is the 'golden girl' she's going to suffer herself in this chapter. I'm keeping the suffering fairly equal between them so that they can relate to one another, confine in one another etc. Having them both suffer in the same chapter was no fun…I like to drag things out. I'm kinda sadistic that way. Soz. Perhaps the rape scene was expected, and tbh a lot of people thought it would happen, but I can't help that ya'll are too clever and figured it out! As for the whole 'she's**** fae, she'll bounce back and get over it' – I wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket if I were you. As I mentioned above, rape leaves the most impact on the person suffering and I intend to explore the hurt left behind in later chapters. Our girls will not simply bounce back, because out of all of the people I know who have been victims of rape, not one of them was completely and utterly fine again for a long time. I intend to keep their recovery realistic, and it will have an impact on the girls for the rest of their lives, as it does for those in the real world who have suffered in such a cruel manner. **

**I hope that clears up any of your queries etc. guest reviewer, but if you have any more questions then feel free to PM me or something and I'll get back to ya. **

**Also, major ****thanks to Tessan91**** for correcting my shoddy Swedish. I'm still learning, so I stumble over my words a lot! I'll go back and correct that now! :)**

**Godric's Maker is mentioned in this chapter, stole one of the book characters and changed things up a little, so this is for you, dear bookies *MWAH***

**Moving on, this is once again going to be a multi-POV chapter, and once again I'm chucking in a warning. Torture and a mention of rape will be in this chapter. Warning system will be the same as the last chapter for the rape, so if you can't remember what the system was for that then click on back to the last chapter and read my top A/N. Also, torture makes me cringe, so I'm sorry if it's not great! I don't like hurting my babies! :( **

**This is the last chapter with any form of torture/rape. I've only been abusing them for two chapters in total so please get your panties out of a twist if you're legitimately angry at me. Better times to come, I promise.**

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_He made a big impression when he walked across the room  
__And I must make my confession, I might have spoke too soon  
__He's a killer without a cause  
__The time is right, to settle scores  
__On the streets he lives again  
__Down the alley and round the bend  
__On the beat beneath the light  
__An angel comes to claim the light  
__From the streets this rebel shall rise  
__His soul shall soar through the skies  
__~ Killer Without A Cause, Thin Lizzy_

I'd been worried about Eric before Sookie had returned to him. He had been starting to fray at the edges without his bonded by his side. I was in a similar state of disarray, but after 2000 years I had a poker face that even Stu Ungar wouldn't dare compete with. I'd given Sookie a vial of my blood, knowing it wasn't as strong as it would have been should Ata have taken it directly from my body, but I hoped that it would be enough to tide my bonded over until I could get to her and save her from Felipe.

Eric's little panic episode had been unlike anything I had ever witnessed before, and the only explanation I could come up with was that Sookie was in distress, she was disorientated and the bond was calling out for Eric to rescue her. If it hadn't been for Riei and Oeri, along with their quick thinking, I had no doubt in my mind that Eric would have done something utterly reckless and forced our hand. My dream-like state, frolicking in the sunshine with Eric, Sookie and my Ata, had done plenty to heal all four of us, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we had been summoned to the dream for another reason entirely. Though it was in my right to question what was going on with my bonded and Eric's bonded, I knew that the girls wouldn't give Eric and I a straight answer if we were to ask them about the current goings-on in the basement of Felipe mansion. Only time would tell.

Half an hour had passed since Eric had gone under the influence of the sedative that Riei and Oeri and administered. Jason and Hunter had rejoined us in the living room. Eric had been charitable enough to undo his earlier glamour. From the feelings crossing our bond I knew he felt bad about glamouring his bonded's brother. It was for the best though. I had seen first-hand that Jason was an honorable man, that his heart was in the right place, but he was easily influenced and not entirely all there. He was smart when it came down to it though.

I was left in the living room to take care of Hunter, Jason, and a still unconscious Eric. My other Children were out finishing up plans for the attack, contacting other allies or educating the younger vampires on how to fight. Isabel had left with Khai, and Pam was glued to Ari's side. Bubba and Oscar had gone out to feed, their young age meaning that they required blood much more frequently than Eric and I did.

Hunter was perched on my lap; while Jason sat at the other end of the sofa, channel hopping on the flat screen TV. The sound was turned down low, not because it bothered an unconscious Eric, who was sprawled out on the other sofa, but because my hearing was a lot more fine tuned than others. Humans always seemed to have their TV's on ridiculously loud when there was no need for it.

"Uncle Godric," Hunter started, moving until he was comfortable on my lap. I really had no problem with young humans, unlike some of my kind. "When we get Momma and Auntie Ata back, can we go home please?" Hunter turned to me with wide eyes. Raising a hand, I ran it through his bangs, ruffling them.

"You miss Louisiana?" my question was rhetorical of course, but I could sense that Eric's lack of movement was worrying the young boy. I would do anything to draw this conversation out. Hunter's little nod only confirmed what I already knew. "You can go home with Eric and Sookie when all of this is over, but I'm going to stay here with your Auntie Ata. This is her home and her business, so I'm sure she won't leave it." I informed Hunter, giving him some hope, some light at the end of the tunnel. If anything I felt in need of a holiday when all of this was said and done, and I hadn't been on holiday in over 247 years.

"But then you won't be home." Hunter's face scrunched up in concentration. "Won't you miss home?" He asked, his features softening as his head tipped sideways in curiosity.

Giving the boy a gentle bounce on my knee, I shook my head. "Auntie Ata is my home." I offered by way of explanation, but the frown on Hunter's features told me that he didn't entirely understand.

"A person can't be home, silly." A grin broke out on his features, as if he had outsmarted me. I would give him this little bit of happiness, and the thought that he had outsmarted a 2000-year-old vampire.

"One day you might change your mind, but alright." I conceded. A low groan from the other sofa captured our attention and Hunter was off my lap before I could even grab him to restrain him.

"Daddy! You're awake!" Hunter all but threw himself at Eric, just as my Childe was trying to haul his 6'4 frame up off of the sofa. With a thud Eric hit the sofa once again, a happy Hunter now straddling him before he nose-dived into the crook of Eric's neck, hugging him tightly. The confusion that had flooded my bond with Eric only moments ago as he had awoken was replaced with contentment.

"Hello my son. I hope you were good while I was resting?" Eric rubbed one of his large hands across Hunter's back, the contrast in their sizes almost comical. His other hand was holding the boy steady. Hunter nodded into the crook of his neck, refusing to let him go. Realizing this, Eric took his feet off of the sofa, swinging them down onto the floor as he sat up, still cradling Hunter to him.

"Nice t' have you back, man. Ya didn't miss much. The others went to sort out the rest of the takeover." Jason muted the television, giving Eric his full attention as he spoke. Eric offered the Stackhouse male a nod.

"Thank you for taking care of Hunter while we were planning." He offered, even though he had glamoured the boy into taking care of Hunter anyway.

"It's no problem, I enjoy spendin' time with the little guy." Jason offered Hunter a smile, which he returned, having turned his head to look at Jason and I. He was still wrapped in Eric's arms. It was strange for me to see my Childe cuddling a tiny human, to be concerned about their welfare. Sookie had certainly changed him for the better. He was no longer so cruel towards humans, treating them like a food source and nothing else. That had been my one major mistake. I had taught Eric that humans were beneath us, that they were nothing. I should have been teaching him to respect humans, because we had once been them.

I was just about to suggest that the humans present order dinner when Hunter suddenly went stiff in Eric's arms, his head snapping towards the penthouse door, eyes wide. Eric let go of the boy, holding him out at arms length. "Hunter, speak to me." He ordered in a gentle tone, pushing his worry aside. My Childe could feel the young humans emotions thanks to the weak connection that had been forged between them when Hunter had taken Eric's blood in the bathroom. My Childe thought I hadn't noticed, that his brothers hadn't noticed either, but we had all heard their conversation, and smelt Eric's blood in the air.

"Eight voids, I don't know any of them, and there's a ladies mind but it's all cloudy. I think she's chanting something. They're all coming towards the elevator." Hunter informed us in a whisper, the scent of his fear permeating the room. It didn't take a genius to work out that the woman's mind was clouded because she was under the influence of glamour, nor did it take a genius to work out that the only reason she would be under glamour was if the vampires wanted something with her. Russell had mentioned that he had Amelia, and a witch was the usual suspect when it came to chanting. I was up off the sofa in a flash, turning the TV off in the process. Eric was up the stairs to the panic room, using his vampire speed to secure Hunter.

I used my speed to stop before Jason, and as he looked up to me in confusion at the sudden outburst of speed, I quickly pulled him under my glamour. "You are going to stay in the panic room and take care of Hunter. You won't do anything stupid or jeopardize your life or Hunter's. You will only leave the room when one of the vampires who are a member of this nest comes to get you, and even then you will explain to them that staying in the panic room with Hunter is the best thing for you." I reeled off the instructions. None of us could afford to worry about the Stackhouse male, but if something happened to him I could only imagine the fit that Sookie would throw. I could hear Eric reassuring Hunter from upstairs, telling him exactly what I had told Jason. The two males needed to be on the same page. Hauling Jason up, I vamped him up to the panic room, placing him down on the bed beside Hunter. Eric pressed a kiss to Hunter's forehead before we left the room, the door swinging shut behind us and locking. No one would be able to get in. Jason and Hunter would only be able to let people in, and the monitors in the room would give them a live-feed from all the cameras in the penthouse so they could check who was home before they opened the door.

I'd smelt Eric's blood in the panic room before he had left, and sparing a glance to my son I could see a small drop of his blood in the corner of his mouth. He had given Hunter his blood once again. While I believed the blood to still be sacred, Hunter was his son, and was in danger. I could understand his motives.

The pair of us vamped back to the living room, just as the sound of the elevator coming to life graced our eardrums. Eric and I took up defensive postures, fangs snapped down and hands clawed, ready to strike. Perhaps it was somewhat foolish of Eric and I to be out in the open, when we could be locked away in the panic room with Hunter and Jason, but I had a feeling that the vampires coming after us wouldn't give up until we were captured, and though this would no doubt lead to Eric and I being in some form of pain, it would save the rest of the nest. The elevator dinged as it reached the penthouse, and as the doors slid open 4 blurs came speeding out. The vampiric vision I'd been given upon my turning enabled me to see the whole scene in slow motion, so it came as no surprise to me as two came towards me, their own posture matching mine – fangs down and hands clawed. The other two were aiming for Eric, and my Childe was quick to rip the head of one of the vampire clean from his shoulders, the body erupting in a pile of goo remains milliseconds later. Knowing my Childe was fine; I took care of the two coming for me. These vampires were younger, cockier, and I followed my Childe's actions in decapitating one of my would-be kidnappers. The second vampire took a swipe at me, his nails clipping my face, opening a wound on my cheek. The smell of my blood permeated the air. Without giving it much thought I used my age to my advantage, grasping the younger vampire around the neck before I hoisted him clean up off the ground. With a flick of my wrist I snapped his neck, rendering him immobile for a moment. I took the opportunity to remove his head from his body, letting him disintegrate in my grip, his blood splattering my clothes.

Glancing to Eric I was proud to see that my Childe had killed his two attackers also, and was splattered in blood as well. "That was too easy." He commented grimly, looking down at the four piles of goo slowly staining my beloved's carpet.

"That was only four of them, Hunter said he felt eight voids in total. They were the warm-up." I commented, turning back to face the elevator as it dinged once more. This time though, when the doors slid open, two silver nets came flying out of guns that two other male vampires were wielding. Though Eric and I were quick, the fact they were shooting us with nets caused us to delay for a second, and that vital second proved our downfall. The heavy metal nets fell on both of us, the silver burning our skin, rendering us immobile. The pain felt like a thousand suns beating down on me, and I hissed loudly, bearing my fangs at the vampire that had shot at me. Eric, being younger, felt the pain of the silver much more. Though he was older than most and therefore not as susceptible to the pain as a newborn would be, it still hurt him more than me. I could feel him trying to stop his pain from entering our bond, but with a little coaxing I felt him finally give in, letting me feel him as I let him feel me.

"Well, well. Two for the price of one." Russell's sneer filled the penthouse as he stepped out of the lift from behind his two lackeys'. Felipe followed him out, looking rather smug as he dragged a heavily glamoured Amelia with him. I would not rest until that smug smirk was wiped from his face. I would not rest until his head was clean off his shoulders. "Little Amelia here was so gracious. She told us all about the protection on this place, and was even kind enough to undo it all! Imagine my glee when I found out that she had been the one to place the protection spells on this building in the first place!" Russell clapped his hands together, as if he were a child in a candy store. I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes.

"Though I must say, I am hurt that you would not share this information with your king." Felipe added, tutting as he shook his head.

"You forget," Eric rasped from under the silver net. "You're not our king." He pointed out. Felipe snarled in Eric's direction, but my Childe's point was still valid. Eric owed fealty to William Compton, though I had no idea how that imbecile had become king, and I owed fealty to no one as I had spent the past few years travelling.

"But my GrandChilde is your king, and therefore you will show me the respect you show him." Felipe retorted, raising his nose into the air in a show of arrogance.

"I don't show Compton any respect, so you've lucked out there." My Childe chuckled. I wanted to smack him upside the head for prodding Felipe to the point where he might snap, but I couldn't help but admire my Childe's need to get under the petty vampire's skin.

"This idle chit-chat is boring me. I have better things to do with my evening. Put them in the van." Russell ordered his lackey's, turning to head back into the elevator. Felipe followed him, dragging Amelia behind him. The poor girl looked so lost, and would more than likely not remember her part in all of this should she ever be released from the glamour. Eric and I were hauled up onto our feet, the silver nets tied around us by the two vampires who had shot us down. They were both wearing leather gloves so as to not come in contact with the burning metal.

"_My Children, do NOT come back to the penthouse. Eric and I have been captured; we are being taken to Felipe's mansion. Do NOT follow us. Stick with the plan. Hunter and Jason are locked in the panic room. Jason is under glamour. Protect them." _I threw out a quick mental warning, hoping one of my Children would hear me. My weak bond with Ari was suddenly flooded with concern and anger, but I soothed him as best I could just as Eric and I were forced into the back of a conspicuous black van at the back of the hotel. The two vampires that had captured us were positioned in the back with us, and Eric and I both inhaled at the same time. There was a faint trace of both Sookie and Ata's scents in the van. They had been kidnapped in this to.

There was silence in the back of the van while we were driven to Felipe's mansion, but Eric and I never broke eye contact. We could have spoken to one another mentally, but the strong bond we shared was saying enough. The emotions ping-ponging between us gave us a good estimation of the others current mental state. Eric was worried inside, though giving off a calm demeanor to our captors. He was worried about Sookie more so than himself, and he was worried for me to. He was morbidly curious as to what was going to happen to us once we arrived at Felipe's, but his most prominent emotion was his rage, concealed under his cool façade. He was stewing inside, ready to tear every vampire inside of Felipe's home to shreds, starting with Russell himself.

The van rolled to a stop at our destination, and the words of the Ancient Pythoness flooded my mind for a moment, filling me with a quick sense of dread. _In the house of royalty four will fight together, yet only two will leave. _I silently prayed that Ata would get out free, and so would Sookie. Though I would never wish the true death on my Childe I was aware of the fact that if Sookie didn't make it out he would meet the sun the following morning. His love for her was that strong. I wasn't cruel enough to wish my wife to not make it out either. If she escaped with Sookie then the two women would be able to console one another through the years, care for one another. Ari would take care of Pam for Eric, and my other Children would care for Ata and Sookie. It was the best possible outcome.

Eric and I were bundled out of the van, pulled into the lobby of Felipe's mansion. Now that I was seeing it for myself, without all the fanciful decorations that he had strung up for his party, I couldn't help but find the building distasteful. He'd tried to recreate my wife's home, and his attempt was terrible. He needed to fire whoever he hired to decorate. Russell stopped our group, turning with Felipe and Amelia to face us. "Now then, Miss Carmichael, would you be a sweetheart and please tell me what magical charms you gave these two boys." Russell questioned her, tipping her head so she was forced to look at him.

"Leather bracelet. Eagle claw pendant." She robotically answered him. Felipe gave a nod of his head and the two vampires that had kidnapped us snapped silver cuffs onto our wrists, removing the nets in the process. The burnt skin on my face and exposed arms started to heal, albeit slowly due to the silver around my wrists. Eric began the healing process also. The two vampires made light work of removing our protection charms, and the moment my leather bracelet left my wrist I couldn't stop myself from snarling in Russell and Felipe's direction. The warmth and sense of security my bracelet had offered me was no longer there, and I could tell Eric felt the same when he snarled at our two enemies also. Our protective charms were mementos from our human lives, so they carried even more importance to us. Our belongings were deposited in an ornate silver bowl on an end table near the front door. The bowl was made of several segments, all in the shape of leaves, curved towards the tip, which faced upwards, creating an edge of spikes. The leaves were engraved with branches and other leaves. The piece had to be at least 300 years old. I would be taking the beautiful bowl with me when we all managed to get out of the mansion alive. Maybe I would get it melted down and turned into a crown for my beloved. It would be a reminder to all that our nest had overthrown a king and his entire bloodline.

"Now then, would you like to see your accommodation?" Felipe offered, shoving Amelia towards one of the other vampires, where she was led away into another part of the mansion. She would more than likely be dead by sunrise. I could only pray that Eric, Sookie, Ata and I lasted a little longer than that.

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_I was looking back on my life and all the things I've done to me  
__I'm still looking for the answers; I'm still searching for the key  
__The wreckage of my past keeps haunting me  
__It just won't leave me alone, I still find it all a mystery  
__Could it be a dream?  
__The road to nowhere leads to me  
__Through all the happiness and sorrow, I guess I'd do it all again  
__Live for today and not tomorrow  
__It's still the road that never ends  
__~ Road To Nowhere, Ozzy Osbourne_

I'd killed him. I was sure I'd killed him. "Marc." I whimpered, staring into the familiar, cold, determined eyes of the 6' tall man, with his thickset neck and square-jawed, fleshy face. A grin broke out across his face, and in the moonlight spilling through the barred windows I could see the two sharp incisors protruding from his gums.

"Hello princess. You didn't expect to see me again did you?" He taunted me, chuckling under his breath. Gulping, I tried to move away from him, but my restraints wouldn't allow that. I could feel Sookie trying to push reassurance to me. The moment I had uttered Marc's name Sookie's emotions had skyrocketed, matching my own. She had controlled it now though. Even though he was an unknown vampire to her, she was far more relaxed around him than me. She had only witnesses his cruelty towards my brother and I that I had allowed her to see when we had shared blood. She hadn't lived under the same roof as this monster; she hadn't listened to his drunken ramblings, his curses and his slander.

"I killed you. I put a sword through your chest." I murmured, feeling the sweat gathering on my brow. I'd killed him, left him dead when I had returned to my brother.

"You did, don't think I've forgiven you for that." Marc mocked me, raising a hand to shake a finger at me tauntingly. "Luckily for me, my dear Maker, Russell, was stalking the outside of your mothers palace. I issued him an invite inside and in return for your mother's empire he offered to turn me. I accepted and he went to kill your mother while you sat in your bedroom with that little brat you call a brother. Unfortunately we underestimated you. We thought you would leave, taking your brother with you. But you stayed and ruined everything." Marc's calm explanation ended with a snarl. Russell had turned the man who had stolen away my mother, the man who had abused my brother and I for years. Marc was Russell's other Childe.

Marc started to wander around the table I was secured to, stopping me from taking Sookie's hand for support. "The gift of immortality is a wonderful thing. I have kept to the shadows for 2000 years, not wanting the humans to know of my existence. Unfortunately your mothers need to have everything painted on those blasted palace walls, and to have everything carved in stone, meant that the humans had a rough idea of my appearance. Now that vampires are out of the coffin though I fully intend to let the humans know of my existence." Marc paused mid-step, looking down at me with a look that I couldn't quite decipher. "Maybe I'll tell them about you too! I'm sure they'd love to know about the forgotten daughter of Egypt's 'last' Pharaoh and Rome's most brutal warrior." Marc threatened.

Inside I was a mess. I'd rammed a sword through this mans heart, told my baby brother it was all over, and now 2000 years later he was back to kick my ass. I should have made sure he had no heartbeat. I should have stayed with his body until he took his last breath. I should have buried him myself and claimed that he had gone out hunting, and then he would have mysteriously never returned. "You abandoned my father in his time of need. He died because of you." I pointed out. My voice was quite but I kept a steel edge to it. This man should have helped my father, they were family after all, but instead he ran. "You are nothing more than a coward." I voiced my opinion.

Marc surprised me with his booming laughter. "And you are nothing more than a little girl. You played with politics, tried to win the crowds and government over with a flutter of your eyelashes and a flash of bosom in those ridiculous dresses your dear, dead mother commissioned for you. You played the game well 2000 years ago, but the world has changed. Politics is no place for a woman, especially one with a disability like yours." Marc continued to walk around the table, stopping when he reached his initial spot at my side, looking down at me. "But hear me, little girl, I will not let you play this game any longer. You took my empire from me, everything I ever cared about, and now I'm going to take away everything that you care about. I think I'll start with that slave boy of yours." My head snapped sideways as Marc mentioned Godric, and I only just restrained my growl.

"Oh yes, Russell told me all about him. Incredible how he survived so long, killed his own Maker in the process too." Marc's eyes left mine, flitting to Sookie for a moment. "Or maybe I should start with your delectable companion?" He threatened, pushing himself off from my table, vamping to Sookie.

"NO!" I screamed as he lent over, as if to bite her. Sookie was shaking violently, her body covered in sweat, as I'm sure mine was as well. Her thoughts were chaotic. She had just been raped; she didn't need to be drained down. She didn't need any more abuse. "Whatever I have done to you, you will hurt me for. Leave. Her. Alone." I ordered.

Marc stood tall, looking at me over the table Sookie was sprawled out on. "Now there's the Pharaoh's daughter. Tell me, do you speak to your Children in such a manner?" Marc moved to a table in the corner of the room. He returned with a strip of iron, holding it over Sookie's exposed stomach. She was still bare from her abuse; only a scrap of fabric was left covering her breasts.

"I only speak to cowards in such a manner. They need putting in their place." I gritted out. As soon as Marc had heard the chaos inside the Theatre of Pompey, where my father had been in session with his men, he had ran, leaving my father to die by the hand of Brutus. Now I wasn't so sure if my father's demise had been something Brutus had chosen to do, or had been glamoured to do by a greedy Russell.

"Well, it's a good job you're in your place then my dear." Marc quipped just as he dropped the iron chain. It slammed down onto Sookie's exposed stomach, burning her skin. The heavy weight of the iron weighed her down even further, and the thickness of the chain meant that it would be so much harder for her to recover her strength. Sookie's scream rang out in the room and I fought against my restraints, praying for some slack in them. Tears were rolling down my cousin's face.

"Leave her be! Harm me instead! You had no problem doing it all those years ago. Are you such a pussy now that you cannot hurt a woman whom you know will not take it laying down?" I shouted at him over Sookie's whimpers. Marc was over me in a flash, one of his large hands wrapped around my throat. Though I had insulted Sookie, saying that she would roll over and take any pain dealt out to her, when we both knew that was a lie, I had succeeded in taking his attention away from her. He needed to be focused on me. He needed to hurt me. Sookie couldn't take any more. Marc's face, a picture of anger and aggression, slowly morphed into something much worse. A grin broke out on his features, exposing his fangs.

"It looks like our other guests have arrived." He commented, retaining his firm hold on me, as the basement door was opened. Sookie and I turned to look in the direction of the basement steps. We could hear four minds, and four sets of feet. Two of the minds were agonizingly familiar.

"No, no!" I struggled against Marc, who simply laughed as he held me down tighter. Sookie was struggling the best she could against her own chains, but the iron across her stomach restricted her movements considerably.

"Eric?" I heard Sookie croak as my bonded and son came into sight. Eric's eyes snapped to Sookie the moment his name slipped from between her lips. With a flare of his nostrils and one look at Sookie's nude form he easily determined what had happened to her in his absence. Though chained in silver, with Felipe's hand on his shoulder, Eric mustered enough strength to throw Felipe's hand off of him, vamping over to Sookie on the table. Though his hands were chained he grabbed at the iron across her stomach, pulling it free of her skin, only seconds before Eric went flying backwards, hitting the concrete wall of the basement. Russell had swapped places with Felipe, shoving my bonded towards my soon-to-be ex-monarch, before he vamped to Eric and backhanded him. Sookie cried out as Eric hit the wall, a deep 'omph' rushing out of his lips as he crumbled to the floor.

"Don't be so foolish, Viking." Russell taunted, hauling Eric up onto his feet before he was dragged back over to stand beside Godric, away from Sookie. My cousin and I turned our heads to look at our respective mates. There was no exchanging of words between us all, mentally or verbally. We all knew we were seriously fucked.

"Now then, ladies." Russell turned to address Sookie and I, nodding at Marc. He released his hold on my throat and I sucked in as much air as possible. I was 100% positive a hand-shaped bruise would paint my neck purple within the hour.

"If you give us what we want, then I'm sure we can negotiate some kind of deal. Your precious partners wouldn't walk away free, but we may be charitable and make their deaths quick." Felipe picked up from where his Maker had left off.

"And what is it you want?" I wheezed, swallowing thickly. My throat was sore and dry from Marc's rough handling.

"For the pair of you to willingly bond with us, renounce all ties with the Viking and the slave boy, and then live with us here as our own personal telepaths, and our food source." Russell declared. "Mrs. Caesar-Nervii, you would of course return to your maiden name, but you would bond to Marc. You two do have some shared history after all." Russell taunted, taking a step closer to my table as Marc took his place restraining Eric. He lifted his eyes to Sookie. "Miss Stackhouse, you would bond to William."

"No!" Eric snarled from his position on the floor, having been forced to his knees. Godric was down on his knees beside him, but my bonded was holding his tongue.

"Ohhh it seems we have an objection!" Russell loudly proclaimed, throwing his arms out as he spun around on the spot to face my son and my husband. "Felipe, Marc, shall we show our guests how we deal with objections?" Russell tipped his head in the direction of another two tables in the basement. Using their speed, and the silver on our bonded's to their advantage, Marc and Felipe soon had Eric and Godric strapped down to the other two tables. Silver chains held my husband and son down on their respective tables, and the groans of pain from them, plus the flashes of their hurt through the bonds I shared with them, made me wince for them. My family shouldn't have to suffer. "Now then, who wants to go first?" Russell taunted, stalking to a low-slung bench on the far wall. The dim moonlight through the barred window made it difficult to see exactly what he was doing, but an unmistakable flash of a blade in the moonlight made my blood run cold.

"I'll go first." I volunteered quickly, sensing that my husband and son had just clocked on to the weapon in Russell's hand. They both sharply turned their heads to me, shaking them the best they could. I could feel their panic that I was offering myself first. Sookie was trying to mentally berate me but I pulled my shields up, shutting her out.

Marc's lip curled upwards into a sneer as Russell tutted, turning to face us all, the blade in his hand. "I know the rule is usually ladies first, but you and Miss Stackhouse are human, mostly. You are fragile. I'm talking about the vampires present, and isn't it always courtesy for the eldest to go first hm?" Russell's eyes darted to Godric and I was instantly filled with dread. I couldn't stop myself from thrashing against the iron chains that had me pinned down. "Seeing as how Mr. Nervii is the second eldest in the room, after myself, he should get the pleasure of going first." Russell gave me a fangy grin before he turned his attention to my bonded. With a flick of the wrist Russell held the blade out to Felipe, who spared no time in taking it from him.

My chains were constricting, seeping my power from me, and the thought of them harming my bonded, my husband, and me not being able to rescue him damn near broke my heart. _"Hush my darling. I will be fine." _Godric's calm voice wove its way into my mind. It was difficult to believe him when I could feel his current emotions. He was the picture of calm and collected on the outside, but inside he was worrying, panicking and strategizing. I had no doubt in my mind that over the past 2000 years he had been hurt and tortured, he had been in his human life after all, but it didn't make seeing it any easier.

"_Fight back, please! Fight back!" _I mentally begged him. I was met with my husband's stoney silence, but his love through our bond enveloped me in what felt like an embrace. I didn't have time to mentally berate my husband any further before Felipe brought the blade down on my husbands' body, cutting through both his shirt and his flesh, carving a line across his torso. A scream tore through the room and for a moment I didn't recognize it as my own. Tugging my chains I tried to find some give in them, I tried to get to my husband's side, muster up enough strength to blast Felipe away from him. Russell, Marc, Felipe and Bill had done their best though, using heavy iron chains as if they knew I would try to fight against them. My bonded didn't even flinch as the blade tore through him, but I could smell his blood as it pooled in the wound, seeping into the tattered edges of his shirt. I could smell the stench of burning flesh from the silver blade.

"It would seem the slave boy isn't a screamer. I wonder if his progeny is." Felipe paused, smirking down at my husband who didn't even blink, maintaining eye contact the entire time. I could feel Godric's pain in our bond; I could feel his anger at Felipe and the whole mess we were in. I got us into this mess. I stepped out of the elevator and took Sookie with me. I should have just stepped out alone and blasted all of the Were's away. I should have told Hunter and Jason to live in the panic room until all of this was over. It was my entire fault.

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_Far across the night I can see a new horizon  
__It's making my destiny but I think its coming back  
__Like the bad memories  
__Like the bad memories  
__Alone with pain, I don't want to live with your memories  
__I am trying to find a way to freedom  
__But at the end of the day  
__There's no escape so don't tell me this is not a game  
__Alone with my pain, can't you see that I am crying  
__Touch my light and you will see  
__Like the bad memories  
__~ Bad Memories, Dyslesia_

The blade that tore through my torso hurt like hell, the silver left some residue behind, making it difficult for me to heal myself. My wife's scream as I had been hurt had been worse than having my heart carved from my chest. The sound was filled with such pain and sorrow. I wouldn't break though. I had been through worse at the hands of my Maker, and yet my beautiful wife had healed me then. She would heal me now. Eric's emotions matched my own, but I could tell he feared Russell, feared the man who had slaughtered his entire family. I could also feel his need for revenge, his thirst for vengeance. Good. Revenge was motiving, and I knew my son well enough to know he would not stop until Russell was nothing more than a pile of goo on the floor, taking with him his entire bloodline.

"I would love to stay, but William and I have other matters to attend to. Marc, Felipe, I am leaving our guests in your hands." Russell bowed out, disappearing back up the stairs to the main house. Coward.

Felipe approached my son, venom in his eyes. There was no reason for it to be there, Eric had never done anything personal to Felipe. Then again, Eric had entombed his Maker in cement for a year, letting him starve and wither away. Marc took up a position between Ata and Sookie's tables, stopping them from reaching out to one another and holding hands for mutual support. "Will you scream for me, Northman?" Felipe hissed before he also brought the blade down on Eric, carving a line from his sternum to his belly button. Eric gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched and he refused to howl out at the pain. I had a feeling that Eric's Viking heritage was coming in useful now. He was a warrior, a survivor at heart. "No scream from you either. How pitiful." Felipe dropped his head, his lips inches from Eric's ear. "I bet your mother screamed when Russell had her killed."

I had to suppress my growl at the mention of my son's human family and their untimely demise. Eric didn't both to suppress his anger however, openly growling and snarling at the vampire towering over him. Felipe chuckled, relishing in Eric's anger. I could feel my bond with Ata reverberating with her own anger, and from my bond with Sookie I could feel her sadness and her pain for Eric and his loss. Sookie's tears gave the stale basement air a sweet yet salty taste.

Felipe straightened up, laughing to himself as he returned to me. "Tell me, how does it feel to be married to the daughter of the man who killed your father." Felipe taunted, dragging the blade across my left arm. My skin sprang open under the blade, covering the silver in a thin sheen of my blood. I couldn't withhold my hiss of pain, not only from the blade but also from the mention of my father. He had been an honorable man, a brave fighter, and he had wooed my mother the right way. He had taken care of her since they were children, and when the time had been right they had married and had me. My father had loved my mother and I dearly. I had no proof that Ata's father had killed mine, which is why I hadn't held it against her, or Julius. "How does it feel to carry the surname of the man who shipped your mother off to Rome, where she no doubt lived out the rest of her life as a whore?" Felipe continued to taunt me, dragging the silver blade across my body in several other places.

His mention of my mother made all the anger in me disappear, and instead I felt this overwhelming sadness. I could remember the last time I had clapped eyes on her. The Roman army had pulled me from her, two big soldiers were dragged me away from her, while two others were holding her in place. I could remember the dirt under my feet as I kicked and struggled, but it was futile. I could remember seeing her getting smaller and smaller as I was dragged away. I could remember the emerald green dress she'd been wearing and the little gold locket around her neck. My father had crafted it himself for her. I could remember how she had wept as we were parted, how she called out my name through the screams and yells of my people as they were pulled from their homes, thrown into cages on carts, raped and abused. I was thrown into another cart, filled with those who would be joining me in Egypt. I could remember the moment the horses started, pulling the others and me in the direction of our new home. I never saw my mother again.

I could feel Ata pushing at our bond, trying to pry me from my thoughts, but the feel of the silver blade against my skin and the pain from my memories cancelled her out. Maybe her father had killed mine; maybe that was why Julius was being so kind to me now. Maybe that was why, when I had spoken to him alone and asked for his daughters hand in marriage, he had been so quick to grant it. I could be carrying the name of the man who murdered my father, the man who tore my family apart. Ata was nothing like him though. No. His blood was in her veins, and she carried his name. Her eyes matched his to. That was it though. She wasn't a bloodthirsty or power hungry woman. She was nothing like him, right?

The pain from the silver blade stopped, snapping me out of my thoughts. I felt disorientated and a little weak from the blood loss, my previous thoughts still swimming around my head. I could feel Ata through our bond now, her worry and her fear. Lifting my head ever so slightly I was able to look down my body, ascertaining the damage done. Cuts littered my body, the worst of which ran from my sternum down to my left thigh, narrowly missing my groin, yet still managing to knick the deep V that occurred where my lower abs met with my hip flexor. Several others covered my arms, legs, torso and abdomen. In places I could see muscle. The cuts were deep and positioned in order to be difficult to heal. I would need serious amounts of blood to heal, and there was no way I was going to be getting that here.

"Marc." Felipe barked, his older brother moving to take another blade from the low-slung bench, this time approaching Eric.

"NO! Leave him!" Sookie cried out, her tears having dried against her cheeks while I had been lost in my thoughts.

"Aw, your human has to stand up for you, Viking. How precious." Marc sneered, ignoring Sookie's pleas and cries for him to stop. Felipe grabbed my face, forcing my head sideways, demanding that I watch as Marc carved at my son, leaving cuts along his body that matched my own. Eric only cried out twice – once when the blade was dragged across his right pectoral muscle and once when he had a cut made across the thin skin under his right eye and down across his cheek.

The scent of my blood and Eric's was heavy in the air, mixed with the tears of our bonded's. I could feel how weak Eric was through our bond. The blood loss would drain us of our energy slowly and stop us from going to our day rest. Our bodies would not allow us to rest, believing that we were already weak and vulnerable. Our bodies would only allow us the relief of our day deaths when the silver was removed from our bodies. Felipe and Marc threw their bloody blades down onto the low-slung bench, smirking over their shoulders in the direction of Ata and Sookie, who were holding hands with such force that I could see how white their knuckles were from my position on another table. Tears decorated their cheeks, their eyes hollow from lack of sleep and hurt. I could only imagine how Eric and I looked, especially to them. Sookie and Ata had never seen Eric and I this badly hurt.

I could smell the silver seconds before it came in contact with my wounds, and this time I couldn't hold it back. I howled out at the pain as Marc rubbed silver powder into my cuts, protecting himself with thick leather gloves. It was bad enough that the small parts of silver that had flaked from the old blade were stopping me from healing; this powder would stop any chance of healing that I had. I struggled against the silver chains, only burning myself further. I had nowhere to go and the panic started to settle in. If Eric and I were so badly hurt that we were unable to move, which I assumed was the plan, what was going to happen to Ata and Sookie? Felipe proceeded to douse Eric's wounds in silver powder, chuckling while my progeny and I cried out at the pain. Sookie and Ata's screams blended with ours, and try as I might to close my bond with my wife I didn't have the strength. She was taking as much pain as she could from me, but her pain threshold was much lower than mine.

"I would have thought you would have been accustomed to pain, Nervii. Didn't Appius enjoy fulfilling his twisted fantasies with you, in more ways than one?" Marc pushed silver particles deeper into my wounds, blood oozing from the opening as he jammed his thick fingers into the cuts. The mention of my Maker had me thrashing against my chains, my fangs firmly in place as I snarled at the vampire leaning over me. "Yes, my Cleo had quite the vast array of pillow-talk. Amazing what she would talk about after a few good orgasms. Tell me, is her daughter the same?" Marc winked at me, egging me on. The mention of my beloved, especially at such a moment as her climax, had me seeing red. Whatever happened behind closed doors was between Ata and I, that information would never be shared with anyone. Ata's embarrassment flooded our bond, both at such talk about her and the mention of her mothers' sexual escapades. "I think she is." Marc chuckled, placing the jar of silver powder down beside me. "What was it like, the crack of a whip across your ass, and then the welts that rendered you unable to sit for days? Do you remember when he used to overpower you, use his vampiric strength against you whenever he rose for the night?" Try as I might it was difficult to not let Marc's words affect me. "Do you remember when he finally took you, when he defiled your little, virginal body?" Marc traced a finger lightly over the tattoo around my neck before his hand closed around my throat, squeezing tightly.

**CONTENT WARNING**

I didn't want to give in, I didn't want to cave, but his actions reminded me more and more of Appius and his sick desires. He'd pinned me down countless times and had his way with me, abused me with punches and smacks, whipped me whenever I had done something wrong. He'd even whipped me after he had forced himself on me, so that I would have to walk around all the time bearing his mark. I could remember the first night he had forced himself on me. A man had asked for Ata's hand and I had cried out in protest, not wanting her to be tied to anyone other than me. Appius had dragged me home and had proceeded to beat me into submission before he had pinned me to the ground, holding my throat in the exact same manner Marc was now. He had forced himself on me, not preparing me for him. It had hurt, but I'd refused to cry. All I could think about while he'd defiled me was Ata, and how much I wanted to be with her. I'd wanted my first sexual encounter to be with her, but Appius had taken that from me the moment he had turned me and pinned me down, slowly squeezing the life out of me. It was at that point I'd realized he was a true monster, and not just a bad man. He'd fed from me to at that point, but had healed my wounds so as not to arouse suspicion. He'd glamoured that memory from me, but the moment I was turned and I drove a stake through his heart I had been granted that memory back. I didn't want it though. I didn't want to remember his cold hands on me or his fangs and neither region in me. Yes he had given me my immortality, and given me the chance to turn Eric and finally find my Ata once again, but he had destroyed my humanity.

***END***

"Stop! Please!" Ata's begging made Marc release his hold on me, only for him to stalk towards her and raise his hand, striking her across her face.

"SILENCE! You will obey me, as you failed to do so when you were a child!" He demanded. Marc was sent flying back a few feet however when Felipe shoved him, coming between Marc and Ata. Though I hated the man with every fiber of my being, at least he was stopping Marc from striking her once again.

Felipe glared at his brother. "Do not mark her! Ata is mine!" He reminded Marc. I hated hearing that Ata was his. She was mine! She had my surname, my blood in her veins, and my essence inside of her from our past couplings.

As much as I wanted to think of my Ata, all I could think of was Appius and his torment, the years I had spent living under his roof and abiding by his rules. For the first time in a long time I was afraid of him, even though I had delivered the true death to him 2000 years ago. He had taken everything I had been and crushed it, forcing me to become a monster like he was. It was only when I found Eric that I tried to salvage some humanity. I had lived for 1000 years like a savage, angry at the world for my mistreatment, angry for the loss of my parents, angry for my separation from my beloved. I had channeled that anger the wrong way – I killed thousands, drained them and left their bodies behind for strangers or family to find. It didn't matter if they were male or female, young or old. I took and I never gave back.

Karma was now rearing her ugly head.

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show  
__And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self-control  
__But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain  
__To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain  
__From my eyes, tonight I wanna cry  
__Would it help if I turned a sad song on  
__"All By Myself" would sure hit me hard now that you're gone  
__Or maybe unfold some old yellow lost love letters  
__It's gonna hurt bad before it gets better  
__But I'll never get over you by hidin' this way  
__~ Tonight I Wanna Cry, Keith Urban_

I could sense that Marc's words were getting to Godric, that he was starting to recollect those memories he had long ago suppressed. It was no surprise to me that he'd had a rough beginning, nor that he had spent 1000 years as a savage – after all, the night he had turned me he had been shirtless, the blood of my comrades dripping from his mouth. I could feel Ata's struggle to soothe him, to send emotions to him that would calm him and ease his mind out of his memories. I could feel it was doing no good though; she couldn't get through to him. I moved to the bond inside of me, focusing on Godric's strand. I pushed my reassurance through it, but I didn't feel it go through. Our bond was still there, I could still feel him, but I couldn't get anything through to him. Scowling, I moved to get a better look at my Maker, but all that did was cause my silver chains to come into contact with some of my undamaged skin. Hissing at the pain, I realized my noise brought me to the attention of Marc. I was already feeling weak from the blood loss. I'd withstand the next round of cuts, maybe even the silver particles, but anything else would do more damage than I could withstand unless I could get fresh blood in my system soon.

Having gotten over the shock of his brothers shove, Marc tossed the silver powder to Felipe who effortlessly caught it. The older of the two vampires took his place between Ata and Sookie, placing a hand on each of their metal tables. Though he uttered no words I knew it was a warning, and both women realized that to.

"So, Northman. Care to tell me why you buried my Maker in cement for a year, letting him wither away and almost meet the true death?" Felipe demanded the answer from me, unscrewing the cap from the bottle of silver powder. I internally cringed at the thought of having the silver powder on my skin. They said that honesty was the best policy, but in my 1000 years I had learnt that telling the truth usually meant more pain. This time however, I'd try telling Felipe the truth.

"He killed my human family. Death was too good for him." I replied, not daring to shrug my shoulders, as I would have done after such a statement. I could do without the silver chains burning me any further.

"You buried him because you missed your family, who have been dead for 1000 years?" Felipe hissed, putting on the gloves Marc had been wearing earlier, before he tipped some of the silver powder onto his hand.

"Yes." I admitted, looking at the vampire looming over me, daring him to say otherwise. The mention of burying Russell reminded me of the illusion I had seen of Godric, where he had seemed disappointed in me. Had I really seen him, or had he just been a figment of my imagination in my time of need? He was there when I had been burning in the sun beside Russell to, right before my Sookie had rescued me.

Felipe growled, exposing his fangs. "Well then, if death is too good for my Maker, then it's too good for you also." He informed me before he slammed his hand down on the cut across my torso from my sternum to my belly button. The silver powder he'd poured onto his hand tumbled into the cuts on my torso, the fine grain ensuring that it got into every little space available. My teeth sank into the inside of my cheek, and the taste of my own blood entered my mouth. I wouldn't scream out though and give Felipe that satisfaction. "I will keep you only just alive if I have to, and soon you will be begging me for the true death." Felipe made it sound like a promise, but I knew that my family would be coming for us soon. I'd closed down my bond with Pam, not wanting her to feel my pain. She would only be able to feel Ari strongly now, and I hoped he was taking care of her.

"If I recall my Maker's tales over the years, and his mention of an adolescent Viking who tried to take him and his wolves on, then you had a baby sister." Felipe stated. The mention of my little sister, who hadn't even managed to make it fully through her first winter, had my eyes snapping into the younger vampires direction, a low growl reverberating from my chest. Eðla had been beautiful, looking exactly like my mother, Astrid. She would have been a heartbreaker; I would've been fighting off the young men, and having to threaten them. No one would have been good enough for her. "I can't imagine what it would be like to see your mother and father murdered, and for your younger sibling to be killed before they even had a chance at life. Maybe your sister would have been turned to; maybe I would have been able to train her to be my consort! She'd have been like my own little pet." Felipe's suggestion made my already cold blood turn to ice. My sister would NOT have been the consort of such a man! She would not have been anyone's pet!

"She would have more than likely staked you and then taken the crown for herself." I retorted, shaking my head. Although my sister had died young, I had no illusion that she would have been as ambitious as our father, Ulfrik, and as beautiful as our mother. The moment she was born I had known she was going to do something great, and yet Russell took that from her.

"I find it quite amusing that your situation is similar to that of Miss Caesar's. Her parents and her sibling were murdered." Felipe pointed out, as if it had completely escaped my notice. I was aware that my situation matched Ata's, and with her now as my supernatural mother it was an odd situation, but it didn't change anything. If anything, it helped us understand one another more, and the need for vengeance. Felipe poured more of the silver powder onto his hand before he blew it out over my body, the particles floating down to land all over my body. This time I couldn't stop my howl. It was as if millions of tiny needles were all jabbed into my body at the exact same time. It was difficult to give witty comebacks and sass Felipe when he was dusting me down with silver powder.

Through my bond with Godric I could feel him coming back to himself, trying to suppress his earlier memories. He wasn't as strong as he had been before though. It was a well-known fact that the older the vampire, the less they liked to discuss their human years, especially if they had suffered in them. As a vampire we physically healed quickly, and our mentality had shifted from when we had been human so very little affected us. Of course, the mention of our human lives was usually still a bit of a sore spot.

Ata and Sookie had been forced to watch the abuse that Felipe and Marc had given us, both physically and mentally. I could feel Sookie's fear, and it cut through me even more than the blade that Felipe had used on my body. I didn't want my bonded to be upset, but I could do nothing to help her. I didn't have the strength in me to send any reassurance to her. I was struggling to reassure myself, let alone anyone else. After rubbing silver into a few more of my cuts, Felipe left me alone, taking the silver powder with him. Turning to look at Godric, we caught one another's eyes, and for a moment I had a brief second of peace, thinking we were going to be left alone. I was wrong.

Marc and Felipe returned, each of them dragging a hip height IV bag stand behind them, an empty bag was on each stand, and a tube with a needle on the end was coming from each bag. My wide eyes moved to Godric's, and neither of us had an illusion as to what was going to happen. It was ridiculously obvious, and a very old torture trick for vampires. Our blood was the only thing keeping us animated, without it we were simply corpses. Felipe approached me, while Marc took Godric, and we had no chance to move before the needles were being jabbed into the inside of our elbows. The low height of the bags meant that our blood was flowing downwards, draining us down further. Godric and I had little blood left anyway, and I could feel my vampiric nature chomping at the bit for blood, wanting to replenish what was being lost. Of course it didn't help that the only relatively human blood supply in the room was from Sookie and Ata. I would have to find myself some donor blood or Tru Blood before I went anywhere near them.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_A glint of steel, a flash of light  
__You know you're not going home tonight  
__Be it Jack or switch, Doctor's or mind  
__Nowhere to run, everywhere you'll find  
__You can't escape from the bed you've made  
__When your time has come, you'll accept the blade.  
__You're cornered in the alley way, you know you're all alone  
__You know it's gonna end this way, the chill goes to the bone  
__Now here it comes, that glistening light, it goes into your side  
__The blackness comes tonight's the night  
__The blade is gonna ride  
__~ Under The Blade, Twisted Sister_

I felt a mess, I felt exposed and vulnerable, and seeing Eric hurt did nothing to make me feel any better. I could feel very little coming from my bond with him, he was stopping me from feeling his pain, but he was forgetting that I could hear him mentally, and that I had spent so much time in his company that I could read his body language like a book. He was usually so good at keeping his body language in check, making it match his words, but I could tell he was in too much pain, and too weak, to even attempt that. I wanted nothing more than to get up off of the table, batter Felipe and Marc until they were piles of goo and then run off with Eric, Godric and Ata, so that we could all heal. Marc stood between Ata and I, stopping us from holding hands and sharing our strength.

When Godric was being tortured I could see Ata's strength waning, I could feel her on the edge of breaking down into hysteria. At the time I hadn't understood her reaction, but the moment the other vampires turned their attention to Eric I could understand perfectly. They could do whatever they wanted to me, as Bill already had done, but I didn't want anyone hurting my Eric. He was supposed to be stronger, faster, better, and yet he was hurting just like I was. It brought home the hard truth that even though he was a vampire, he could still feel pain like the humans. We needed to stick together as a group of four, we needed to work together in order to get out of this place and return home. I needed Louisiana right now, I needed the solitude of my home, and I needed the balmy nights and the blazing sunshine of the day.

Ata's head tipped sideways, and I watched as she caught Godric's gaze. Through my bonds with them I could feel them slowly supporting one another, sharing the pain they were both feeling between them, so that one wasn't suffering more than the other. Though I couldn't get eye contact with Eric, I prodded our bond, easing it open. Eric's reluctance shone through – he didn't want me to feel his pain. I wouldn't let him get away with it though. I started to pull the pain from him, hoping it might let him heal. Under the pain though I could detect his hunger, and it worried me. Eric had once called me sunshine in a pretty blonde bottle, and I hoped he didn't wish to open up said blonde bottle any time soon.

I was aware of Marc moving, and Felipe took his place, looking at Ata like she was a tropical pool of thirst quenching water in the middle of the Nevada desert. In a fluid motion he removed a blade from his pocket, weighing it in his hand as he stopped beside her. Breaking her gaze from Godric, Ata turned to look at the monarch, gulping as she took in the blade. I frowned, unsure why he would be brandishing a silver blade around her. The moment he brought it down on her skin though I knew it wasn't silver. Ata's scream echoed around the basement and she thrashed on the table, only causing the blade to dig deeper into her flesh. With their bond open, Godric howled along with her, snarling and snapping at Marc, who watched on in smug satisfaction.

"I was not allowed to harm her and yet you are, brother?" Marc questioned over the noise of Ata's whimpers. Marc quirked an eyebrow as he folded his arms over his chest, watching his brother carve away at my cousin.

"Of course, she is mine after all." Felipe stated, removing the blade from Ata's skin. My cousin sagged in relief as the blade left her body, and the mark Felipe had made was now visible. A small F was etched into the skin on her hip. His torment continued for what felt like hours, as he carved his way through her body. Eventually he gave up though. Godric and Eric had both filled their blood bags halfway, and were looking considerably paler than usual. Eric's hunger was almost consuming him, and I slowly closed down our bond. If he couldn't feel me then I wouldn't be one of his victims, he wouldn't think my blood was his to take.

Ata was exhausted to, from the blood loss and the feeling of Godric's tiredness. It had taken both Marc and Felipe to turn her over, showing the vast expanse of her unmarred back. Felipe set to work on her back, carving away as he went. Although I didn't have vampiric senses of smell I could still smell Ata's blood, and if I could smell it then so could Eric and Godric. With their blood loss, and the scent of Ata's blood in the air, our bonded's were thrashing on the table, fangs down, snarling in Ata's direction. I could see the hunger in Eric's eyes, and it frightened me. I had never been scared of Eric before, considering I had even gone so far as to smack him before, but now I was truly terrified of him.

Ata's screams and cries had died down, and I could feel that she was on the brink of consciousness. I wished I had the ability to pull her into a meditative state, filled with sunshine and happiness, just like she'd done for me. As Felipe's blade met her back once more, something snapped in Ata, and her scream damn near deafened me. She went to move her legs, but I watched, as she couldn't move them. The panic building up inside her was immense, and I tried to smother it with as much reassurance as possible, but it was no use. The only explanation I could make was that Felipe had nicked a nerve in her back, and my high school biology class had me selecting the sciatic nerve as the one that was damaged. Miss Dawkins had said that the sciatic nerve could lead to pain in the lower back, buttock, thigh and calf. She'd even said that sometimes the pain was so great that the sufferer couldn't feel their legs, and had trouble walking. I'd never experienced a damaged nerve before, nor had I ever seen the effects of one first hand, but I was experiencing a lot of firsts in Nevada.

Felipe nodded towards Marc subtly, and he vamped from the room, heading up into the main house. Ata let out a sigh of relief, as did I, but I could tell that Eric and Godric were not quite convinced. They were right.

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_'Cause I'm losing my sight, losing my mind  
__Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine  
__Losing my sight, losing my mind  
__Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine  
__I never realized I was spread too thin  
__'Til it was too late and I was empty within  
__Hungry, feeding on chaos and living in sin  
__Downward spiral, where do I begin?  
__It all started when I lost my mother  
__No love for myself and no love for another  
__Searching to find a love upon a higher level  
__Finding nothing but questions and devils  
__~ Last Resort, Papa Roach_

I'd been subject to a lot of torture over the years; it was part of the job really. My sons had suffered with me on many occasions, taking some of my torture so that I wouldn't be hurt too badly. This time though 6/7 of my sons were nowhere near me, and my bonded and newest son were strapped down on metal tables, drained down, hunger in their eyes, coursing through their veins. I needed vampire blood, and soon. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open, but I forced myself to stay conscious. If I fell unconscious then I would have no idea what Felipe or Marc was doing to me. This way ensured that I could keep an eye on them.

The moment one of my nerves had been nicked I knew I was fucked. The pain was immense but I let it fuel my anger towards the two men torturing me. I couldn't move my legs very much, and I guessed that it was to stop me running away.

When Marc left the room I breathed a sigh of relief. My torture was almost over, and I'd be able to focus on healing. My sons back at Caesar's Palace would be able to send me their strength when I opened our bonds back up. I'd closed them while Felipe had been carving into me, not wanting any of my family to feel my pain and come rushing to my aid, doing something stupid in the process. Unfortunately I was unable to keep my bond with Godric closed, so my poor husband was being subjected to all of my hurt, his own hurt, and his immense hunger.

My relief was short lived. Marc returned holding a branding iron, glowing red from its time in a fire. "NO, NO, NO!" I screamed, trying my hardest to thrash out of Felipe's hold as Marc approached. It was futile though, my nicked nerve making my legs all but useless. The brand itself didn't worry me immediately, vampire blood would heal it, but the fact the tool was made of iron had me worried. The iron would slow down the healing process, even with vampire blood. It might not even heal completely. As that thought sank in, my eyes widened. I didn't want a mark on my body and I didn't want a brand. Brands were symbols of ownership, and I wasn't anybody's but my husbands.

With sneers on their faces, Marc handed the rod to Felipe, and using his vampire speed he forced it against my left shoulder blade, Marc's cold hands holding me down with a vice like grip. The heat was scorching, and I could feel my flesh giving away underneath the metal. The addition of the iron made the pain unbearable. A high-pitched scream filled the basement and it was only when it died down did I realize that it had come from my own mouth. Godric thrashed on the table, pupils dilated, fangs extended, snarling in my direction. I prayed he wasn't snarling at me, but I was too busy crying as the branding iron was taken away from my skin. My flesh was stuck to the iron, which was now starting to cool. I could feel blood on my shoulder blade, and I could feel the indentations from the brand. Just before it had come down on my skin I had managed to get a look at it. The brand was key shaped, curved at the top and, if it weren't for the fact it had just been seared into my skin for what could end up being the rest of eternity, I would have found it beautiful.

"Now you're marked as mine. My bloodlines symbol is a key." Felipe grabbed my chin, yanking my head up so I was forced to look into his cold eyes. "A key because our power opens many doors." He explained, but I was too busy thinking about my bonded. His threat was there though – if I tried to escape, he would use every resource at his disposal to find me.

My brand was on the other side to Godric's, and now I could understand how he felt when his Maker had branded him. I'd always been top dog; I'd always had the ability to fight back whenever anyone had cornered me. My sons had always been there to help me also if I ran into trouble that I couldn't handle, or I could have simply popped away. Felipe had made it obvious though that right now he was more powerful than me. I was nothing more than cattle, branded with Felipe's family mark. I was an object now, something he would be able to show off to the rest of the vampire world. No vampire would touch me now that Felipe's mark was branded onto my shoulder blade. Vampires were possessive by nature, and no vampire wanted another's sloppy seconds. They were too proud for that. I would be stuck with Felipe. Forever.

I wanted to shower, wanted to drown myself in an ocean of bleach. I couldn't be Felipe's. I wouldn't be. There was only one vampire I wanted to be with, one vampire I wanted to belong to, and now he would no doubt no longer want me, carrying the mark of another. It had been so long since vampires had marked their pets, usually fang marks were the main way of claiming a pet, but back in the 17th and 18th centuries branding had been the way. Many men and women had walked down the streets carrying the brand of the vampires they belonged to. At the time they assumed they were tattoos, having been glamoured, but those privy to the supernatural world knew otherwise. The supernatural community wouldn't touch a branded pet. Bloodline symbols were well known. My own bloodline carried that of the sun, blended in with the stars. The fae and the vampires, combined.

I could feel Godric's anger through our bond, and I whimpered under the intensity of it. I refused to meet his gaze though, even though I could feel our bond demanding it. I didn't want to feel his disapproval, or his pity. I didn't want to see the anger in his eyes, the annoyance, and the hatred. I was marked by another, claimed by another, and I had no doubt that Godric would no longer care for me, maybe he wouldn't love me any more. I couldn't live with that.

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_Four in the morning, the party's over,  
__I think I need you now.  
__I can't remember when you left me, but I'm alone somehow.  
__I can hear your voice ringing in my ear, telling me to just slow down.  
__Sometimes I'm on a run. What have I become?  
__That's enough, I'm tappin' out.  
__Won't you take me home? I've been standing too close to the edge  
__Take me home. I've been standing too close to the edge  
__Calming down, I lost the fight.  
__And I can't make it out here on my own so take me home.  
__I've been standing to close to the edge  
__Wrote you a letter, I never sent it, it doesn't matter now.  
__All my intentions went out the window, don't let me hit the ground.  
__Can you hear my voice, calling out your name?  
__I know that I let you down.  
__Sometimes I'm on a run. What have I become?  
__That's enough, I'm tappin' out.  
__~Take Me Home, Boys Like Girls_

I could feel how tired and weak my bonded was, but the hunger that was trying to consume me was making it difficult for me to send her any support, any reassurance. The draining down of my blood was making it hard to focus, but I grasped onto my bond with my wife, trying to lose myself in it, trying to use it to soothe my hunger. It didn't help though. I was craving blood now, in need of it like a newborn vampire on their first night. I could do nothing but watch in horror as my wife was marked with Felipe's symbol. I wanted to rip him apart, tear him limb from limb and feed him to the gators that resided at my Childe's gator farm in the bayous back in Louisiana. I wanted to rip his fangs out and make them into earrings for my beloved. I wanted to hurt him and maim and kill. I could feel her desolation through our bond; I could feel her hurt and her worry. I tried using the bond to get Ata to look at me, but she resisted it, she fought against it. Her shame was like a bucket of cold water over me. My hunger was still there, eating away at me and clouding my judgment, but it didn't stop me from figuring out that my wife thought I would no longer love her because of the mark she now carried. If anything it made me love her more. Just because she now had a brand didn't mean I would stop loving her. I had a brand, and it had done nothing but make her love me more, it had made her want to protect me and care for me. I would return that favour once we were out of here. I wouldn't let her down again.

I could still feel Eric's love for Sookie, even though Compton had defiled her. He still loved her regardless. I still loved my Ata, even though Felipe had abused her and branded her. Though my wife wouldn't meet my gaze I could see the sorrow and desolation on her face, and it was reinforced with the feelings coming through our bond. It damn near broke my heart. My wife should never have to feel like that.

Unfortunately the branding iron was thrown onto the table next to me, and I could smell Ata's flesh and blood on it. Her blood hit my nostrils and it was intoxicating. Her pain meant she was unable to suppress her blood toxicity. The scent of it was incredible. Turning my head towards the iron, I tried to flick my tongue out to capture a small drop of her blood, but I couldn't reach. Growling, I tugged on the silver chains, further burning my flesh. I didn't care though. I wanted her blood. I **needed **it.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Always up or down, never down and out.  
__Dream of demons while you sleep that make you stutter when you speak.  
__Always up or down, never down and out.  
__Dream of demons while you sleep that make you stutter when you speak.  
__Speak now or forever hold your peace in pieces.  
__Now that I'm grown I've seen marriages fall to pieces.  
__Now that I'm grown I've seen friendships fall to pieces.  
__Weekend warriors, and our best friends.  
__The writers weren't kidding about how all good things must end.  
__Then again some things, then again some things are far too good,  
__Some things are far too good to go ahead and let go.  
__~ Down and Out, The Academy Is…_

Though Bill had hurt me, and made my childhood nightmares come true, I was worried for my cousin. She was strong yes, probably stronger than me, but I could see that the brand on her shoulder had affected her. It had affected her more than I thought it would have. I understood how she felt about Godric's brand, so it was no surprise to me that being branded herself had some mental repercussions. Marc approached Eric and Godric, and I shouted out, hoping to distract him. I didn't want him harming my bonded or Godric. Marc ignored me though, and Felipe started to move towards the basement. Were we finally being left alone!?

I allowed myself a seconds relief, but my relief was soon over as Marc started to unchain Eric and Godric. I'd been able to feel Eric's hunger getting more and more prominent as the night went on. If he was unchained now, there was no telling what he would do…

Eric and Godric were slow due to their blood loss, but as Marc finished unchaining them he moved towards the basement stairs. "Sunrise in 20 minutes. Enjoy." He commented, disappearing up the stairs before I heard numerous bolts and locks go. Ata and I were locked in the basement, chained down by iron, while Godric and Eric were free to roam, and both were starving. The silver in their bodies would slow down their healing, and they'd need good quality blood to heal. Ata and I happened to have good quality blood in our veins.

The possibility of what was about to happen caused me to swallow thickly, and Ata and I turned to look at one another briefly before we glanced to our respective bonded's. Godric and Eric were both still conscious, and both of them started to move on the tables, nostrils flaring as they took in the scent of my blood, and that of Ata's.

"GODRIC! NO!" Ata screamed at her husband as he got up from the table and started towards her. My cousin was thrashing on the table, and I could feel her frantically pounding their bond, hoping it would snap him out of it.

I turned my attention to Eric, who was up and stalking towards me. Hundreds of cuts littered his body and I could see his struggle to heal. Looking up I caught his eyes, and the usually beautiful, bright blue was replaced with an almost midnight black colour. I attacked our bond, hoping that maybe Eric would respond better given how long we had been bonded for, but it was no use. There was no trace of the man I loved there anymore and I could feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. "Eric, please! No!" I begged. He paused for a second, tipping his head to the side as he examined me. For a moment I believed my bonded was back, but when his lips tugged upwards into a smirk I could see the ends of his fangs, and my hope was dashed.

Using whatever energy they had left, Eric was on me and Godric was on Ata. I felt a searing pain as Eric's fangs entered my throat; one hand holding my head to the side while the other massaged the vein in my throat, forcing my blood to the surface. He'd never been this rough with me before, he'd always been gentle when biting, giving me only pleasure. The pain he was giving me now reminded me of when Bill had drank from me. He'd never made his bites pleasurable. I didn't need any further reminders of Bill. He'd already had his way with me earlier in the evening.

Ata and I whimpered at the pain, and I grasped at my cousins hand. Locking our fingers together, I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. I had a feeling Eric and Godric would be the two to leave Felipe's mansion, just like the Ancient Pythoness had predicted. I didn't want to die. I was too young to die. At least it was the man I loved who would end my suffering though, not some nameless face in a darkened alley, in downtown Shreveport. I gathered up my last piece of strength, using it to enter Ata's mind. The edges of my vision were starting to darken, the only view I had was of Eric's golden locks in the moonlight.

"_I'll see you in Aaru, cousin_." My message just got through before my vision disappeared, and I slipped into nothingness.

* * *

**A/N okay, phew! Bit old school with the song choices! SORRY FOR CLIFFY THOUGH. LOVE YOU ALL. **

**Lots of POV and lots of action! Congrats to Angie, J, Jbnorthman for figuring out and telling me in reviews of the previous chapter that Russell's other Childe was indeed Marc Antony! **

**I promise to write another chapter for ya'll as soon as possible! In the mean time, I recommend you read 'Immortal Beloved' by All About Eric. I haven't been able to put it down! So good! :)**


	64. 1000 Apologies

**A/N Okay, so I felt super mean leaving you guys on that cliff-hanger! I'm supposed to be revising but Eric and Godric kept giving me death glares across the room and muttering about how mean I was to them, and to you guys…this chapter has made them stop, and now they're both smiling somewhat! *eye roll* Banged this chapter out in the space of a day, so sorry for any errors!**

**I also just want to take a moment here to discuss the fact that, since I threw in the rape and torture, I've been getting a lot of negative feedback.**

**I can understand your issues with these topics and I do appreciate you breaking it to me gently. One guest review I had stated that he/she felt the need to bow out because of the violence simply because it wasn't their thing. He/she stated they weren't flaming but merely giving me the heads-up. I appreciate that kind of honesty, as a novice writer it helps me tailor my stories more to the audience. I know the topics aren't particularly pleasant and I have no idea how to write them because I have never experienced either, so I'm sorry if it's not to your liking. Unfortunately I have a lot of readers and I know I can't please everyone, though I do try to! **

**While I do not like the topics I feel they play an important role in this story. Has anyone else noticed the power switch? Ata was the strong female leader to begin with and supported Sookie, now we have Sookie supporting Ata. This is a Sookie/Eric fanfiction after all. I needed this switch to occur. Sookie needed to grow up and realize the world isn't great, and Ata is the catalyst for that. Sookie needed to become much stronger (even though I already think she's pretty strong anyway) in order to be on a level playing field with Eric, and because what will be happening to her at the end of the story will require her to have a major pair of balls. No worries though readers, nothing bad happens to her, there's just a major lifestyle upheaval and she has to have her big girl panties on to deal with it. **

**The power shift needed to occur so that Sookie could come into her own, as you've seen her do. I do not appreciate being personally attacked in reviews. Hate/flame etc. my work all you want but please do not start negatively criticizing me. **_**I **_**have not personally done anything to you. I enjoy being teased with names such as 'evil woman :P' (which I have received in plenty of reviews!) as it gives me this strange sense of achievement at having riled you up a little, but I do not take lightly serious name calling. **

**While I would love nothing more than to write a 60-odd-chapter fanfiction on Eric, Sookie, Ata and Godric filled with fluff and love and all things cute and cuddly, the reality is that the world isn't a good or nice place, and the TB world is especially not a nice or good place. There is plenty of violence in TB (or are we forgetting Eric ripping limbs off and flinging them at Laffy? The residents under the maenad's control shooting each other and shit? Bill leaving Sookie alone so that she would be beaten until she needed blood? Jason being raped by inbred panthers? Bill's torture at the hands of Lorena? Need I go on?) Perhaps what I did to the characters was too much for you, which I can totally understand and I respect that, and I thank you for sticking with me this long, but you have to see it from my point of view to before you start throwing your teddies in the corner.**

**Also, please remember that this is my ****first ****fanfiction ****ever****. I'm not going to be some writing God; my tales aren't going to be the best. In all honesty this story started off as a very rough idea with my best friend simply because I love Ancient Egypt/Rome, Caesar's Palace and TB and wanted a way to combine them all (plus my disappoint at Season 5 fuelled some of this!) I'm also only 19 and a full-time university student, so please cut a girl some slack. I never promised that my story would be any good; it's here for people to read if they want, or put down if they don't like it. Simple. I actually had nothing else planned for this after Godric and Ata were reunited wayyy back at the beginning of the story! Whatever has happened since then has been the result of brainstorming with my best friend, and listening to music to try and coax my brain into giving me something to work with.**

**With that out of the way, I want to reiterate now that there will be no more torture for our beloved foursome! A little bit of pain yeah, but they're kicking ass, what do you expect!? Instead it's time for our antagonists to be paid a visit by karma *evil laughter***

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**ERIC POV**

_And knowing what I've done to you, w__ith every thought you suffer through  
__My heart as black as evil can a__nd everything I could have been,  
__Erased by what I wanted then, __I couldn't think a lesser man  
__All the delicate ways that I deepened our graves, m__y apology pales  
__Oh, the pain in your eyes  
__My regrets have never known such sorrow  
__Oh, the shame that you hide  
__Resolutions are the same tomorrow, s__o now I reap what I have sewn  
__And any rapture I had shown has bled dry a__nd I walked the streets alone,  
__Accepting pain I'd never known  
__As you died, you died  
__~ 1000 Apologies, Demon Hunters_

Hungry. I was so hungry. I could feel the pain of hunger slowly ebbing away from my body and without paying much thought to what or whom I was feeding on, I continued to drink greedily. The blood that hit my palate was incredible. It was so sweet, like the honey I had consumed in my human years, and it was fragrant like the night-blooming flowers at my safe house in Shreveport. I wanted more. I wanted it all. The source of such delectable blood was pinned beneath me, warm and pulsing. I was in my element.

One moment I was fine, consumed with the task at hand, and the next I felt this snapping sensation in my chest, like something had given way or broken. My hunger wasn't so bad now, and I could feel myself starting to get a hold of my rational side. Pulling back from my food, I looked down my body, running a hand over my side. There was nothing broken, my bones were fine. Why on earth had I felt a snap? There wasn't just pain the moment I felt the snap, but now I felt sad, hysterical almost, and like a part of me was missing. The smell of the blood of my meal was rich in the air, and I glanced down at the person offering me such divine food.

It was like a bucket of ice thrown over my body. Rational thought returned to me immediately as I took in the straggly blonde hair, the bountiful chest, the slight gap between her front teeth. _Sookie. My Sookie._

Panic filled me quickly as I realised that the snapping had been our bond breaking. I searched for it furiously but I couldn't find it. Throwing myself down on her I pressed my ear to her chest. Her heart was still beating, but only just. It was extremely slow and laboured. If I had taken even a drop more she would be dead. Hands clasped over my mouth in horror, I turned to the side to find Godric still feeding. Eyes darting to the figure beneath him, I could see Ata sprawled on the table, her own blonde hair a tangled mess, her clothes ripped, and her body bloody. My mother and my bonded were holding hands, trying to find safety in one another. Although not physically stronger than Godric, my influx of Sookie's blood gave me a boost. With a firm grasp I ripped Godric from Ata, throwing him to the other side of the basement.

He skidded along the floor, righting himself, baring his fangs at me for my show of disrespect by forcing him to stop feeding. "ATA!" I yelled at him, waving a hand at my mother. Godric scowled, and as I pounded our bond I felt his hunger haze disappearing, his bloodlust receding. Finally he looked around me, and the horror painted on his face at the sight of Ata, still and knocking on deaths door, reminded me of Sookie.

Instantly I was back by her side, tearing the iron chains from her, flinging them elsewhere in the basement. I didn't care where they went, so long as they were no longer near her. I could hear Godric doing the same for Ata, freeing her from the confines of the metal. Godric and I were now fully healed, we were physically fine, but our women had suffered because of us. "They need our blood." Godric spoke up, his hands roaming over Ata as he took in every wound, every mark. He flinched as his hands met the brand on her shoulder but he powered on.

"They have little to no blood of their own left, if we give them ours we might turn them by accident. They'd meet the sun." I was already thinking of every possible outcome. Ata and her boys had said that the sky fae would meet the sun if they were turned. I wasn't going to risk loosing Sookie. Without my blood though she would be dead soon, and I would follow after her regardless. I had never thought I would meet the true death over the demise of a human, let alone a fae/human hybrid, but life without my Sookie just wouldn't be the same.

"We have no other option, only give her a little, just to see her through until night fall." Godric instructed, already biting into his wrist. Parting Ata's lips he placed his wrist over her mouth, massaging her throat to force her to swallow. I mimicked him, getting my blood into Sookie's system. I could feel it the moment my blood entered her system. Our previous bond shot back into place, but it felt stronger now. Firmer. It was almost as if it was anchored to us. _The third bond. _

"Komma tillbaka till mig, min kärlek. Komma tillbaka till mig." I prayed as I fed her my blood. I needed her to come back. I would spend every second for the rest of eternity making this up to her. I loved her, and I would make sure to tell her every day, if only she would wake up. There was no point going on without her. Though the initial snapping of a bond was painful, the partner left behind to walk the earth would start to feel the pain the next day, and it would only get worse, eventually driving them to the brink of madness, forcing them to take their own life. It was why so few vampires bonded to humans. Humans were fragile. They were mortal. As the wound on my wrist healed over I could see the marks on Sookie's body starting to heal. I was still angry to see her uncovered, to be able to smell Compton in her still. Would that have any long-term effects on her? Would she need to see someone to help her? I could find a respectful woman for her to talk to if she wanted. She'd probably speak with Ata but what would happen when we returned to Louisiana? So many questions were spinning around my head, and there were so few that had answers to them. All I knew was that I wanted Sookie back, I needed her back, and I would damn well fight tooth and nail to get her back. "Jag älskar dig, min Sookie." I murmured, dropping my forehead to hers. I hoped she could hear me still, that she could understand me. Pam had once told me that hearing was the last thing that went when humans were crossing over. I wanted her to have more blood. I wanted her to have a better chance of survival.

Scrambling across the room I grabbed the bag that Felipe had drained me down with. Although the needle was filthy I put it in my mouth, using my saliva to clean it. Finding Sookie's arm, I ran my tongue over the vein to make it stand up before I hooked her up to it, praying it would work. Godric watched me working, and mimicked my actions, hooking Ata up to his bag.

"Sunrise in 5 minutes, Eiríkr." Godric addressed me, his voice thick with emotion. Turning my head I watched as he pushed Ata's bangs from her face, her wounds starting to heal with his blood. I had heard him muttering to her in Latin in the background but I was unfamiliar with the language, and too consumed in my Sookie, to join in. Godric hadn't called me by my human name in many years, and it was a true testament to his feelings and his thoughts at the present moment.

"We should move somewhere shady, and put our women in the sunshine." I gestured to the spot on the floor where the moonlight was starting to fade from. It wasn't a huge spot, but it would give them a little sunlight, which could help them heal. Nodding his consent, I helped Godric gather the blankets from inside the iron cell, creating a pallet for our women on the floor. Picking them up in our arms we made sure the bags were still attached to them before we placed them down on the soft surface, arranging them so they were facing one another, curled up together. I could remember being told by Riei, or maybe even Oeri, that being close together would help them heal. Taking their hands, I laced their fingers together again, understanding now that they sought comfort from one another that way.

Godric and I retreated back into the dark part of the basement just as the sun started to rise, its first rays of the day landing on our women. Their heartbeats were a little stronger, but they would probably need all day to heal. I didn't want to give in to the pull of the sun, and usually I would be able to hold back, especially with such a large amount of Sookie's blood in my veins, but the night's events had taken its toll on me and I was unable to fight it. The moment the sun was high enough it claimed both Godric and I for the day.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_So you love me as much as I love you yeah  
__Would you hurt me baby, could you do it to me yeah  
__Would you lie to me baby 'cause the truth hurts so much more  
__Would you do the things that drive me crazy  
__Leave my heart still at the door  
__Oh, I can't help it I'm just selfish  
__There's no way that I could share you, t__hat would break my heart to pieces  
__Honestly the truth is, i__f I could just die in your arms I wouldn't mind  
__Cause every time you touch me I just die in your arms  
__Oooh, it feels so right  
__So baby baby please don't stop boy  
__You know, this ain't the first time this has happened to me  
__~ Die In Your Arms, Ariana Grande_

The world slipped away to nothingness, and yet I could feel that I was somewhere else entirely. I'd prepared myself to die, knowing it was a full possibility that I wouldn't make it through. I only hoped Eric was strong enough to carry on without me. Oblivious to the events occurring in the real world, I found myself back in the cemetery that I had visited with Claudine, when she had given me the beautiful water and we had danced for what felt like hours. It looked suspiciously like the Bon Temps cemetery, and that was only confirmed as I passed Gran's headstone. "Am I dead?" I mused aloud, wondering if this was the afterlife. If so, it was nothing like I had expected it to be, and where was Ata?

"No child, you are not dead." The voice floated towards my ears and I turned in the direction of the pool. Niall and Claude were sat at the edge; both dressed casually, both holding glasses of the beautiful water. Breathing a sigh of relief that I wasn't dead, I crossed to them, dropping to my knees as gracefully as I could beside them. I was back in one of those beautiful white dresses, which flowed over every curve and hugged me in all the right places. "You shouldn't be here though. Only those who are full fae usually have access to the pool." Niall frowned, glancing to Claude as if the younger faery would have the answer.

"If I'm not dead, then that means that Eric stopped feeding." I mused, realising the implications. If Eric had stopped feeding, was he dead or alive? If he was alive, and so was I, were Ata and Godric dead? Niall sighed heavily, nodding his head.

"The Viking was able to stop himself, and his Maker, from draining you and Ata dry. You are both in a terrible condition though, and I have forced you both into an unconscious state. Your bodies can deal with the pain, but I worry for your mental health." He brought a hand up to my temple, sweeping it tenderly with his fingers.

"You know what's happened to us? Where is Ata?" I asked, looking around for my cousin. I didn't feel stressed or tired, worried or in any pain in this magical world. It was as if all of my fears had been wiped away.

"Ata is with her parents. It seems her spark didn't want to come here to heal, but wanted to go to where her parents are instead." Claude explained, offering me a glass of the cool, pool water. Taking the glass from him, I thanked him before I took a sip. It was just as refreshing as last time and I groaned at the pleasant taste. I was parched.

Raising the glass to my lips once more I gulped the liquid down. Claude kindly refilled the glass but this time I sipped at it. "What do we do now then?" I asked after a few more sips, glancing between my great-grandfather and my sort-of cousin. They glanced to one another for a moment, almost having a silent conversation, before they finally gave me their full attention once again. I hadn't been able to hear their thoughts here, even with my shields all the way down, and it was a nice break to not here anything at all. I'd have to ask Eric to get wherever we lived soundproofed, in a hope that it would distort thoughts too.

"Claude and I can pop into the basement and offer both you and Ata some healing light. It won't heal you completely, as in physically **and** mentally, but it should be enough for you two to awaken and help defeat your enemies." Niall offered. His offer was more than I had expected and I put my glass down on the grassy bank, pulling him into a tight embrace before I did the same for Claude. I knew that the fae were touchy feely people, and that it was the best way to connect with one another where they were concerned.

"It is quite alright cousin. You and Ata have a long way to go yet, but anything we can do to help you along the way we will." Claude offered, giving me a smile that would have had me throwing my panties at him a few years ago if I hadn't been so in love with Eric, and if I had been unaware of our family ties to one another. There was no denying that the fae were beautiful creatures. The promise of the pair of us having a long way to go rang alarm bells in my head, but the calmness and the serenity that Faery offered me cancelled that out.

Niall glanced to the side quickly, a frown settling on his features before he turned back to me. "You have to go back now Sookie. Claude and I have been watching you from here, making sure you're okay." I quirked an eyebrow, wondering what his definition of okay was. Being raped by ones former lover was certainly not okay!

"Ata will be coming round when you get back. Stick together." Claude advised me. I finished the liquid in my glass, feeling stronger for it before I blacked out.

Coming round in Felipe's basement was no easier, especially when I realised exactly how many times I'd blacked out over the course of the past two weeks or so. My vision was a little blurred around the edges, but physically I felt fine. The rich taste in my mouth indicated to me that Eric had given me his blood, and judging from my new position on the floor he had moved me into the sunlight also. Even when I was battered and bruised, drained down and defiled, he still placed me in the sunlight knowing it would do me some good. I could feel Ata's warm hand in mine and it reassured me that she was alive and well. A cough rattled through the room and I gazed at my cousin, who opened her eyes to reveal her slightly blurred blue orbs.

"How do you feel?" She croaked out first, wheezing a little on her words. She sounded like someone who'd been smoking 30 a day for the past 20 years.

"Fine. I was with Niall and Claude. How about you?" I responded, startled that my own voice sounded gruff to.

"A bit better. Mother and father were with me." Ata groaned as she tried to move. Though the blood of our bonded's had removed surface marks it was obvious we hadn't had enough. We were still rough around the edges.

"How long were we out for?" I asked Ata as we helped one another sit up, using each other for support. We both noticed the IV bags hooked up to us at the same time, and we both closed our eyes at the thoughtfulness of our bonded's. Lifting her head, her blonde hair matted with blood, Ata looked out through the silver bars, judging the time by the position of the sun. I'd seen people do this countless times on the documentaries Gran would always watch on a Sunday night after her Decedents of the Glorious Dead meetings. I'd never witnessed someone do it first-hand though.

"I'd say it's around 3pm, give or take half an hour." Ata responded quietly. Turning on the spot she glanced to the darkened corner of the basement, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. I turned with her, spotting both Godric and Eric resting in the safety of the dark. "They should wake up in an hour and a half." Ata commented, sighing heavily. "Is it bad?" She asked, turning to look at me. I frowned at her words, confused as to what she was asking about. It clicked a moment later though and I gently took her arm, turning her to look at her shoulder blade. I cringed at the brand on her shoulder. The iron rod had ensured that it wouldn't heal, and even Godric's blood hadn't managed to heal it. She would probably be stuck with it for the rest of her life.

"It's not great, but it's not that hard to hide." I offered as a solution, taking the honest approach with her. She was my cousin, and my best friend, and Gran had always told me to be honest with those closest to me. Ata was shaking under my hand, and I pulled her to me while her body convulsed with sobs. Shushing her the best I could, I tried to run my hands through her matted hair but the blood was drying, making it all clump up. I had no delusions about my appearance at the moment. I no doubt looked just as bad.

A popping noise distracted us and Ata pulled away, wiping at her eyes with her grimy hands in order to remove her tears. Niall and Claude were stood in the basement with us, both of them holding new, clean clothes. "This will probably just get ruined again, but we figured you ladies would like to keep yourselves decent." Claude explained as Ata and I scrabbled to our feet, picking up the bags of blood that were still attached to us. I was starting to feel a little stronger, and I could tell that Ata was to. My bond with Eric was silent as he rested for the day, but it felt a lot firmer than it had before. It felt sturdy and secure. It felt unbreakable. My eyes widened as I realised what had happened.

"Third bonds!" I squeaked in surprise, rounding on Ata and gesturing to the bag she was holding. My cousin's wide eyes met mine but we weren't given time to dwell on the fact we were now thrice bonded. Niall and Claude handed the clean clothes to us and we silently changed, thanking them for the clean underwear even if we didn't feel physically clean. Once dressed, Claude took hold of my hand and Niall took Ata's. A green light started to pulse from each fae male, spreading up into Ata and I. The healing magic was soothing, removing all of my aches and pains, strengthening me more than Eric's blood could. Yes vampire blood was one of the ultimate healers, but there was nothing like the assistance of family, no matter how distantly related they were, or how magical. Although I felt physically fine there was still this ball of disgust in me, there was pain at what had transpired and I was hurt by Bill's actions. Eric had given me his blood and placed me in the sunlight, but had he only done that because he felt bad about almost draining me dry? Did he still love me? **Could** he still love me?

"We completed the third bonds." Ata muttered to no one in particular as Niall continued to heal her with his light.

"That you did cousin." Claude piped up, giving my arm a reassuring rub as he continued to help me.

"Your vampires gave you their blood moments after they stopped feeding. I was watching from Faery. I wouldn't worry about your bond right now. I have never been a fan of the fang but those men couldn't stand the thought of loosing you, they gave you their blood selflessly. At first when they only gave you both a few drops I was saddened, it was such a small amount compared to what they took from you. The moment they hooked you up to the IV bags however my faith in them was restored. They didn't care about the consequences; they didn't care if you ended up being turned. To them even if you were turned and then met the sun they would have been able to see you both one last time." Niall raised a hand, sweeping it across Ata's cheekbone. My cousin sighed happily, sinking into his touch. "They wanted you back no matter what the cost." His hand dropped back to his lap. "It's because of their actions that I stopped you both from being turned." His words caused Ata and I to look sharply in his direction. "You honestly didn't think being Prince of the Fae came without its perks eh?" He teased before his features became serious again. "The basis of your bonds was the love you share with them, and that love will continue to guide you." Niall concluded, removing his hand from Ata. My cousin looked healthy again, rosy even, and as I glanced down to my hands I could see my tanned colouring was back once again.

Grinning at the sight of my usual skin tone, Claude removed his hand from me. I thanked him graciously, wanting him to know I truly appreciated what he had done for me. "_We're going to go back to the penthouse at Caesar's Palace._" Claude started to tell Ata and I mentally, just in case Were's were watching. I didn't think they were, otherwise they would have been down here by now, but it wasn't worth the risk. I thought it pretty arrogant of Russell and his damn bloodline to not have us watched over, thinking we didn't need it. Claude glanced to Niall before he gave me his full attention once again. "_We'll wake everyone up and start gathering them together. The moment the sun is down we will have everyone in position and we'll storm the palace." _Claude gave us the plan, rising back up onto his feet. Niall followed him, though his old age and his immense use of both healing magic and the magic he had used to stop us changing meant Ata had to help him up.

"Stay in the sunshine. Unhook your IV bags now. We don't want you overcooking." Niall's departing words rang around the basement long after he poofed out with Claude. Sookie and I followed his words to the letter, unhooking the IV bags. They still had some blood left in them and neither of us needed it. We couldn't just leave it there; Eric and Godric felt strongly about their blood and wouldn't want just anyone to have it. In the end we decided to store it with them in the corner of the basement, just in case they woke and were hungry. They could have one another's blood.

Ata and I moved back to the spot of sunlight coming in through the barred window, and we sat in silence, letting the warmth of the sun help us recharge our fae powers. We would no doubt be in need of them this evening. There was silence between us but I could feel Ata's mind working in overtime. Though I wasn't trying to listen in I would get the occasional snippet of her thoughts. Words such as 'Godric', 'tainted', 'marked' and 'unloved' were running through her mind at a mile a minute. If she seriously thought that just because she now wore a brand Godric would no longer love her then I would give her a mighty smack. Gran would've skinned me alive were she still alive. Even after 2000 years he still loved her. A mark on her shoulder blade wasn't going to change that.

The thoughts of Ata and Godric's relationship made me reflect on my relationship with Eric. He'd seen me in plenty of horrible states before today – covered in Longshadow goo, scratched to hell after a maenad attack, drained after Russell and he fang raped me, screaming my head off in a fire circle inside Moon Goddess. Yet it never fazed him. It never bothered him. My problem was that this time it concerned Bill, and Eric and he were not the best of friends. Heck, I don't think I could even call them friends on any level. Eric hated Bill, and Bill hated Eric. Once again though Bill had been able to dominate me, he'd been able to control me and there was nothing I could do about it. Eric had always loved that I was strong and feisty, and I had been anything but when Bill had forced himself upon me. Would Eric still look at me the same knowing that Bill had done such vile things to me?

Shaking my head, I pulled myself together. Now was not the time to fall apart. I needed to be strong to get through the rest of the day. My thoughts had probably slipped through to Ata, as I could feel her resolve and her strength pulsing between us. When all of this was said and done, and I was back in Gran's house, I would allow myself to break down and cry properly and let all of my emotions out. I couldn't even remember the last time I had wept and wept and felt better afterwards. I'd cried when Granddaddy Earl had passed, but then I was already over his demise given how long he had been missing for. I'd cried when Eric had forced Bill to tell the truth about his appearance in Bon Temps, but that had been out of anger and hurt, and then I'd been faery-napped to Faery and hadn't been given time to mourn the false 'relationship' I had been involved in, my first relationship.

* * *

**ARI'S POV**

_Define your meaning of war, t__o me it's what we do when we're bored  
__I feel the heat comin' off of the blacktop a__nd it makes me want it more  
__Because I'm hyped up out of control, i__f it's a fight, I'm ready to go  
__I wouldn't put my money on the other guy, i__f you know what I know that I know  
__It's been a long time coming and the table's turned around  
__'Cause one of us is going, one of us is going down  
__I'm not running, it's a little different now  
__'Cause one of us is going, one of us is going down  
__~ You're Going Down, Sick Puppies_

The most incredible scent flooded my nostrils, and I stirred in my day rest. Eyes snapping open I took in the room, my eyes automatically adjusting to the darkness around me. The sun was still up, I could feel it in my blood, and yet I was up and mobile. "Ari." The curt voice caused my head to snap sideways and I instinctively took up a defensive posture over Pamela's still form, my fangs down, threatening anyone who dared to approach her. "Still so protective, even after all these years." The voice continued, and I could hear the smile in the man's voice. My eyes flickered to the door where I spotted Niall and Claude. My posture relaxed instantly as I realised that they posed no threat. My mother trusted Niall and Claude, so I was willing to trust them. Thinking of my mother I took the opportunity to feel our bond. I was surprised to find it as closed down as possible, but I could still feel some of her pain seeping through. Whatever had happened to her today had caused her immense hurt. Suppressing my growl at the thought of her being hurt, I vamped to the wardrobe to put on more suitable attire, after covering Pamela. Vampires had no sense of modesty – most supernaturals didn't. I didn't want anyone to see my Pamela bare though.

"Why am I up so early?" I questioned the elderly vampire, returning to the bedroom. There was no need to whisper as Pamela wouldn't be able to hear anything in her day rest.

"Things have moved much quicker than the Ancient Pythoness initially predicted. You are aware that Russell and his bloodline captured your Maker and brother?" I nodded at Niall's question. I'd heard Godric's mental plea as he'd been taken from Caesar's Palace. I'd returned home immediately and had called in the cleaners, summoning my brothers' home to. The living room was still a mess, the carpets would need pulling up and redoing, but that wasn't a concern right now. "Ata, Sookie, Godric and Eric were all very badly hurt last night. I know you weren't planning on storming Felipe's until tomorrow night, but you'll have to go in tonight if any of them are going to survive." Niall explained the situation to me. I sank down onto the bed, listening to him as he filled me in on everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

"You woke me, so can you wake everyone else and make the penthouse lightproof for us?" I asked, looking between Niall and Claude. With a nod Claude popped from the room.

"Claude will lightproof the living area, I'll make my rounds and wake everyone." Niall moved to Pamela and I had to stop myself from tearing him apart as he placed a hand on her bare shoulder. A soft glow left his hand, slipping into Pamela's body, and seconds later she sat bolt upright, eyes wide in surprise and curiosity. Before she could attack Niall for his scent, which he had been suppressing and then using to rouse us all, he popped from the room to wake my brothers.

Leading Pamela to the wardrobe I filled her in as she dressed, helping her pick her outfit in the process. She'd settled on a pair of black leather pants and a black t-shirt, teamed with spiked boots that came with wooden heels. Slipping her hair up into an effortlessly beautiful high ponytail, she offered me her hand. Taking it, I led her out into the windowless corridor. Through our bond I could feel her worry, not just for Eric but for me also.

Using my speed to my advantage I pinned her to the nearest wall, letting my heavy weight settle over her lithe frame. "Whatever happens I will do everything in my power to get you and Eric out alive. Do not fret, my adjo." I raised a hand to her perfectly flawlessly cheek, stroking the smooth, cool skin there. "I will take care of you." I told her sincerely. The relief and love that flooded our bond said it all. We hadn't uttered those three words to one another yet, but the feelings in our bond said it all for the time being.

"I know you will, and you know that I will always do the same for you." She murmured softly, bringing a hand up to caress my cheek in the same manner that I had caressed hers. Leaning forward I dropped a kiss to her forehead before I moved further down, pressing another to her lips. I wanted to drown in her kiss, lose myself in it and forget about the outside world, but the sound of someone clearing his or her throat broke us apart.

"Nice to know you still have time to suck face, brother." Egor teased me, having entered the windowless corridor to see what was taking Pamela and I so long.

"I will always have time for my Pamela." I replied to my brother, not breaking eye contact with the blonde vampiress who'd sashayed her way into my life in her Louboutin heels and Prada sweatpants. Breaking apart we entered the living room behind Egor. The whole nest was assembled, including Bubba, Oscar and Isabel. Jason and Hunter were noticeably absent.

"I figured it would be best to leave them sleeping, and to have a few vampires posted on their door to watch over them and ensure they do not leave while we rescues Ata, Sookie, Eric and Godric." Niall explained. With his explanation over we all shifted into business mode. Khai, Riei and Oeri all pulled out their cell phones, hitting the speed dial numbers for the other Sheriff's of Nevada. They all left the same message, informing the Sheriff's that the plan had changed and that we were attacking tonight. They asked the Sheriff's and those in their areas to meet us one klick away from the palace, to the south. The wind was blowing south, so Felipe's night guards wouldn't detect our scents until it was too late.

With final preparations in place, we all decided that Bubba and Oscar would stay in the penthouse with Jason and Hunter. Bubba would be able to glamour Jason should it be needed and Oscar was young enough to play with Hunter and easily keep him distracted. Having changed once again into an all black outfit, along with the rest of our nest, we piled into the elevator, heading down to reception.

The hotel was empty. After the events of the past two weeks I couldn't say that I blamed guests for not staying with us. A lot of our staff had been glamoured into two weeks holiday, having each been handed £1500 for the work they would miss. To the outside world we were closed for refurbishment after all of the disasters that had befallen us. The media were starting to get suspicious though. Ata always went out in the day, always did her shopping and was always spotted by the paparazzi. They hadn't seen her in days and there were many speculations as to where she currently was. It would all come to light soon, and we would no longer be able to put them off.

Piling into the black SUV's that we kept at the back of the building, in the carport, we headed off in the direction of the rendezvous point. The trunk of the car was filled with the contents of our armoury at Caesar's Palace and I had no doubt that the other vampires would bring their own weapons. Egor and Agmund had picked up their favourite swords, placing them in the back ready to strap to them when we finally parked up and prepared to storm Felipe's palace.

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_Bet you think that I don't love you, baby, b__et you think that I don't care  
__But I wanna tell you, well, you got something a__nd I'm loving you with all my heart  
__I don't ever wanna part 'cause I don't wanna be with nobody but you  
__No no  
__I don't wanna be with no-one but you  
__I wanna to be wrapped up in the arms of my loving woman  
__Rock me in your arms like I know you can  
__Don't you know that you can call on me, baby, a__ll you gotta do is say you will  
_'_Cause I'm ready just to love you and put an end to all your doubts  
__I know we can work it out  
__~ I Don't Want To Be With Anybody But You, Absent Friends_

The moment the sun dipped below the horizon I was alert. Without a second though I moved to my Ata, but I approached her at a slow pace, as if she were some frightened little animal. With her back to me I was able to see the brand on her shoulder. It didn't bother me that another marked her, especially considering the fact that I was marked to and she had accepted me with open arms. I was just glad she was alive and well, and judging by the colour of Sookie's cheeks my sons bonded was okay too. Breathing a silent sigh of relief I made as much noise as possible in my approach towards Ata, giving her ample opportunity to hear me coming. Her body was ridged, yet the small sway of her slender frame informed me that she could feel how strong our bond was now that we were thrice bonded, and that she could feel my reassurance. Placing my hand on Ata's shoulder she flinched a little, and I couldn't hide my pain at her reaction.

Eric was now before Sookie, offering her his outstretched hand. She took it cautiously, and he gently pulled her in for an embrace. His lips were level to her left ear and I could hear him murmuring apology after apology to her. Taking a page from his book I moved to sit before Ata, capturing her gaze before she could look down. She wasn't frightened of me, or what I had done to her, if anything she had accepted it and that hurt more than anything. I hadn't intended to harm her, and knowing that she didn't hold me liable for the pain I caused her made me feel guilty. This wasn't about me though this was about my wife. She was frightened of my feelings for her; she was frightened that they had changed. The third bond was an incredible thing. It told me all these things about my wife that I would have been clueless about otherwise. I'd never had a third bond before and it would take some getting use to. There was no other woman I would thrice bond with though. Gathering all the love I had in me for my wife I poured it all into our bond. I knew when Ata received them as her small frame shook with the force of it, a tear slipping down her cheek as her gaze finally dropped to her lap. Scooping up her tear I placed it in my mouth, using my free hand to tip her chin up so I could look into her eyes. The fear there was worse than the silver blades that had ravaged my body earlier. "I-"

The sound of the basement door flinging open ended my declaration of love before I had even started it, and I wanted to stake whoever dared to stop me from reassuring my wife. My need to stake them was only amplified when I finally caught sight of who was entering the basement, at quite a hurried pace. Quickly checking my bonds with all those in my nest I realised they were a lot closer, and closing in fast. They were storming the place tonight.

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_There's no time for us, there's no place for us  
__What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us.  
__Who wants to live forever, who wants to live forever?  
__There's no chance for us, it's all decided for us  
__This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.  
__Who wants to live forever?  
__Who dares to love forever?  
__When love must die.  
__But touch my tears with your lips; touch my world with your fingertips  
__And we can have forever, a__nd we can love forever  
__Forever is our today.  
__~ Who Wants To Live Forever, Queen_

When I was awake and alert Sookie had been my first priority. She was dressed now and though I was curious as to where her clothes had come from there was no time to ask her. Pulling her into my arms I held her gently, unsure of where she was mentally. I would stay with her though, help her get over what had happened, be the strength she needed. "Jag är så ledsen, min kärlek. Jag kommer att spendera evigheten göra detta upp till dig. Jag har dig, min kära. Det är okej." I pushed her hair back from her face, simply enjoying her warm body next to my cold one. I had almost lost her. I had almost killed her. I meant every word of my reassure. I would spend eternity showing her how sorry I was for how I had acted, for what had happened to her. She was safe and I was holding her, which was all that mattered. The sound of the basement door, and approaching footsteps, had my full attention.

"How the fuck are you all still alive?" Felipe snarled in our direction, glancing quickly between the four of us. With the basement door open I could hear that the fighting had started upstairs, and I took the chance to quickly open my bond with Pam. She was happy to be fighting, but she was nervous to. Her nervousness disappeared the moment our bond was all the way open and I felt her relief and love enter my system. She was too loyal for her own good, but I loved her for it.

Marc wasted no time in heading straight for us. Now that we were two pairs of bonded couples our actions were a lot smoother, we were a lot more in tune with one another. Godric and I had always been in tune with one another thanks to our Maker-Childe bond, and I could only guess that their shared bloodline meant Ata and Sookie were naturally at one together anyway. There were two fae and two vampires on my side, taking on two other vampires. The odds looked to be in our favour.

Felipe went straight for Sookie and Ata, seeming to find more value in them. Sookie was priceless to me so I could see the rational behind his moves, but what he hadn't been expecting was for my little firecracker to fight back. Her movements were light and nimble for someone who had never been in a physical fight before, and she used Ata to her advantage. The pair of them was like a well-oiled machine, combating Felipe together. Gold and white light erupted from their hands as they fired off light to both attack and to topple. Felipe wobbled on his feet every now and then, causing each strike to be off by a fraction. I pushed strength and pride to Sookie, hoping it would fuel her on. The smile that broke out on her face as she dodged another of Felipe's wild punches was radiant.

I would have loved to have sat and watched Sookie fight all day, but Marc had other ideas. Using his vampire speed he came charging towards Godric and I. I was still 1000 years younger so I was nowhere near as strong, but Godric was a decade or so older than him. If Godric could bring him down and hold him, I would be able to finish him off. Marc had been aiming for Godric, and I'd stood poised ready to strike. I was lucky that 1000 years of fighting had taught me to expect the unexpected. At the very last moment Marc changed his mind, barrelling towards me instead. Keeping my hands at an oblique angle, and keep my palms open and straight, I used my arms to deflect Marc's attack as he tried to land one on me. Each of his blows I deflected down the angle of my forearm, glad that as a vampire I had a very high pain threshold, and super fast reflexes. Spotting my opening I kicked my leg up, pushing my hips forward to get the correct angle and increase the force of my strike. The top of my foot connected with Marc's ribcage, and the crunch of bone coupled with his 'omph' as my foot met his body was extremely satisfying.

Not to be discouraged, Marc recovered quickly. Grabbing my arm he spun around, flinging me over his back and down onto the floor. His back had worked like a pivot point for the throw, and I soon met the concrete floor of the basement. I could feel a few disks in my back groan under the impact. The strength and stability of Marc's back had made it easier for him to take me down. I was probably 30lbs heavier than him, but we were of the same sort of build. It was easy to take down those weaker and smaller than you, but it took some effort to knock someone down that was the same size or bigger. If I hadn't of been fighting for my life I probably would have congratulated him on that move!

Springing up onto my feet I was ready to take him on again. Godric had gone to assist Ata and Sookie, keeping an eye on me to offer a hand when I needed it. Marc was stood before me and before I could even gather my thoughts, which usually raced around my head at incredible speeds, he'd flicked his right leg upwards. The muscles in his leg ensured that his foot was travelling at the minimum of 40mph. That was all well and good, and rather impressive, until his foot connected with my throat. The brunt force threw me backwards and the concrete wall of the basement was all that stopped me. He'd thrown me back with over 1000lbs of force, and as I slumped to the floor I realised just how precarious my situation was. Half of the bones in my body were broken from the impact, and my throat was damaged enough to stop any sounds escaping me. "_Somebody take down Marc!" _I barked mentally, remaining in my slumped position by the wall, eyes closed. The arrogant son of a bitch thought he'd knocked me out for a while.

Leaving Ata and Sookie, I could hear Godric vamping over to Marc. The pair of them broke into a fight effortlessly. My Maker had taught me almost everything I knew about hand-to-hand combat, and he was employing all those skills now. Daring to open my eyes a fraction, as Marc was too engaged in his battle with Godric to notice, I watched as Godric grabbed Marc, slamming his palm into the Roman vampires chest while hooking his leg behind one of Marc's at the tripping point. The difference in direction caused Marc to fall backwards and Godric let gravity pull him down. I'd seen this hundreds of times in my 1000 years. Godric's palm was above Marc's centre of mass and his hooked leg was below it, pulling him in each direction. On the ground and on his back, Marc was now vulnerable and susceptible to any number of finishing strikes. The most effective ending strike would be to ram a wooden stake through his heart, but that option wasn't on the cards.

Marc's eyes snapped to Ata and Sookie, who were still fighting off Felipe with their fae powers. In a move neither Godric nor I had been expecting Marc lunged towards Ata, who was oblivious to the impending strike. My Maker's extra decade proved useful as he raced against him, throwing himself in the path of Marc's attack. Marc's arm came around Godric's neck, forcing his elbow beneath my Maker's chin. Marc clasped his hands together and applied pressure in a vice-like movement. If Ata had been caught up in this chokehold she would have died from lack of oxygen. A shriek of surprise left her lips as she realised what was occurring behind her and Ata spun on her heels to face Godric and Marc. The point of the move was to stop blood flow to the brain, but a vampire couldn't become brain damaged anyway. Bubba was the only exception…

I tried to move but the broken bones in my body were taking their time to heal, even with so much of Sookie's blood in my system. My bonded was taking the fight in her stride though, knocking back every one of Felipe's advances. If I hadn't of known better I would have thought she'd been street fighting for centuries. My attention was drawn back to Godric and Marc. Godric's fangs were bared and he angled himself just right to sink his fangs into Marc's arm, hoping the strange action would cause Marc to recoil.

Godric was the one to recoil, a mouth full of black blood, which he started to violently cough up. Marc sneered down at my Maker, removing his chokehold before he went for Ata. Mother was faster though, and with two pops she was across the room, picking up two silver nets from the wall, and was back in front of Marc, who vamped right into one net. The nets were heavy, made of thick silver chain, and Marc felt to the floor under the weight.

"SOOK!" Ata called behind her, throwing the other net back to my bonded. Sookie caught it effortlessly before she threw it over a weakened Felipe. With both vampires covered by the silver, our women turned their attention to us. Using her ability to teleport Sookie was with me instantly, using my exposed fangs to rip open her wrist, which she then pressed to my lips. I didn't want to take from her, worried that the evening's earlier events were still haunting her, but the insistence in her eyes, which was mirrored in our bond, told me to shut up and put up. Taking small pulls from her I could feel myself starting to heal. My eyes were on Godric though.

Still down on the floor, my Maker had now rolled onto his back, coughing up the black substance from Marc. I had only ever seen a similar black liquid once, when Bill and Sookie had come to Fangtasia regarding their maenad problem. Marc was no maenad though. The black liquid was bubbling from his lips and with each cough more erupted from his lips. I could feel Ata's panic, her worry about what to do. Cutting her own wrist on Godric's fangs, not caring for the black liquid that now coated them, she tried to force her blood into him to help him heal. All Ata's blood seemed to do was make it worse though.

"Wonderful thing isn't it, acokanthera oblongifolia?" Marc laughed from under his silver net. It earned him a swift kick from my Sookie, who seemed to relish the grunt of pain he made.

"What the fuck is an acokanthera oblongifolia?" Ata demanded, leaving Godric's side for one moment so she could yank Marc's head back through the silver net. Ata was not amused, and the venom in her eyes told Marc this. He was quite forthcoming with the information, thinking he had the upper hand.

"It's commonly called Busman's poison, or Wintersweet. Bushmen use the poison on their arrow tips. The fruits are small and black, and are the most deadly if ingested when the fruits turn green. It didn't take much to smear the juice of the green fruit all over my skin, especially considering how the other smells in the room covered it up." Marc seemed pleased with himself. With a flick of her wrist Ata broke his neck. He wasn't dead, but he'd be quiet now for quite some time. I had no idea why the poison had affected Godric, there was very little that could harm us after all.

With a pop Niall was in the room, suppressing his fae scents enough that Godric and I wouldn't be driven wild by it. Sookie helped me move over to Godric and Ata was back before my Maker, down on her knees before him. "Niall." I greeted the older faery curtly, taking in his tattered, dirty clothes and the blood smears across his usually flawless skin. The Prince wasn't known to get his hands dirty, sending in others to do his job for him. He was usually dressed in a smart suit, hair perfectly coifed and shoes ridiculously shine. He looked a far cry from that now.

I received a nod from the older faery but his focus was on Ata and Godric. Dropping to his own knees beside them he pried one of Ata's hands off of Godric's arm. Mother wasn't going to let him go, tears rolling down her cheeks. I could see her fighting the urge to shrug Niall off and take hold of Godric again. "Great-granddaughter, there is only one way. Your husband's body contains mainly your blood, it is why the poison is affecting him." He started off softly, his voice only just carrying under the noise of the commotion upstairs. "You know that I love you both." He glanced to Sookie for beat before he turned back to Ata. "I hope you understand why I'm about to do what I'm going to do. The Ancient Pythoness will tell you what you need to know." He brushed Ata's matted hair from her face, using his other hand to stroke Sookie's cheek fondly. "It's time for your last fae gift, my Ata." He spoke solemnly, his hand dropping my Sookie's cheek to clutch at Ata's.

Confusion clouded Ata's features, as I'm sure it clouded mine. "But my last gift is meant to save my life?" My mother questioned. Then, like a light bulb switching on, she glanced to Godric. He was growing paler, retching and spitting out the black liquid. "That's so cliché." She tried to joke, forcing a smile as we all worked out what Niall had meant by that. Ata and Godric were thrice bonded now; he was, in essence, her life. "You'll have to tell me how to use it." She demanded of her great-grandfather. With a sad shake of his head he told her that she would know exactly how to use it, and that she wouldn't need him.

A soft purple glow started in Niall's hands, consuming his whole body within seconds. The purple glow was starting to feed into Ata. The colour was beautiful, enchanting, and reminded me of the purple cloak my human mother had once owned. My father had made it for her to celebrate their wedding, and she had worn it everywhere. "No, please." Ata sobbed, looking to Niall with something akin to horror. I had no idea what was going on, and the confusion coming from Sookie through our bond told me that she too was just as confused.

"The spark is the fae's life essence, and you have the ability to gift it to him. Take mine." Niall's tone was soft but stern. I was too stunned for words. The fae were savage creatures, caring only for their own. They had so many blood grudges against vampires and yet here was the Prince, giving up his own spark so that my Maker could live.

"You'll die." Ata protested, glancing between Niall and Godric furiously.

"My time was coming to an end anyway. You and your husband have an eternity together. I would not wish you to lose that." Niall ceased Ata's protesting any further, offering her a warm, almost fatherly smile, before he disappeared into a cloud of dust, just like Claudine had when I'd drained her.

Sookie's sadness battered me from all angles and I held her close to my chest, letting her weep for her loss. So many people in her family had died over the past few years. It was a wonder my bonded could still get up in the mornings. She was truly a force to be reckoned with, and her strength far surpassed mine.

Although Ata's shock was clear on her face, and the fat tears cascading down her flushed cheeks magnified her loss, Godric captured her attention when he wheezed beside her. She shifted into a different mode entirely, looking down at her hands, which still carried the faint purple glow. Though vampires had no need to breathe I could tell that Godric was wheezing to try and alleviate the pain. Some things from our humans lives transitioned over, the most common of which was breathing when in pain. It was common knowledge that humans could put up with higher levels of pain, for longer periods of time, when breathing deeply and slowly.

Shaken by the pale complexion of my Maker, angered by the events of the past few days, and unrelenting in her love for my Maker, Ata grasped at Godric's shirt, using his blood in her system to haul him up so they were eye-level. "Don't you even fucking think about dying on me. Do you have any idea the shit we went through before you got your sorry ass here? Do you have any idea what 2000 years without you were like? You don't get to die on me!" Ata's beratement was unexplainable really. I'd never seen a woman lose her shit quite so much. Her small hands were smacking at his chest, demanding his attention, ordering him to stay alive. If I weren't so scared for their safety I probably would have found it funny – such a tiny woman taking on a 2000-year-old vampire. Raising her balled hand, Ata brought it down on Godric's chest with an almighty thump, though this time the purple glow that had occupied it left her, attaching itself to my Maker's body instead. It disappeared into him seconds later and, using his vampire speed, my Maker turned around just in time to heave up the last of the black poison, avoiding getting it on any of us. Shaking from the effects, he slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.

* * *

**ATA'S POV**

_Photographs and memories, __Christmas cards you sent to me  
__All that I have are these to remember you  
__Memories that come at night take me to another time  
__Back to a happier day, when I called you mine  
__But we sure had a good time when we started way back when  
__Morning walks and bedroom talks, oh, how I loved you then  
__Summer skies and lullabies, nights we couldn't say goodbye  
__And of all of the things that we knew, not a dream survived  
__Photographs and memories, a__ll the love you gave to me  
__Somehow it just can't be true  
__It's all I've left of you  
__~ Photographs and Memories, Jim Croce_

I had no idea what led me to do it. Maybe it was the build up of all of the past few days events, maybe I was just angry at the world and needed an outlet, but the moment Niall's spark left me and entered my bonded I knew we'd be okay. I'd never raised a hand to him, I'd always been the one to nurture him and love him, but the thought of a world without him in it made me want to meet my own demise. When Niall's spark had entered my body I'd felt warm all over. His spark hadn't gone anywhere near mine, so the two hadn't fused together. Instead it had stayed on the surface, waiting for its new owner. I could feel my own spark nurturing Godric's new one, helping it to blend with what little spark he possessed in the first place. He would be so strong; he would have all of Niall's abilities and more. My spark was forcing him to accept his new one, forcing him to stay alive. I'd never wanted to bully someone into something so much in my entire life!

Eric and Sookie were with us instantly. Raising my wrist to his lips, Eric snagged an opening. I offered my wrist to Godric, not at all affected by him nearly draining me. I was more concerned about the brand on my shoulder blade still. My husbands' health came first though, and if he needed my blood then he would get it. Taking my wrist, Godric took a few light pulls before he let it go, healing the wounds. Pulling me to his chest I enjoyed the solid comfort he offered me for a moment, letting our bond conveying it all. The love and gratitude I received from him was enough to bowl me over, but I was sending him buckets of love and relief in return.

A particularly loud thud from upstairs drew my attention and I remembered the fight that was continuing up there. Untangling myself from Godric I gestured for Sookie to help me. Together we tied up Felipe and Marc, securing them even further so that they wouldn't be able to escape. Chaining them to the walls with silver was Sookie's idea. Eric had helped Godric up off of the floor in the mean time, and the four of us dashed up the stairs and into the mansion.

A brief headcount of sides gave me hope. Our team was definitely winning, especially now that Felipe and Marc were chained up in the basement and wouldn't be able to rush to the aid of Russell or William. I wanted to take Felipe and Marc, but I would do it with an audience, as a warning to all those who dared to oppose my family and me again. I would make an example out of the king and his brother. We were still relatively hidden and the heartbeats of Sookie and I were hard to hear over the commotion in the room, and the clash of metal as vampires fought with swords, knives, and anything else they could get their hands on. My eyes landed on Russell, who was deflecting every blow thrown his way. He had a stake tucked into his pocket and I prayed he would fall over and land on it.

The glint of a long sword captured my eye and I watched as Agmund went in for the kill. The world seemed to slow as Russell reached for his pocket, and I had no time to scream out a warning before his stake was plunged into Agumund's heart, my youngest son exploding into a pile of goo right before my eyes. I felt our bond snap and disappear, and my scream of warning turned into one of pain as the void my youngest boy had filled was now left empty and bare. Egor's roar as he felt his brother die echoed around the mansion. My scream drew Russell's attention to me and I saw red.

The pain consuming me from the loss of my boy hurt more than I had ever thought it would. I'd never lost a Childe before. The pain wasn't something I wanted to experience again. Agmund had spent 1000 years watching over me, giving me all of his time, his love and his strength. He had helped me whenever I had needed him, and this brute had murdered him, just like he had murdered my mother. Godric's hold on me had initially been strong; stopping me from doing something stupid, but his hold couldn't keep me back any longer. Fuelled by my hatred of the vampire before me, who wore a stupid smirk, and the pain of the death of my boy, I raised my hands. Gathering every ounce of strength I had I threw a huge golden ball at Russell. The force of my blast sent him flying backwards and he crashed into the far wall, having gone through the table, turning it into wooden shards. The vampires fighting on my side were quick to gather the shards, using them as darts on the opposition. My blast had burnt Russell, and his face was charred from the strength of the sun. Stalking towards him I was unrelenting, the hurt and the pain and the loss of my boy being thrown into every single one of my golden blasts until I was stood right before Russell. He had no weapon and nowhere to run.

* * *

**PAM'S POV**

_If I don't say this now I will surely break  
__As I'm leaving the one I want to take  
__Forget the urgency but hurry up and wait  
__My heart has started to separate  
__Oh, oh, oh, be my baby, I'll look after you  
__There now, steady love, so few come and don't go  
__Will you, won't you be the one I'll always know?  
__When I'm losing my control, the city spins around  
__You're the only one who knows, you slow it down  
__Oh, oh, oh, be my baby, I'll look after you  
__And I'll look after you  
__If ever there was a doubt, my love he leans into me  
__This most assuredly counts, he says most assuredly  
__Oh, oh, oh, be my baby, I'll look after you  
__It's always have and never hold  
__You've begun to feel like home  
__What's mine is yours to leave or take  
__What's mine is yours to make your own  
__~ Look After You, The Fray_

We were all in place minutes after the sun had dipped fully below the horizon. The vans we had gotten into back at Caesar's Palace were lightproof, so even as the last few rays of the sun were in the sky we were unharmed. We had expected for Russell to have some vampires working for him, but we had nearly all of the Nevada vampires on our side. We far outnumbered them. I'd been clinging to Ari's hand in the back of the van on the way over, using our connection to let him know that I loved him. I wanted to tell him, as I'd yet to do so, but I thought it tacky to tell him right before we went into battle. I had every faith that we would survive, and then I would tell him that I loved him. The only other person I loved entirely was Eric, but he was my Maker. The love I had for Ari was so different. He listened to my ramblings, he put up with my bitchiness and catty comments, and he took care of me both emotionally and physically. He enjoyed spending time with me, and I found that I enjoyed spending time with him.

We'd deviated from the plan somewhat now that Godric and Eric had been captured and were already in the basement. We were going to go and free them once Russell and the others had been killed, but I could feel that Eric was up on the floor with us already. Ari and I worked well as a team, his age giving him an advantage over nearly every other vampire present, where as my gift of advance speed made it easier to dodge any and all attacks.

Ata's scream brought the whole room to a stand still, and every vampire turned to watch as Agmund exploded into a pile of goo. My bond with Ari turned dark and red, twisted and vicious. I'd known the brothers were close, but I had never experienced such dark emotions from my usually happy and joking bonded before. As Ata blasted Russell across the room the fighting started up again, but Ari's anger was clouding his judgement. I was too far away to help as several vampires teamed up on him, using silver to bring him down before they took their blades to his limbs. I did the only thing I could do. Reaching down I picked up Agmund's fallen long sword. It was too long and too heavy for a Victorian vampire. It was more suited for Viking use, but if it saved my bonded then I didn't care about the weight or length. With the speed I had been gifted with I took out the vampires attacking Ari, decapitating each one who subsequently exploded into goo. Dropping the sword I fell to my knees next to my bonded, taking in the fact he was now missing his left arm and his right leg. The wound from where they had been carved was hideous, but they would grow back. "Heath, cover me!" I shouted to one of the male vampires nearby. He took up his spot before Ari and I, fighting off an vampires who were stupid enough to try and take us while we were down. Tearing into my wrist I forced it into Ari's mouth, hoping my blood would heal him enough to slow his blood flow and help his wounds scab over for now. I wished I'd captured the vampires responsible and slowly tortured them into insanity for hurting my Ari.

"Fucking stupid vampire. I need you to stick around, remember?" I soothed, brushing a hand through Ari's filthy hair as he continued to drink. I recalled the night he had gone to the party with Ata, when I'd told them to come back alive. At the time I'd been making it sound like Godric's happiness was my main concern, when really I hadn't wanted anything to happen to the tiny fae woman and the huge vampire who took care of her. Feeding Ari, I kept my eyes focused on the battle around us, not wanting to let my guard down for a second. Russell's numbers were falling rapidly, and when I turned to find the man responsible I was stunned to see him charred beyond recognition, back flat to the wall, pinned in place by the women he had scorned. Ata's arm was holding Russell up, the vampire blood in her system giving her a strength boost, while Sookie was placing a silver net over him. Godric and Eric were slamming metal pins into the wall, keeping the net in place over the deranged ex-monarch.

Bill was the only vampire left that we hadn't been able to find. It made sense that he would scurry away at any possibility of a fight. "Sookie, go and find Bill." I shouted out to her over the noise of the scuffle, which was slowly dying down. There were only four members of Russell's 'army' left now, and as they turned their attention to a motionless Ari and me they let their guards down. In seconds they met the true death, two at the hands of blades and the other two had their heads ripped clean off. The whole rom erupted into cheers as the last of Russell's cronies dissolved into goo. Russell screamed in anger as he realised he had no one left to hide behind. Egor was down on his hands and knees on the floor, gathering up goo from the floor, placing it into an empty, beautiful crystal decanter that he had taken from Russell's study. I was saddened to see him gathering up his brothers' remains. The red tracks down his cheeks were a harsh wake-up call. We had casualties to. We had suffered as well.

Sookie and Eric were missing from the room, presumably finding Bill. I took stock of our casualties. Several vampires had met the true death but Agmund was the only one from our nest to have done so. With his brothers' remains in the decanter, Egor sealed it, rising up to his full height. His shoulders were slumped through, and he scurried to Ata like a small, frightened child. Holding her hand out to him Egor took it, clinging to her for comfort. Seeing Agmund's remains up close had tears streaming down Ata's cheeks, and I felt so sorry for her for her loss. Agmund was her son, and he had died to save her, to protect her. He went with honour and with dignity though. Ari's sadness had seeped into our bond and I knew I had to be the strength he so desperately needed.

Egor stuck fast to Ata's side, and Godric released his hold on her enough so that she could tuck her son into her, rubbing his back soothingly, whispering reassurances to him. The mood in the room was solemn as we all silently mourned for those who gave their lives. Khai was nursing Isabel, whose right hand was missing. I'd witnessed it being removed. A vampire had crept up on her and chopped it off – it was her knife wielding hand. Khai's blood stained her lips and the wound, and I had a feeling the Hispanic vampiress would soon become a member of the family, by blood. Oeri was missing an ear, and Riei was tending to the injury, keeping a cloth on his brother's wound, feeding him his blood to help him heal. Looking at the eclectic bunch of vampires and fairies around me, all bloodied and battered, all having fought together, for one another, putting aside their prejudice I felt a sense of family overcome me. Ata and Sookie's fae family had even come through to help them in their time of need. It had always been Eric and I against the world, but now we had a whole nest to fight alongside of, a whole nest to protect, and a whole nest to love. My cold heart thawed just a little.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_You chewed me up and spit me out like I was poison in your mouth  
__You took my light, you drained me down  
__But that was then and this is now  
__Now look at me  
__This is the part of me t__hat you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
__This is the part of me t__hat you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
__Throw your sticks and your stones; throw your bombs and your blows  
__But you're not gonna break my soul  
__This is the part of me  
__That you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
__Now look at me I'm sparkling, a firework, a dancing flame  
__You won't ever put me out again, I'm glowin', oh whoa  
__So you can keep the diamond ring, __I never liked it anyway  
__In fact you can keep everything yeah, yeah  
__Except for me  
__~ Part of Me, Katy Perry_

Eric and I fled the room in search of Bill. The beauty of now being able to hear vampire minds meant that I could track him wherever he was going. His Southern drawl could be distinguished anywhere. Eric left me at the top of the basement, vamping down to grab a silver net. He returned with leather gloves on, a heavy silver net in his hands. Bill would be under it soon, and I felt no remorse for what I was about to do. He had it coming.

I had no idea where I was going in the mansion, following Bill's brain pattern in the general direction that I could locate it. Eric knew the layout of the palace a little better than I did thanks to all of the planning he had been present for, but he had never thought we would be straying this far from the main body of the house, where they had planned for the battle to go down.

Eric and I stopped outside of a thick wooden door. We could hear two voices on the other, both of which were distinctive. Eric and I turned to look at one another, frowning at what we were hearing. Delving into the mind of the other vampire in the room I was shocked to find my assumptions about the owner of the voice being correct. _"Didn't want to be left back at home. Useful here. Defend my family. Has to die." _His intentions were well meant, but he wasn't safe here. He was too young. _Oh Oscar. _

Oscar was confronting Bill, stalling him, demanding answers. From the positions of their voids I could tell that Bill had his back to the door. Mentally telling Eric this we sensed our opportunity.

It all happened so fast.

Eric flung the door open just as Bill snapped a leg off of a chair, overpowering Oscar and killing him. The young vampire turned to goo in Bill's hands. Eric was on Bill in an instant, pinning him down. The silver net was thrown over him and my previous lover had no way of escape. I was too stunned by Bill's actions to speak. He'd only ever killed Longshadow, and that was because he couldn't damage me before he handed me over to Sophie-Anne. Usually he had others do his dirty work. There was no love lost where Bill was concerned.

Glancing around the room I found a crystal decanter. Felipe was just as much a fan of these as Russell was. When I'd been trapped in Russell's mansion I'd spotted at least one in every room. The decanter I picked up was empty and, not caring for the clothes that Niall had given me, I dropped to my knees, scooping up what was left of Oscar. Placing him into the decanter I closed the lid, sealing it tight. A few years ago vampire goo would have had me screaming and racing to Driskill Mountain. Now it had no effect on me. It was strange how much things had changed. "Bring him with us." I instructed Eric, keeping my voice cold and emotionless.

Bill struggled against the silver, gasping and hissing as his flesh was burned. "Sookeh, don't do this. You know you don't want to, sweetheart." He tried to stir my sensitive side, the side that cared. There was no sensitive side for him now, no side of me that cared. He had hurt my family; he had taken me against my will and done nothing, as I had been tortured. He had taken my innocence under false pretenses, he had tried to kill Eric several times, and my association with him was the reason Gran was dead.

There would be no forgiveness. There would be no mercy.

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_My first day of recess they all laughed at me  
__When I fell off the swing set and scraped up my knee  
__The nurse called my Momma to say I'd be late  
__And when she gave me the phone I could hear Momma say  
__"I'm so sorry, son. Oh I think you're' so brave"  
__And she was smilin' when she said:  
__When you come home no matter how far,  
__Run through the door and into my arms  
__It's where you are loved; it's where you belong  
__And I will be here when you come home  
__I waved good-bye through the window as I boarded the plane,  
__My first job in Houston was waiting for me  
__I found a letter from Momma tucked in my coat  
__And as I flew down the runway I smiled when she wrote:  
__I'll miss you, son, you'll be so far away  
__But I'll be waiting for the day when you come home  
__No matter how far, run through the door and into my arms  
__It's where you are loved; it's where you belong  
__And I will be here, when you come home  
__~ When You Come Home, Mark Schultz_

I should have been thrilled at the coldness that my Sookie was showing Bill, I should have been happy dancing my way to the nearest stake, sharpening it for her. Instead I was concerned for her mental health. She had always held a soft spot for the bastard in the silver net behind me. Had his actions against her finally made her realize what a twat he was? I could only hope so. I didn't want my bonded to be a cold woman entirely however. She was good and honest, warm and sweet. I never wanted that to change. Maybe this colder edge would do her some good though. If Bill were to meet the true death then a new king, or queen, would need to be appointed to Louisiana. As the eldest vampire in the state, and the one present for Bill's death, it would fall on me to be king. Sookie would be my queen; there was no doubt about it. She would be my wife and carry my surname very soon. This indifference to Bill's treatment could be the start of something wonderful. As queen she wouldn't be able to show special treatment to anyone who had broken our laws.

We marched into the main room where I deposited Compton onto the floor, for all to see. Sookie approached Ata, the earlier coldness gone as she slowly handed her the decanter, explaining that Oscar had come along anyway and had stalled Bill, keeping him in the palace for us to find. Though Oscar had been a new addition to our nest I could see that the women had been fond of him. Heck, I'd been fond of the little squirt!

More waterworks from my mother, and I moved to her side to comfort her. Egor was holding one of her hands, the other cradling his brothers' remains. Ata was holding onto Egor and Oscar's remains. Godric's hands were on her arm, offering her comfort, and I placed my hands on her shoulders, rubbing soothingly. I'd always thought of Ata as the stronger of the fae women in our nest, but it seemed my Sookie had stolen that title from her. "Bring me Marc and Felipe." Ata ordered once her tears subsided. Willing to do anything to make her happy again I left the room, vamping down to the basement. My leather gloves meant I could handle the nets. Removing the two vampires from the wall, both of whom looked rather crispy around the edges now, I returned to the main room. Dumping them unceremoniously on the floor beside Compton, I waited for further instructions.

"Take him." Ata ordered gently, handing Oscar to Egor. My brother took our fallen comrade, holding his decanter close to his chest with his Agmund's. Crossing the room, I watched as Ata picked up a chair that only had one leg left, snapping it off to make a makeshift stake. The chair tumbled to the ground, unable to support itself anymore. The vampires on our side had collected as much wood as possible to make as many stakes as possible. Returning to our group, Ata held the stake out to me. "He killed your parents, and your baby sister. You deserve the revenge you have spent 1000 years chasing." Her features softened as she spoke.

Before Sookie I hadn't been a very emotional vampire, Godric had drilled it out of me, but now I had to fight back my blood tears. Russell hadn't just killed my parents though; he had killed Ata's too. This job was as much hers as it was mine. Taking the stake from her, I grabbed her hand as she went to pull it away. "Do it with me. Let us avenge our families together, mother." I tested out the word. The tears welled up in Ata's eyes as I gave her the title I had wanted to address her by for the last few days.

"I would be honored, my son." Her voice was soft, and one of her small hands came up to trace my cheek and jawbones lightly. My bond with Godric was positively alive with his happiness, and my connection with Ata pulsed gleefully. Moving us into position I placed the stake in Ata's hand, wrapping her fingers around it. Placing my larger hand over her own I held her securely. With my free, gloved hand I pulled the silver off of Russell who had been considerably weakened by Ata and Sookie's faery blasts. The other vampires formed a circle around us to stop his escape. Giving my bond with Ata a shove of pride and love we brought the wooden instrument down quickly. It cut through Russell like a hot knife through butter, and he turned to sludge, splattering us as he hit the floor.

"Well, that felt even better than I thought it would." I breathed as I let go of Ata's hand, the stake falling to the ground where it clattered loudly before the room was shrouded in silence. I'd promised my father vengeance and 1000 years later I had made good on my promise. The job was done. Ata's shoulders slumped and I wrapped an arm around her waist, dropping a kiss to her temple. She needed that as much as I did, and now I felt comfortable enough to refer to her as my mother.

The howls of pain from Marc and Felipe as their Maker met the true death broke the silence in the room, jolting Ata and I from our thoughts. To think, a few years ago I had almost experienced their pain. If it hadn't have been for my bonded and her quick thinking I would have lost Godric, and would have no doubt died by Russell's hand. I was alive now though, Sookie was my thrice bonded and no one would be able to touch her without being punished by the true death. Godric was still here, and Ata was with us to. I'd lost my human family 1000 years ago, but my supernatural one was just as great.

Picking up the stake that had fallen to the floor, I handed it back to Ata. "Marc is yours." I told her, gesturing to the Roman vampire writhing under the silver net. His fangs were exposed, blood tracks from the loss of his Maker covering his cheeks. He was Ata's childhood nightmare, he was one of the monsters that had ruined her life, and it was her job to end him, to end the torment. Without a second thought she had the silver net off of him, and though he tried to fight her off he was considerably weak from the silver. The stake went right through him, and he turned to another pile of goo on the floor.

Felipe's look of horror as he took in the goo remains of his Maker and his brother was almost comical. Without batting an eyelash Ata handed the stake to Godric. "Felipe is yours. He committed blood offences against me and, as my thrice bonded, you get the right to end him." The news of Godric and Ata being thrice bonded drew Felipe's attention. Obscenities of all sorts, in a variety of different languages, all flew out of his mouth. I could tell that my Maker wanted to draw out Felipe's torture, make him suffer for everything he had done, but it was getting late, sunrise wasn't far off, and all of us were in need of food, showers, clean clothes and bed. Godric made quick work of Felipe's death, a satisfied smile on his features as the monarch turned to goo at his feet. As Godric had been the one to end Felipe he would now take the crown of Nevada. It was befitting.

Bill was the only enemy vampire left, and we all turned our attention to him. He was a quivering wreck, seeking out any form of sympathy from everyone looking at him. He found none. His gaze shifted to Sookie, as if she were his fail-safe, and the dread in his eyes as he took in her cold gaze made me proud to be able to call her my bonded.

* * *

**SOOKIE'S POV**

_Are we on the same page?  
__Don't need to play all these games just to get a little, f__eel the sunshine on my face  
And I got paid today  
__Is this really my life?  
__Now that I'm over you and I'm sober too I can finally feel alive  
__But I won't give you my heart 'cuz it don't break twice  
__Just to let you know, let you know  
__And if you play the part and play it real nice, maybe I'll let go  
__I'll let go  
__I'm sure you'll tell me anything under the sun  
__Like how you think I'm special and the only one  
__Cuz normally I'd probably just get up and run  
__But you're looking so damn good to me under the sun  
__~ Under the Sun, Cheryl Cole_

It was like everything suddenly fell into place. If I were to show Bill any form of sympathy it would be seen as a weakness. He had destroyed everything I had ever cared about and if I let him get away with it Scott free then I would be a push over, a doormat. I would never be one of those again. With Eric and our nest I could be myself, I could be sweet and cuddly, soft and girly, but faced with a vampire like Bill I needed to pull my big girly panties on and put him in his place.

"Sookeh, it doesn't need to be this way. I know what I did was wrong, and I will repent for my sins for the rest of time. I promise you." He tried to plea. His plea was pathetic though, and I found myself curling my lip up in disgust as he tried to beg for his life from behind a silver net. Didn't he realise he was done for? I was still hurting from everything he had ever done, I still felt dirty and tainted by his actions. Death would be too good for him, but I wouldn't make the mistake that Eric had and leave him alive.

"Can someone carry him for me, please?" I looked around the room. Several vampires stepped forward, offering me their service. I took in their gloved hands and was pleased that they had come to the fight prepared. Gesturing to the netted Bill they scooped him up, ignoring his thrashing and trash talking. Turning on my heels I asked the vampires to follow me as I left the room, heading for the front door. Eric's curiosity and worry was spiking through our bond, so I wrapped it an emotional blanket, assuring him that I had this under control. I scooped up an armful of silver chains as I left the mansion.

Leading the hundreds of vampires that had rushed to save Ata, Godric, Eric, and I, I stopped before a tree. I would have asked the vampires to do this for me, but I needed to do it myself I were to ever close that chapter of my life and start anew. "Dump him here." I instructed, gesturing to the base of a thick, white alder tree. Securing silver chains around Bill through the silver net, I tossed the net aside. Using the tree for leverage I hauled him up, moving to secure him to the tree with the silver chains. I had three thick chains around his middle, tying him to the tree. Though the chains didn't have direct contact with his skin it would still weaken him. Other chains secured his ankles and wrists to the trunk. I didn't want him to have any chance of escape.

Testing the chains, I was pleased to feel that they wouldn't be giving any time soon. Bill continued to scream and protest, and using the little trick I had learnt when I'd been in high school and I'd been changing for physical education, I shimmed myself out of my panties, keeping my pants on in the process. I could feel confusion from all those in my nest who were watching, and a few of the vampires even quirked their eyebrows. Approaching Bill, I forced his mouth open, shoving my panties into his mouth before I closed his jaw. "Maybe now you'll stop your yapping." I hissed. "Take care of that, you're never going to be anywhere near that part of me again. Actually, you're never going to be near me again ever." I corrected myself, daring him to try and speak to challenge me.

Turning back to the vampires gathered around, I took a moment to study them all. "I've decided that, rather than staking William or using my fae abilities to end him, thus giving him a quick death, I am going to let the sun do the work for me. He has abused my family for long enough that a quick death is not satisfactory. He will be forced to watch the rising sun and will burn away until he is nothing but charcoal pieces on the ground. I do not take lightly to those who harm my family, or me. Anyone who dares to do so will feel the full weight of whatever punishment I see fit to give him or her. Are we understood?" I spoke up, keeping my voice firm and level. I would take no prisoners. Though I wasn't the monarch in this area I would not let any abuse stand. There might be some backlash from the night's events and I wanted every vampire present to know that I would kill if it would keep my family safe. I had revealed the fact I was fae as a reminder to them that although I was a tasty treat, I was a deadly one, and I would have no problem slaughtering them all.

I hadn't expected every vampire to bow their head in acknowledgement, but they did. Even Eric and the rest of our nest bowed their heads. The awe and the love coming from my bonded was making it difficult for me to maintain my steady expression, when all his feelings made me want to do was smile and grin and laugh. Pam had managed to carry Ari outside to witness this, the poor boy having to hop on his one good leg. Ata and I would be using a lot of our healing power to return our nest to good health.

When the vampires raised their heads once more Ari took the lead. "If you could all return to Caesar's Palace you will find a light tight room for each of you. Dr. Ludwig should be there to tend to any injuries. The bill is on us. We thank you all for helping us this evening and you will all be paid handsomely for your assistance. I ask that you be at The Colosseum tomorrow at nightfall, where you will all be debriefed and rewarded for your valiant and honourable actions." With the crowd dismissed they all started to go off into their own groups, heading in their own directions to make their way back to Caesar's Palace before sunrise.

Looking to Ata, who looked as terrible as she felt, I was sure we were a right pair. "Time?" I asked her softly, moving to stand with her. She was now holding onto Egor again, who'd tucked himself into her side like a terrified child on parent's evening.

"15 minutes until sunrise." She answered, having spared a glance up to the stars.

"Is there anything we need in the house?" I asked our group. Everyone shook his or her head. Our fallen loved ones were with us in their cases, Agmund's sword was now strapped to Riei's back and we were all accounted for. "What are we going to do with the place?" I asked Ata, knowing this was her territory.

Looking to her sons, the ones who could move about freely, she came to her decision. "Torch it."

Piling into the one remaining light tight van, I took a seat where I could see William. The windows allowed people inside to see out, but for no sunlight to get in. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Eric and Godric returning with Riei, Oeri and Khai. They'd covered the place in the gasoline they'd found in the gardener's shed and had flicked a few lit matches into strategic rooms. The whole building was about to be consumed by fire as they raced into the van, narrowly avoiding the sunlight that breached the horizon. Godric was clutching an ornate bowl in his hands and from it he produced our stolen trinkets. Eric placed his necklace on, sliding my pearls back onto my wrist. Ata tied Godric's bracelet back on while he slid her rings back on her finger, where they belonged.

My focus was on Bill though, and as the rays of the rising sun spread out across the lush, green grounds of the burning mansion and hit him, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. His screams of terror echoed through the grounds and then finally there was silence, and the silver chains clinked to the ground, no longer having anything to hold up.

The monster was gone.

Eric took my hand, holding it tightly while Khai hopped into the driver's seat, able to navigate using the UV-proof windows. Pulling away from the burning mansion I gave Eric's hand a squeeze, offering him an affectionate smile and love through our bond, both of which he eagerly returned. Yes I had been cruel towards William, yes I had killed this evening, but I was still capable of love and kindness to those who deserved it. My thrice bonded, and everyone in our nest, were deserving of such love and kindness.

I felt better about myself, I felt like these two different sides of me worked well together and would guide me in the future. But, most of all, as I watched the burning mansion slip away in the horizion, I felt at peace.

* * *

**A/N Is that a better place to leave you all at for a while? :) **

**Yes I killed off their enemies a bit quickly, and ended some of our gang in the process (sozzles!) but ya'll didn't seem to react well to the torture. I thought a wham, bam, thank you mam type of death would be better taken for the enemies…thoughts?**

**This isn't the end of the story! We still have the gang coming to terms with what happened to them and then the tying up of loose ends, including quite a few happy moments after one more sad(ish) chapter! I'm thinking no more than 10-15 or so chapters left of this story, but that might vary depending on Eric and Godric's input…they're very fussy men!**

**Translations:**

_Komma tillbaka till mig, min kärlek. Komma tillbaka till mig (Swedish) = Come back to me, my love. Come back to me._

_Jag älskar dig, min Sookie (Swedish) = I love you, my Sookie._

_Adjo (Ari's term of endearment for Pam)(Egyptian) = treasure_

_Jag är så ledsen, min kärlek. Jag kommer att spendera evigheten göra detta upp till dig. Jag har dig, min kära. Det är okej (Swedish) = I'm so sorry, my love. I will spend eternity making this up to you. I have you, my dear. It's okay_


	65. Home

**A/N I'M BACK GUYS! Exams are over and I've moved out of university accommodation! I drove halfway home the other day so I'm a little bit tired! I live 500 miles away from university unfortunately!**

**I am sososo happy about all of the positive reviews I got for the last chapter though and how happy everyone was with how I ended their enemies! I got so many reviews for that chapter, even from people who don't usually review, and I want to thank you all! My phone was going mental with emails all night and it really made me grin! Now for the tying up of loose ends really, I have all this planned out on my phone (amazing what inspiration comes to me when travelling!) so I hope I've captured all of the loose ends over the next few chapters. If there are any I haven't covered PM me and let me know, and I'll squeeze them into chapters…somewhere! :)**

**Oh and Dead Ever After? Yeah...lets pretend that book doesn't exists m'kay? Same way Deadlocked never existed either. I didn't buy DEA because I read the spoiler for the HEA, which in my opinion isn't really a HEA...because clearly there was no HAPPILY and there was stupid amounts of Eric bashing (I will find you CH, and when I do...), but I have read snippets all over Tumblr. All I'm going to say is...'slid against one another like seals' *shudders in disgust, cringing like crazy***

**I love you all, my pretties! This chapter is a little short and I don't think it's too great because I'm trying to find my mojo and exams have wiped me out. Our guys are a bit OOC here, sorry, and with the strength of the women in the last chapter I only felt it right they be allowed an emotional outburst each this chapter. Subsequent chapters should be back to former length/quality though. ENJOY!**

* * *

**PAM'S POV**

_It's been a long hard ride, got a ways to go  
__But this is still the place that we all call home  
__Free, nothing feels like free  
__Though it sometimes means we don't get along  
__Cause same, no we're not the same, but that's what makes us strong  
__From the mountains high to the wave crashed coast  
__There's a way to find better days, I know  
__It's been a long hard ride, got a ways to go  
__But this is still the place that we all call home  
__Brave, gotta call it brave, to chase that dream across the sea  
__Names, and they signed their names for something they believed  
__Red, how the blood ran red, and we laid our dead in sacred ground  
__Just think, wonder what they think  
__If they could see us now  
__~ Home, Dierks Bentley_

As the youngest of the nest I should have succumbed to the suns pull the moment it had breached the horizon and burnt Compton to a crisp. I couldn't deny the fact that I had fought the initial small tug in order to watch the fucker burn, and it was one hell of a satisfying sight. I'd always liked Sookie, even when she'd caused friction between Eric and I as she'd been nothing but loyal to him, and that went a long way in winning me over. I didn't think she'd had it in her to kill him, but when she'd tied him up with silver, shoving her panties into his mouth to silence him before she let him meet the sun I had to say I was proud of her. I had no idea how I was still able to fight the pull of the sun, but I wasn't about to question it.

Our two fae/human companions were silent for the whole journey back to Caesar's Palace, neither of them letting go of each others hands, or their other hands which were holding on to their respective bonded's. With Khai in the front seat, Oeri and Riei were left to tend to Isabel. Her blood flow to her severed hand had stopped thanks to Khai's blood, but Oeri was in the process of bandaging the wound up. Though vampires couldn't get infections, as our bodies would naturally fight them off, it was still widely accepted to cover our wounds so as not to frighten humans.

Thinking of wounds had me turning to look at Ari. He was trying his hardest to not let me feel any pain through our second bond but I already knew him well enough to know he was in agony, even with a few mouthfuls of my blood. I wasn't his family directly by blood, so though my blood helped it wouldn't do as much good as his brothers would. He'd lost an arm and a leg in the fight, and it gave an all-new meaning to the phrase the humans used. I'd heard one of the fangbangers at Fangtasia say it once. 'I'd give an arm and a leg for…"

I could do nothing but sit tight, holding on to his remaining arm, letting him know I was there through our bond and occasionally I would push his bangs from his forehead if they fell into place as we rounded a sharp corner. It was so stupid of him to let his emotions get the better of him. If I hadn't moved so quickly in killing his enemies then he could be without any limbs right now, or he could have met the true death. Shaking myself from those morbid thoughts I spared a glance to my Maker and Grandsire. Both were still and silent, but I could feel the flurry of emotional activity occurring between them through their bond. Relief seemed to be the most dominant emotion and I couldn't blame them for it at all. Both of them looked physically fine, as did Ata and Sookie, but I could tell the four of them had a few issues they needed to work out in their respective pairs. The things that happened to them would undoubtedly leave a few scars, but I'd be there and support them all for however long it would take.

I glanced to Riei and Oeri, still fussing over Isabel, and was pleased to see that the hole where Oeri's ear had once been was healing up, a new ear slowly starting to form. Ears, noses, fingers and toes were easier and less painful to grow back than full limbs. Ari would have quite a struggle ahead of him. Finally I stole a glance to Egor, who was sticking close to Ata's side, his head tipped to rest against her shoulder as he gazed down to the floor. In his hands he held his brothers and I myself felt like weeping for the losses of all those involved. It seemed though that I had been one of the only few to not be injured in this battle, physically or emotionally. I would need to be the glue to hold them all together.

The feeling of the van coming to a stop, and a quick glimpse outside, told me that we had made it back to Caesar's Palace and that we were currently parked in the darkened car port. "Felipe and Marc let you drain us down because they wanted to turn us. They wanted to turn us against you and make us think you were monsters. They wanted us to think that you had both tricked us all along and it was some elaborate scheme that you had been asked to take part in by Niall because we were abominations to the fae race due to the company we keep." Sookie's flat voice echoed around the van. She had everyone's attention, but a slight incline of her head was the cue Ata needed.

"They wanted to wait as long as possible to turn us, which is why you were to drain us just before sunrise. They thought if we remained lifeless for 12 hours and were turned that we would be as damaged as Bubba, and would be in constant need of their guidance and the Maker-Childe bond they would have with us." Ata picked up where Sookie had left off, neither woman breaking the eye contact they had with one another. I could feel Eric's furry, and Godric's, but it did nothing for their women, who flinched under the strength of it. Knowing their emotions were overkill, I felt them pulling back, restraining themselves.

"How do you know this, min kära?" Eric asked Sookie softly, sweeping some of her matted hair up to tuck behind her equally grubby ear. Godric's fingers were sweeping over Ata's knuckles in his own comforting gesture.

"It's amazing what people think of right before they die." Sookie's detached voice regarding the death of Felipe and Marc, and even Bill and Russell, was something I was proud of and worried about at the same time. I didn't want her to lose her tenderness, or her sweetness. It was what made her the annoying little telepath that I was so fond of. Not delaying any further, or offering anymore information, Sookie opened the back of the van by letting go of Ata's hand, breaking eye contact long enough to leave the confines of the vehicle. The sunlight was unable to penetrate Ata's private carport so we were safe for now, and the stairs led up to Ata's private elevator. I had no idea how Khai got in without me noticing. The huge 20ft fences covered in what smelt like silver, iron and an array of dangerous looking explosives and spikes should anyone try to force their way in was truly terrifying.

Ata followed Sookie out of the van before she offered her hand back to Egor. He took it eagerly, cradling his brothers with one arm as he left the vehicle to. Slowly we all started to emerge from the van, each of us stretching our legs. It was Ata and Sookie's simultaneous yawns that reminded us all of the mostly human women in our group, and the fact that none of us were yet to succumb to the pull of the sun. Soundlessly, Ata and Sookie moved towards the door. Eric, having caught up with Sookie, placed his hand in hers as a silent show of strength. Godric approached Ata, placing a hand on her lower back. The elder fae jumped at the contact and spun around to face him. "Please don't do that." She asked in a timid voice, forcing a meek smile before she entered the code that allowed the door to open. She kept her back to us all, gesturing for us to go ahead of her as she sidestepped out of the way. Perturbed by her actions I frowned, but it wasn't my place to question her. Helping Ari hop through the door I realized he would need a lot more blood before going to his day rest.

Silently we all entered the elevator. Egor, at a loss without one of his Viking brothers, took Eric's outstretched hand. I had seen Eric caring before, after all he had taken care of me for so long, but seeing him interact with another man, a man he had known back when he had been but a mere human was a strange though not unwelcome surprise. Egor couldn't rely on Ata for support right now. The poor girl was barely supporting herself. With a ding the elevator doors slid open and once again Ata allowed us all out first. Godric lingered however, instinctively taking Ata's hand as he passed her to exit. Feeling some comfort coming from her through our weak bond, it occurred to me that this was her defense mechanism – shutting people out. She had excluded herself from us by remaining silent, not looking any of us in the eyes, acting as if we were more important than her by letting us enter and exit the elevator first.

Colton stood in the middle of the living room, a lethal blade in his hand and the bleeds running from his nose and ears. I cracked a grin when I spotted him, and he returned it with ease. He was an honorable Sheriff and had helped us immensely during the battle. "I came back here to return this blade, figured it belonged to one of you. I came across these two trying to get into the penthouse and I thought I'd guard them for you until your return." He nodded to the sofas where a frightened Flo and agitated Amelia sat. The scent of their fear was strong in the air and in any other situation I would have relished it. This morning however I was annoyed. These two women had caused my little family a considerable amount of pain. Yes they were glamoured but they shouldn't have been so stupid as to look a strange vampire in the eyes!

"Miss Ata! Miss Sookie! Oh my goodness you're alive! Thank God and Jesus that you're okay!" Flo pulled herself up from the sofa, dashing to the two women. Both accepted her embrace, neither of them feeling an ounce of anger towards her. Instead they both felt relieved, _content _even. "I am so sorry Miss Ata. I came back to gather up my things and be on my way! I had no idea that nasty man was gonna make me do what he did! I could barely remember any of it until Miss Amelia here used her witch powers to make me remember!" The cook looked to be on the verge of tears. Ata and Sookie took pity on the woman, offering her small smiles.

"I have no idea why you would be gathering your things, Flo. I'm going to need you to stick around for a while." Ata confessed, glancing to Sookie who nodded in affirmation.

Surprise was evident on Flo's features. "But I thought, after what –"

Ata shook her head, holding a hand up to cease the conversation. "I would never fire you, Flo. You were glamoured by a bad man who can no longer touch us." Sookie took one of Flo's hands in her own, offering her a smile.

"I would kill, _again, _for some crawfish étouffée." Sookie's attempt at a joke tugged at the corners of my lips, but went right over Flo's head.

"Oh most certainly Miss Sookie! I'll do that right now!" She bustled off into the kitchen, gathering pans and ingredients from every cupboard.

"Could I please have besara with baladi bread, Flo?" Ata asked as I placed Ari down carefully on the unoccupied sofa. Amelia's eyes were darting around the room nervously.

"Yes Miss Ata. A little taste of home hm?" She gave Ata a fond smile before returning to her cooking.

"I need to bathe." Sookie announced, heading off towards her bedroom. Eric was hot on her heels, not wanting to leave her alone even for a minute.

"I do also." Ata commented quietly, heading off in the other direction to her bedroom. Godric followed her, though he lingered a little behind her, watching her every movement.

Riei and Oeri were dealing with Amelia, debriefing her on the events of the past few days. Khai was holding on to Isabel, discussing with Colton the plans for the meeting tonight with every vampire who had helped with the rescue mission.

I turned my attention to Ari, whose eyes swung to meet mine. "Can I get you anything?" I offered softly, placing my hand on Ari's chest.

"Some blood would be great, thank you." He rasped out. Nodding I vamped to the fridge. Flo didn't even bat an eyelid at my speed, having dealt with several vampires for her entire life. Grabbing several bags of donor blood I took them to Ari, dropping fang and piercing them before I handed them to him. He still had his fangs, he was still capable of feeding himself, but I wanted him to focus on healing and not worry about anything else.

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself  
__Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms  
__There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast  
__Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life  
__If you knew how lonely my life has been and how long I've been so alone  
__And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along  
__And change my life the way you've done  
__It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me  
__It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from  
__It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me  
__It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong  
__A window breaks, down a long, dark street, and a siren wails in the night  
__But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me  
__And I can almost see, through the dark there is light.  
__Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me  
__And how long I've waited for your touch  
__And if you knew how happy you are making me  
__I never thought that I'd love anyone so much  
__~ Feels Like Home, Chantal Kreviazuk_

Sookie was unusually quiet and more withdrawn than before. I had known that the events of the past few days would affect her, but I hadn't been prepared for this. Sookie had always been a runner though, and by withdrawing she was running away from her emotions. I should have seen it coming. Sookie entered our bedroom but seemed at a loss with what to do with herself now that she was there. "Let me run you a bath." I offered gently. Though I hadn't had much experience with women who had suffered such abuse over my 1000 years I was aware that Sookie simply needed reassuring right now, she needed someone who would be there for her and listen to her. I wasn't going to downplay what had happened to her however; I would simply help her overcome it.

Turning the bath taps on I tested the water. My cool skin meant that working out the right water temperature for Sookie was a challenge. During my amnesia I had learnt that when the water felt burning hot to me, it was just right for her. Browsing the bath salts dotted around the tub I plucked out one that smelt like peaches, pouring a generous amount into the running water. I heard Sookie's soft footsteps as she approached. Turning to glance at her I turned the taps off, knowing that the tub was now full enough. Sookie was still carrying herself with the grace she'd always had, but she seemed a little shy of her body now, hiding herself beneath a silk robe. Realizing that my hungry gaze was making her uncomfortable I averted my eyes to the sink. Taking a step back as Sookie approached the tub, I moved to the door to allow her some privacy. "Please, don't go." She rasped out.

The tone of her voice tugged at my heartstrings and I turned back to her, noting that she had shed the silk robe and was now submerged in the water that filled the tub. Her knees were bent, hiding her bountiful chest from view. Crossing to her I crouched by the side of the bath, grabbing the sponge from the side. Sookie shook her head, moving back in the tub to create a large space before her. Her gaze swung from the vacant space to my eyes, silently begging for me to join her. I could have used my vampire speed to remove my clothes but I was apprehensive to do so. A man who had used the benefits of his vampirism to overpower her had just defiled her. Removing my clothes at a humans pace, I pried our bond open a little further. My Sookie was still frightened, she was feeling guilty and unloved. Her emotions stirred the animal inside me, the Neanderthal who wanted to avenge his woman. I tampered it down though. Now wasn't the time to go cave man on her, now was the time to help and soothe her. Sookie would no doubt want to talk about it at some point, but I would not pry, I would simply listen. Easing myself into the tub before her, I left my body language open. I kept my eyes on hers, not letting them drift down her beautiful body even though I wanted to explore every inch of her. She was still as incredible as she had been before she had been hurt; she was still as beautiful in my eyes. If anything, she was even more incredible than before. She knew no bounds with her strength. My blood had healed her of the physical aliments of her abuse, but it couldn't erase the memories. If I could glamour her I would have done so by now. She didn't deserve to live with such memories.

Grabbing the sponge from the side again I lathered it up with some rose scented body wash. "May I?" I asked for permission gesturing to her folded arms, which were holding her knees to her chest. The size of the tub meant that I'd been forced to stretch my legs out and they were resting on either side of Sookie. With a nod Sookie unfolded her arms, slowly lowering her legs so she sat in the tub, her own legs were stretched up towards me, the mid-point of her calves brushing my hips, her feet behind me. Keeping my eyes on hers I gently took her left arm, lathering it up using gentle circles. Taking her other arm I repeated the lathering motion before I returned the sponge to the side. Cupping water in my hands I rinsed her skin off. My internal body clock told me it was around 8am now, and yet I hadn't succumbed to the sun. I couldn't feel the bleeds nor was I feeling tired. With her arms washed I gestured to her legs, silently asking for permission again. I figured, given that Sookie had always liked being independent and in control, that by giving her the option to say no I was giving her back the control she had lost by Bill's hands.

Washing her legs, I noted the light hair growth. I had no problem with body hair. My people had kept neat appearances, but we had never expected women to rid themselves entirely of their body hair. It was nice to find a woman with smooth legs, but not expected. I'd loved bathing back then but had only been able to do so in lakes or streams, or within the bathhouses found on every large farm in the area. Cupping water over Sookie's legs I cleaned the soap off. Stretching over the side of the tub I returned the sponge, taking up her razor instead. Her skin, damp from the water, would allow the blade to slide over the surface and not cut her. Pam was forever shaving her legs after forgetting to do so before I turned her. She would live forever with hairy legs. I taunted her about it mercilessly.

"You don't have to do that Eric. It's gross." Sookie's voice broke me out of my reverie. Bringing my eyes to hers I shook my head, dipping the razor into the water to dampen the blades.

"I want to, my Sookie. You take care of yourself this way. I've seen it. I want to take care of you this evening, if you'd allow it?" I once again gave her the option to say no. I had no problem shaving her, taking care of her. She had taken care of me in my state of amnesia, and without her I would have met the true death. Shaving her legs was the least I could do for her. Through our bond I could feel Sookie weighing up her options. After a few minutes of silence, in which I kept my emotions and features neutral not wanting to influence her in any way, she finally gave a firm nod.

Offering her a smile I took the blade to her leg, using my sharp vision to spot every hair. I worked quickly, removing every hair all the way up to her hips. I realized, as I was nearly finished with her left leg, that there was a spot close to her center that would need my attention. Struggling for a moment I finally decided to let her know and be the judge. She could always get it herself if she was uncomfortable with me doing so, but I silently prayed that wouldn't be the case. "Min kära, there's a small spot of hair on the inside of your thigh. Would you like me to get that or would you like to get it?" I gave her the options. Rather than verbally giving her permission, Sookie turned her leg, exposing the creamy skin on the inside of her thigh. Working quickly I removed the hair there before I shifted to her other leg.

With her legs hair free, I took her hands gently, keeping my motion slows. Raising her arms above her head, I took the blade to her underarms, removing the small hairs that had started to grow there. Placing the razor back on the side I picked up the sponge. It was still a little soapy but I placed more of the rose body wash on it to be sure. I realized I now had to clean her chest and her center. Sookie, realizing what I was contemplating, started to pull her legs back to hide her chest. "No min kära." I ordered gently, putting a hand on her knee in a light gesture to stop her from running from her feelings again. "You are not responsible for what happened. The blame sits solely at his feet, but you know I am not like him. I would never hurt you." I cringed as I recalled how I had almost drained her, shutting my eyes at the memory.

Sookie's hands on my face drew me from the painful memory. Her eyes were focused on mine and I could feel her probing the bond, probing my mind to. I opened both to her, letting her feel and hear my sincerity. "I trust you." Her voice was stronger than before, and I could feel that she felt more secure, surer in herself. Turning, I placed a soft kiss on the palm of her hand. I was unsure how she would take to affectionate gestures, but she seemed to accept my small kiss. The bond told me she felt secure with me, comforted even. Her hands fell from my face and I resumed cleaning her. I wanted to be clinical with my touches to reassure her that I wouldn't hurt her, but at the same time I wanted her to know I still desired her, that I still found her beautiful. Pam had once told me that women sometimes felt unloved and dirty after such an attack.

Washing Sookie's flat stomach first, I paid attention to the crease where her hips met her thighs. Dipping the sponge between her legs I felt her tense for a second. "It's alright, min kära. It's just me. I won't hurt you." I reassured her softly; watching as the tension started to fade from her body and her shoulders sagged. Cleaning her center properly I let my forefinger brush across her clit as I removed my hand, and the way her body shuddered at my touch, the little mewl that left her lips and the love and lust that entered our bond reassured me we'd be okay. Her breasts were next and I paid attention to the crease underneath them, where they rested against her torso. I'd been with several women over the years that had sweated profusely from there. I took the opportunity to be somewhat cheeky and slide my thumbs over her nipples, which had peaked with the cooling water temperature and the small fragment of attention I had paid to her center. Sookie's little body shuddered once more and her eyes fluttered shut. I kept a check on our bond. The moment she felt it was too much, too soon or if she started to feel guilty or dirty again I would stop. This was about her happiness and her pleasure, not mine. Cupping my hands I scooped up water, washing away the suds. Sookie's eyes were open now and the vibrant blue was back watching me. "Turn for me, min älskling?"

Sookie complied happily, giving me access to her back. I soaped her up and washed the suds off. Leaning forward I placed a soft kiss to each of her shoulder blades, relishing the fact that she relaxed against me. I washed her hair, using my hand to shield her eyes so as not to get water or soap in them. With Sookie clean I placed the sponge back on the side, Sookie turned between my legs, picking it back up. She didn't need to ask about cleaning me and simply took my right hand, lifting my arm to start washing.

She took her time cleaning me, stopping every now and then to reapply the rose body wash to the sponge. I was comfortable enough with my masculinity not to turn my nose up at the scent of the body wash. With me clean and suds-free, including my hair, Sookie placed the sponge back on the side of the bath. We hadn't spoken for the past 20 minutes or so and I was in no rush to break the silence between us. It was comfortable, Sookie was content and so was I. Shifting herself, my bonded placed herself in my lap, her legs either side of mine, her body pressed to me. Tucking herself under my chin, into my chest, she wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. Wrapping my arms around her I held her to me, stroking her hair comfortingly. "Thank you." She murmured against my chest, moving one hand to my chest where her fingers played in the light dusting of hair I had there. "Thank you for taking care of me, for asking me before doing anything." She continued on in a soft voice. With each word her resolve through our bond grew, she felt stronger and safer, especially when I tightened my hold on her ever so slightly.

"It is the least I can do for you, min älskling." I reassured her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. Craning her neck, Sookie's lips found the underside of my chin. Her lips moved upwards slowly, reverently. Finally her lips found mine and she planted a firm kiss to them. I couldn't help it, the feel of her warm little body against mine, her moist lips kissing mine. Sookie felt me stir between us and pulled back, her eyes dipped between us. Her small hand went to grasp me but I grabbed her wrist. "It's okay, it'll go down in a moment." I informed her, not wanting her to feel like she owed me anything.

Shaking her head, her teeth sank into her lower lip. Her other hand removed mine from her wrist and she continued on her path, taking me in her hand. Several pumps of her hand later and I was struggling with my control. I was vampire, and male, so sex and all things associated were my weaknesses. Deciding this wasn't the right location I used my speed for the first time since we had returned home. Removing us from the tub I pulled the plug, grabbing a towel before I vamped to the bedroom. Sookie had wrapped her legs around me during our quick movement, her hand having stilled. Throwing the towel down onto the bed I laid down on my back on it, letting Sookie straddled me and thus have control of the situation. Tears sprung to her eyes and I panicked. I hated to see her cry and I assumed she was suddenly remembering the events of the past few days. I moved to comfort her but she violently shook her head, pushing me back down with surprising strength so that I was flat on my back again. "You're letting me have control." She had obviously read the motivation behind my actions. I couldn't blame her for having her shields down. Sookie's hands came up, covering her mouth and cheeks as fat tears disappeared beneath her hands to run down her face.

Nodding, I offered her a reassuring smile as I swept away the tears I could get my hands on. "Of course, min älskling."

Sookie's confidence flared to life through our bond and so did her comfort, security and the love she felt for me. She was grateful also, and the smile that lit up her face at the moment her happiness transferred to me through our bond was worth every cent I had in all of my bank accounts, even the offshore ones. Leaning down, her lips captured mine. For a moment I thought that it might be too soon for her, that this should stop before it went any further, but I felt no negative emotions through our bond. I wondered briefly if Sookie was simply going to use sex to numb the pain, as so many humans did these days, but I was quick to realize that she simply needed to feel wanted and loved again, to feel desired, sexy and in control. I gave myself up to her, letting her do with me as she willed.

With Sookie straddling me I placed my hands lightly on her hips, helping to navigate her as she aligned herself up with me. I kept my touch gentle, not wanting to trigger any painful memories. Sookie was still damp from the bath and the tenderness between us, coupled with our gentle kisses, ensured that I entered her easily. She sat down on me slowly, taking me in. She was still as perfect as before, still as warm and as tight. Keeping one hand on her hip I placed the other over nub. Stroking it slowly my bonded threw her head back in abandon, letting go of her inhibitions. The events of the past few days, and our need to find comfort in one another, meant that Sookie was thrown over the edge within minutes. Her rocking motion, the swirl of her hips and the rise and fall of her body, coupled with the contractions of her inner walls as her orgasm ran through her caused my insides to tighten unbearably. With a groan I let go, finding my release by spilling inside of her. Sookie's body fell forward, shaking with after tremors as she collapsed onto my chest, heaving in gulps of air.

"Thank you." She whispered, finding her voice after several moments of silence. A light sheen of sweat covered her body and I knew we would have to wash again soon.

Trailing my hands over her back, I chuckled lightly. "That was only round one, min kära."

Half an hour later we were a tangled mess in the sheets, Sookie's warm, slightly sweaty body draped over my cold frame. Sookie's fingers were dancing over my rib cage, a smile painted on her lips, her eyes closed in contentment. I probed our bond silently and found her happiness there, her confidence and her love towards me. I could detect the undertones of her sadness though, her guilt and her shame. I hadn't deluded myself into thinking that the events of the past few days had been dealt with. There was still a long way to go and I was aware that Sookie would need a soundboard when she decided to open up about her experience and deal with whatever issues it had left behind. "I'm lucky to have you. Thank you." Sookie's soft Southern lilt drifted up to my ears. Leaning down I kissed the top of her head.

"No min kära, I am very lucky. I do not know I was given such a treasure as you." I corrected her gently, sweeping my hand up and down her spine, causing her to shiver. The sound of Sookie's stomach grumbling reminded me of the food that Flo had been preparing when we'd left. Sookie giggled at the noise, bringing a hand down to rest on her stomach as if that would silence it. "Lets get you fed, min angel." I lifted Sookie from the bed, placing her down once I had removed myself from under her. Kissing her forehead I vamped to the closet where I pulled on a pair of track pants and a black wife-beater. I grabbed a soft nightgown for Sookie on my way out, handing it to her along with a pair of panties. She dressed quickly and took my hand, leading me out of our bedroom and back into the living room where the incredible food smells were coming from.

* * *

**GODRIC'S POV**

_I'm staring at the glass in front of me, is it half empty?  
__Have I ruined all you've given me?  
__I know I've been selfish, I know I've been foolish,  
__But look through that and you will see that I'll do better.  
__I know, baby I can do better.  
__If you leave me tonight I'll wake up alone,  
__Don't tell me I will make it on my own.  
__Don't leave me tonight  
__This heart of stone will sink 'til it dies, if you leave me tonight.  
__Sometimes I stare at you while you are sleeping, I listen to your breathing,  
__Amazed how I somehow managed to sweep you off of your feet girl,  
__Your perfect little feet girl,  
__I took for granted what you do, but I'll do better.  
__I know, baby I can do better.  
__~ Stay Close, Don't Go, Secondhand Serenade_

I could understand why my beloved was letting a simple mark affect her so much. I had been branded in my human years and I was aware of what it felt like to be marked as a piece of property. It didn't make me love Ata any less; after all she had loved me when I had first been branded, so I was finding it difficult to understand what the underlying problem was. I gave her some space as she walked to our bedroom, but not even the end of the world would have been able to keep me from her. I followed her into the bedroom, purposefully keeping my eyes off of the mark on her shoulder blade. She was already conscious of it and didn't need me adding to that. Ata moved to the bathroom and I moved to follow her, but rather than finding myself in the beautiful marble room I found myself face-to-face with the closed door. The tumble of the lock was the kiss of death.

I would NOT allow her to stew on this. I would NOT allow her to feel bad about this. I didn't give a shit about her brand. It had happened and that was that. It didn't detract from my love. Snatching a bobby pin from our dresser I opened it up jamming it into the lock mechanism as I heard the shower start running.

It took me seconds to pick the lock, years of experiencing having made me an expert at the craft. Throwing the door open I was before Ata in an instant, grabbing her arm to stop her from entering the shower. She wore no clothing; the only items on her body were the rings I had bought for her. Jumping at my closeness and quick approach, a squeal escaped her lips. My hold on her was firm, but not rough. She'd had enough rough treatment lately for the entirety of her life. My other hand grabbed her face, turning her and forcing her to look at me. Her blue eyes were filled with sadness and vulnerability. "What's going on?" I gritted out between my clenched teeth. Running had been one of Sookie's traits, as Eric had once informed me, and it wasn't something I had expected from my wife. "Do you really think so little of me that you would question my love for you simply because your skin is marred?" I demanded, not letting her go until I had answers.

Rather than answering my question Ata fired her own. "How could you love someone who carries the mark of another? I don't want to be hurt again." She answered, her voice wavering only once as she refused to meet my gaze, her eyes falling to the floor between us. Silence enveloped us; the only sound was that of the shower in the background. Her withdrawal from me, the closure of our bond and her distance all fell into place. She'd been steeling herself for the moment I would leave her. How could she think I would leave her? Even if I wanted to I knew my body would betray me and I would always feel compelled to be near her. She was my companion, my lover, my bonded and my wife. Marc's words in the basement had hurt her. She had lost nearly everyone she had loved. She had nearly lost me to. She would never risk loosing me again. I would take every precaution necessary to cover my ass. I was the oldest vampire in America now that Russell was finally dead.

My shoulders sagged. "Please look at me, hayaati." I addressed her in Arabic, reminding her that she was my life. Her blue eyes finally met mine and I let go of her, gently moving to caress her cheek. She didn't flinch from me and I let out a breath I'd had no idea I'd been holding. "I love you with or without your mark. Our bond is still there, wide open. Explore it. You'll find nothing but my love for you. There's no need to be so uncertain, my darling. I love you." I pushed all of my love for Ata through our bond, knowing she felt it when her knees trembled. I raised her left hand to my lips, kissing both the promise ring and her diamond engagement ring. "You are my wife in the vampire world, my darling. I would like you to be my wife in the human world to." I could feel Ata probing our bond, and my mind. I opened both to her. I had nothing to hide. She needed this emotional bolster and she needed some reassurance. I'd left her before, albeit not of my own accord, but I could see why the thought of me leaving scared her so much.

Letting go of her I stripped myself of my clothes. Opening the shower door I stepped in, offering my hand back to my wife. Ata took my offer and followed me into the shower. We stood under the shower together, letting the warm water flow over us. Ata stayed facing me but took a step closer, resting herself against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her I held her close, tucking her in under my chin. My fingers skimmed over her back and I purposefully kept my fingers away from her brand. I wanted her to relax for now. I already had a plan for helping her heal and it would involve a phone call and a favour.

We washed one another slowly, the warm water bringing up the temperature of my usually cool skin. My wife needed comfort and I would do everything possible to give it to her. Turning the water off I grabbed a fluffy white towel, wrapping Ata up in it, drying her off. Grabbing her lightly fragranced body lotion I slathered it onto her body, tenderly ensuring she was coated in the rich cream. While drying her I air-dried.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, that I doubted us." Ata's voice was soft and full of remorse. I could feel her sorrow through our bond, how angry and upset she was with herself for even suggesting that I would no longer love her. Yes I had messed up in our relationship, but so had my wife, and she was woman enough to admit that, just like I was man enough to admit my shortcomings. Relationships were new to both of us. It had been 2000 years since we had been with one another exclusively, shared ourselves with one another. 2000 years most certainly changed a person.

Not wanting my wife to dwell any longer I pressed a kiss to her forehead, murmuring an acceptance of her apology. I couldn't hold a grudge against her, I never would. I would forgive her no matter what, and I knew she would forgive me forever to. Maybe that was wrong in a relationship, to forgive regardless of the pain we caused one another, but then our relationship wasn't conventional in any shape or form.

Scooping my wife up she squealed in surprise before she laughed happily. I could feel her giddy happiness through our bond and the corners of my lips tugged up into a smile. That was much better than her sadness and her withdrawal. Placing my beloved down on our bed, I flicked the covers back, scooting her over so she was swathed in the silk sheets. Sliding in beside her she clung to me, wrapping her lithe frame around mine. Usually we spooned, my stronger frame encasing hers protectively, but it seemed my wife was still upset with the brand on her shoulder and didn't want me to see it, even though it didn't affect my love for her.

"I love you." I reminded her softly, holding her to me. My wife had never been one for flowery words but I felt like using them, if only so she would feel the sincerity behind them through our bond, to know that I still loved her. She was hurting from the abuse at the hands of Marc and Felipe, and from the loss of Agmund and Oscar. "You are my entire world, the center of my world. You are the sunshine of my life, the blood that rushes through my veins. You are my strength, my soul, and the love of my life. I couldn't love you more if I tried." I whispered in her ear, caressing her body. With her head resting on my chest I felt the warmth of her tears as they rolled down her cheeks. Rather than saying anything else I let the bond fill with my love, and I felt it all come rushing back from her. She didn't need to utter the words. I could feel her love.

We laid in silence for twenty minutes, simply enjoying each other's presence. "Let me go and get you some food." I offered, informing Ata of my actions. I felt how much she appreciated the gesture and she moved from me, giving me space to get up and out of bed. Throwing on a clean pair of linen pants I grabbed my phone from the bedside, slipping it into my pocket. Ata's eyes were shut so the action went unnoticed. Slipping out of our room I stayed in the windowless corridor. Pulling my phone out I scrolled through the contacts list that I had gathered when Eric and I had been creating an attack plan with the Nevada vampires. Scrolling through I found the human girlfriend of Aurel, the Sheriff of Area 33.

The phone rang for a minute or so before finally someone answered. "Georgie Bray speaking."

Grinning, I responded. "Georgie it's Godric, Ata's husband."

"Godric! Aurel tells me that the rescue mission was a success and that our dear Ata is back with you safe and sound. What can I do for you?" The Tangible gentleness of Georgie's Atlanta accent was unmistakable. There was a musicality to it. It wasn't hick or over-the-top Southern belle. The vowels were more rounded.

"You work at University Medical Center in the burns unit yes? I'm going to need your help…"

* * *

**PAM'S POV**

_I remember being young and talking back  
__I knew what I needed  
__I was spending all my nights and days laid back day dreaming  
__Look at me I'm a big girl now, so you gonna do something  
__Told the world I would paint this town but now, bitches I run this  
__'Cause I put it down like that down like that  
__And I'm making all these racks all these racks  
__And I'm moving round like that round like that  
__And I do it and don't look back don't look back.  
__I'm a grown woman I can do whatever I want  
__I'm a grown woman I can do whatever I want  
__I can be bad if I want, I can be wrong if I want  
__I can live fast if I want, I can go slow all night long  
__I'm a grown woman, I can do whatever I want  
__They love the way I walk 'cause I walk with a vengeance  
__And they listen to me when I talk 'cause I ain't pretending  
__It took a while, now I understand just where I'm going  
__I know the world and I know who I am  
__Bout time I show it  
__~ Grown Woman, Beyoncé_

With Ata, Sookie, Godric and Eric gone from the room I was left with Ari and his brothers. Ari had nearly finished feeding from the blood I had given him and Flo was bustling around in the kitchen, cooking up a storm for the fae/human women who were in need of nutrition. Amelia was squirming on the sofa still, her eyes darting around the room. "We'll see you this evening, Pam." Riei excused himself and his brothers. Riei and Oeri left together, taking with them several bags of donor blood. Khai took Isabel away to his room, taking donor bags with him also. Egor stood awkwardly in the middle of the room still clutching the two crystal decanters.

"Egor, perhaps you could help me move Ari into our room?" I asked, giving him something to do, something helpful that would take his mind off of his fallen brothers for a few minutes. Nodding, Egor gently placed the decanters down on the coffee table. Taking hold of Ari on the side where he was missing an arm I lifted him up, allowing Egor to slip under Ari's one good arm. Together we carried him through the apartment to our bedroom. Positioning him on the bed I gave Egor my attention. "Could you stay with him for a while, please? I have a few things I need to do." I asked, remembering that Dear Abby had once said that being nice to people got you places. Egor nodded quietly, dragging the spare chair in the room to Ari's bedside before he sank down into it. Asking Egor to stay served two purposes. Egor would feel useful and would more than likely be able to talk to Ari and maybe even start to feel better about the nights events, and it would also allow me to grill Amelia and use her to start working on the damn riddles our nest had been given by both The Ancient Pythoness and Ata's parents.

Slipping from the room I entered the living area. "Now then Amelia." I took the seat opposite her, noting how she dropped her eyes to the floor. Maybe she had learnt her lesson. "As much as I want to dish out a punishment to you for betraying my Mistress and Grand-Mistress when they have been nothing but accepting and kind towards you, it is not my place to do so. I have no political footing here in Nevada and I do not wish to overstep my mark. Believe me when I say, however, that I will be having words with both women regarding my idea of a suitable punishment for you. You picking up what I'm putting down?" I quirked an eyebrow even though the young witch wouldn't see it, her eyes still fixated on the floor. With a quick bob of her head she responded. I could feel her fear, taste it in the air. Ata and Sookie wouldn't punish her as much as I would want them to, both were too good for their own wellbeing's, but it didn't hurt to strike the fear of God into Amelia's heart.

Using my speed I grabbed a pen and some paper from the desk in the room, placing it down on the coffee table alongside the jars containing Agmund and Oscar. I'd also grabbed the piece of paper with the riddles written down on. "Now then, you're going to help me solve these." I ordered before I held out one pen to her. With shaky hands she took it, finally bringing her gaze up to the table, refusing to meet my eyes still. I hid my smirk.

It was then that Sookie entered the room, Eric following behind her. Both reeked of sex and I held my tongue. They'd both been through so much over the past few days that the last thing they needed were any of my catty comments. The simple fact that Sookie smelt of sex and Eric and that she had actually engaged in any sexual act after what had happened to her was a miracle. Dear Abby had responded to plenty of women, over the years that I had been reading her column, who had been abused in such a manner and most of them were unable to be intimate with another for months, sometimes even years.

Flo plated up Sookie's crawfish étouffée and poured her a glass of orange juice. I wasn't sure the combination tasted good but the Vitamin C would do Sookie's immune system some good, I'd also once read during a medical night-class that Vitamin C is useful in wound healing of all types. From cuts and broken bones to burns and recovery from surgical wounds. Although Eric's blood had healed Sookie completely I could understand why she felt the need to consume the orange juice anyway. After all, old habits die hard. Sookie slipped herself onto a barstool, tucking in to her food. Eric took the seat beside her, offering me a small smile and nod before he brushed some of Sookie's blonde hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

Amelia was refusing to look at Sookie and it didn't take a blood bond, or being a telepath, to know that she was ashamed of her actions and embarrassed that she had allowed herself to be ensnared so easily. Before she could dwell any further though Godric entered the room. "Is Ata's meal ready?" He asked Flo, stopping at the raised bar that Sookie and Eric were sat as. As he'd passed Eric he'd placed a hand on his back and now, stood beside Sookie, he kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Through my connection with Sookie I could feel her love for Godric and her appreciation. He was a father to her now, a father she had never had. Her own father had been frightened of her and had died when she had been so young. The only man in her life had been her brother, and he was dippy at best. Hunter and Jason were still locked away in the safe room, and Bubba had joined them inside when the sun had started to rise. With both humans having been up all night I expected for them to sleep the day away. Good. Sookie needed uninterrupted rest. She didn't her brother suffocating her with his need to take care of her. She already had Eric for that.

"Miss Ata's besara with baladi bread is all done, Mr. Godric." Flo answered with a timid smile, plating up the food. I could see it from my seat on the sofa and it looked awful, almost like green sludge. It smelt great though, much to my chagrin.

"Ata isn't eating with us?" Sookie questioned once she'd finished her mouthful, glancing to Godric who was tucking a fresh bottle of cold water in his pocket to take back to Ata.

"I'm afraid not duxtir. She's a little tired and not quite feeling herself." Godric explained. We all caught on to the underlying meaning. Ata was still ashamed of her mark. I wanted to grab her and shake the stupidity out of her. I guessed that she'd never been mistreated so much; she'd never been claimed in a physical manner before that couldn't easily be removed. Fang marks could be removed with blood and male essence with a bath.

"Give her my love please, ater." Sookie responded softly before she returned to her meal, leaving Godric in stunned silence. I had no idea what she'd just said but it sounded very similar to the language Godric had used moments before. "My shields are down, sorry." Sookie apologizes with a sheepish grin.

"It is no worry, my duxtir. It pleases me that you can speak to me in my own language, albeit one word." Godric chuckled, moving his hand to the side of Sookie's head, pulling her down to him ever so slightly and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Rest well, all of you." Godric's eyes scanned all of us, giving us small nods before he picked up the plate of food and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

I was starting to feel the pull of the sun, but I was surprised by how long it had taken for it to eventually set in. I had no idea what had allowed me to stay awake long past the rise of the sun but I wasn't going to squander the opportunity. Leaving Sookie and Eric in peace I turned back to the riddles before me, mentally going over them.

"'If one tries to navigate unknown waters one runs the risk of shipwreck." I muttered to myself. Writing it down on a clean sheet of paper I wrote down the conclusion we had reached earlier in the week. Oscar had been sent into Felipe's mansion to gather useful information for us, as Felipe was blissfully ignorant of Oscar's loyalty to both Ata and Sookie.

"The key to solving problems is the problem of consciousness" I carried on quietly, rolling the statement around in my head. Lost in my thoughts I hadn't noticed Sookie finishing her meal and padding over to join me on the sofa until she was sat beside me. Eric took up the last seat on our sofa. The three of us were facing Amelia, who was still looking down at the paper with all the riddles scribbled on, no doubt working through them all mentally.

"When Ata and I became unconscious, when Godric and Eric almost drained us down completely, I met Niall and Claude in Faery. I asked them if I was dead but they told me I wasn't. They told me they would come to me and Ata and give us their healing light." Sookie recounted what had happened in her unconscious state. "If I hadn't of had their healing light I would have probably died. I was conscious when I came back from Faery, but I was weak. I needed their light. Ata needed their light." Sookie explained, answering the riddle. The problem of their deaths needed to be solved, and by falling unconscious and asking for Niall and Claude's help they were able to solve the problem. Nodding I jotted down the answer.

Eric had stiffened when Sookie mentioned that he had almost drained her down. I couldn't blame my Maker, I would feel guilty too if I had nearly caused my bonded to die. Feeling Eric's emotions as she brought up the events in the basement, Sookie took his hand and drew circles on the palm of it with her forefinger, soothing the animal inside of him.

"For every joy there is a price to be paid." I reiterated the final riddle, knowing that I would call it a day after this. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open and I had no doubt that Sookie was in need of her rest also. Godric reentered the room, placing the empty plate in the sink and the empty plastic bottle in the bin.

"Thank you, Flo." He offered the cook a small smile before he moved to join us in the living area. "Niall gave his life so that I could live." I turned my head up to look at my Grand-Sire. I wasn't aware that Niall had done such a thing, or how that was even possible. Godric answered my unspoken question. "I needed a spark to survive, he gave up his spark and passed it on to me so that I could stay with Ata." He responded, glancing between the small crowd of us gathered in the room.

"How is that even possible?" I voiced the question on everyone's mind. I didn't need to be a telepath to know that everyone was just as curious as I was.

"It was Ata's second fae gift. She can take sparks from the fae and give them to others." Godric answered, moving to shift a strand of Eric's hair from his face. Thanks to his shower, lovemaking with Sookie, and lack of hair gel it had fallen into his face in a manner similar to how it had been during his bout of amnesia.

We were all silent for a while, letting the information sink in, reflecting on the implications of Ata's second gift, before I finally felt like I had to sleep. "I'm sorry guys but I'm going to retire for the day. I'll see you at first dark for the meeting with the other state vampires." I rose to my feet, casting a glance around the room. Rather than admitting my love aloud, especially with Amelia in the room, I pushed it through the bonds I shared with my two vampires and fae/human hybrid. I could hear Sookie offering Amelia a spare room on the lower floor for the day, telling her we would speak to her in the evening. Amelia left the room, taking the elevator down to her floor. As I entered the room I shared with Ari I could see Egor in his day rest on the chair he had been sat in earlier. Ari had already succumbed to the sun. Deciding it was unfair to leave Egor on the chair I lifted him up, placing him on the other side of the bed. There was a narrow gap between the two vampires and with a little bit of maneuvering, once my filthy clothes had been removed, I settled in between the two vampires for the day.

* * *

**ERIC'S POV**

_She's my light, my shining star  
__She's so dear to me yes she is yes she is  
__My rabbits foot, my lucky charm, yes she is yes she is  
__Every time that something good happens in my life  
__You're always there for me, looking good by my side  
__Picture you now, pulling up your panty hose  
__And you always got that sexy underwear on  
__So much good has come my way since she came in my life  
__I'll never push you away or brush you off to the side  
__See my luck has changed for the better.  
__Like a rabbits foot on keys, or some lucky dice  
__All I want or need, I ain't gotta ask twice  
__Where would I be? What would I do without you looking out for me?  
__Without you in my life, my future ain't the same, no.  
__And I'm not wanting the blame  
__Baby, I know I been around  
__I'm tired of messing around  
__I got so much love.  
__~ Good Luck Charm, Jagged Edge_

Sookie's tiredness seeped into our bond once Pam had left us. Amelia had since moved on downstairs to her own room and Flo had finished up for the day, disappearing upstairs to the library. I could hear her footsteps up above. At least she was staying close incase she was needed. Offering Sookie my hand she rubbed at her eyes, wishing Godric a pleasant rest. Giving my father a nod over Sookie's head I washed him with my love. It was happily returned.

Locked away in our bedroom, Sookie stripped down until she was naked, sliding in under the sheets. Her lack of inhibitions would work to my advantage. No more ripped panties for her and no more barriers between us for me. I was a little saddened to see her remove her sexy panties herself. I had to stop myself from pouting at the fact it wasn't me making them hit the floor. Curling up with Sookie under the sheets, she was theoretically my wife now we were thrice bonded, I pulled her smaller frame towards me, tucking her against me. She buried her face in my chest; one arm thrown over my side while the fingers on the other tangled gently in the light dusting of blonde hair over my chest. Stroking a hand through her slightly damp hair I could feel that though she was tired she was also restlessness. Deciding to share my past with her in a hope that it would help her sleep I kissed the top of her head.

"Before the dawn of time and before the world was created there was a place called Niflheim. Niflheim was the darkest and coldest region, and consisted of ice, frost and fog. Niflheim was in the northern region of Ginnungagap. To the south of Ginnungagap there was a place called Muspelheim, which was the land of fire. In Muspelheim there was a giant named Surt, he was the ruler of the land. Muspelheim was the home of the fire demons and fire giants. When fire and ice met, they combined to form a giant, named Ymir, and a cow, named Auðhumla, who nourished Ymir. She survived by licking the salty ice blocks. From her licking emerged Búri, the grandfather of the Æsir. Æsir is the term denoting a member of my principal pantheon. The pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Balder and Tyr." I used the Norse pronunciations of as many people and places as I could, hoping my Sookie would be able to pick up on it. It was my goal to teach her my language properly. She could pluck words from my head but I wouldn't always be able to be a dictionary for her. Sookie's breathing had evened out slightly but I could tell she wasn't asleep just yet. She was relaxed and content, interest coming through our bond. It made me proud that she was interested in my past.

"Ymir, father of the frost giants, had unusual procreative techniques. He sweated a male and a female from under his left arm. Odin killed Ymir. The blood pouring out of the giant's body killed all the frost giants Ymir had created, except Bergelmir. From Ymir's dead body, Odin created the world. Ymir's blood was the sea; his flesh, the earth; his skull, the sky; his bones, the mountains; his hair, the trees. The new Ymir-based world was Midgard, and the humans would roam this world for the rest of time." I stroked Sookie's hair, untangling the few tangles there with my fingers. Sookie's shoulders were relaxed and her small body was pressed tightly to mine. I could feel her on the precipice between consciousness and sleep.

Knowing Sookie was soon to drift off I softened my voice further, murmuring my words as a whisper into her ear. I'd finished my story for now but there were plenty more stories I wished to share with her in the future, over our eternity together. "You were so strong in the basement, so brave to fight off Russell, Marc, Felipe and William. I'm in awe of you my tiny warrior, du är vacker. You are my fierce shield-maiden, my little Valkyrie." I dropped a light kiss to her forehead, tightening my hold on her ever so slightly. "I love you." I reminded her just as she slipped away from me into her sleep. Our bond became a silent hum, our mental connection silent. I vowed that one night I would force myself to stay awake through her REM sleep in a hope to catch a mental glimpse of her dreams. The sun was high in the sky and though I felt no pull to rest, something that both excited me and worried me, I forced myself into downtime. Our enemies were defeated for now and Sookie was safe, locked away in my arms for the day. I hoped she would be there when the sun finally met the horizon.

* * *

**A/N Please review and let me know what you think!  
Little bit of Norse mythology at the end for you, because I remembered long ago that Eric promised to share with the class!**

**I have a Beta now! (THANKS NYS, ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME!) so over the summer earlier chapters will start being replaced again with grammatically correct and spellchecked versions. My wordpress will be updated again also as my Beta goes through the chapters!  
**

**We get to all the good stuff now and all the rewards and happiness for suffering through the events of the basement and everything that lead up to that. I wanna thank all of you who have stuck with me so far and I hope that future chapters wrap up this tale sufficiently for you! **

**Also, my inner OCD freak is chewing on my newly painted nails (I'm Really Not A Waitress, anyone? ;) tehehe *you cannot run from the truth, Sookie!*) and I do want to at least hit our Viking's age in reviews…so drop me a review by clicking the pretty button down below and let me know what ya think! I might even give you clues as to the contents of the next chapter if you're a lucky ducky ;) **

_Ater = Father (Gaulish)  
__Duxtir = Daughter (Gaulish)  
__Du är vacker = You are beautiful (Swedish)_


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